Honda
CX500
- Price new - £1499
- Power - 50bhp @ 9000rpm
- Top Speed - 110mph
- Weight - 205kg
From a company mainly associated with ohc parallel
twins and straight fours, here was a water-cooled,
80° V-twin with shaft drive……and
push-rod valve gear. It looked odd and it was,
but it worked well as transport. The 'Cortina'
of motorcycling, people said, which could have
been either a compliment or insult.
Things started badly, because the engine had
faults with the camchain tensioner and big ends.
Once this was sorted, the 'Plastic Maggot' soon
became a common sight on our roads, selling
3-4000 per year.
Honda had already done water-cooling, but the
CX's unlovely lump also featured four-valve
heads, twisted so that the carbs didn't interfere
with riders' knees. Other innovations were alloy
Comstar wheels with low-profile tubeless tyres,
electronic ignition and a clutch that rotated
in the opposite direction to the crank, reducing
torque reaction.
The CX remained basically the same before morphing
into the Eurosport, with Pro-Link rear suspension
and other chassis updates.
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