Honda CX500T

From CycleChaos
Revision as of 00:14, 4 October 2006 by Budlight (talk | contribs) (→‎1982)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

The sportbike battle had been raging for ten years when Honda introduced a new and innovative competitor: the CX500 Turbo. Not only was it the world's first turbo-charged production bike, it also featured fuel injection and the most radical fairing yet seen on a motorcycle. The CX500 Turbo (also known as the CX500TC) was only produced for the 1982 model year and was superseded for the 1983 model year by the CX650 Turbo which was itself based upon the naturally aspirated CX650. The CX500 Turbo was sold only in limited numbers, with a total of around 5400 manufactured.

The Turbo's powerplant was based on the water-cooled V-twin with four pushrod-operated overhead valves per cylinder used in the shaft-drive CX500 introduced a few years earlier—itself a groundbreaking design. In fact, the engine case was retained nearly intact from the original CX500, having been designed from the outset to accommodate turbo-charging. The turbocharger, at peak boost providing approximately 19 psi of over-pressure, nearly doubles the power output of the engine when on-boost. The engine case is one of the few items carried over from the original CX500; the suspension, brakes, frame and fairing all differ significantly from the earlier CX500. The base engine also was used in the Honda GL500 Silver Wing, a touring machine aimed at being the Gold Wing's little brother, and a Custom model with "chopper" styling.

The CX500 Turbo, although capable of superb acceleration when on-boost, suffers somewhat from an abrupt and large step in power when transitioning from off-boost to on-boost. Furthermore, being the first production Honda motorcycle with fuel-injection, the engine control system is complex and, by current standards quite bulky, requiring two separate enclosures as well as a number of pressure-carrying hoses.

This bike was succeeded by the CX650T


Known Issues

The CX500TC is known to have electrical system problems specifically with the charging system, often having to have the stator and rotor replaced.

1982

1982 Honda CX500T
1982 Honda CX500T
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo
1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo


The CX500tc'82 500 Turbo was sold in 1982 in one color scheme: Pearl Altair White with Moonstone Silver Metallic. The body stripes were Day-Glo red, dark gray, and light gray. The "CX500" decal was Day-Glo red. The speedometer had a 85 mph (135 kph) limit. The wheels, hubs, and fork legs were gold color. The engine was a 497cc OHV liquid-cooled turbocharged V-twin linked to a 5-speed transmission and a shaft drive. It was fuelled by CFI fuel injection. The serial number began JH2PC030*CM000017

See Honda CX Series

External links