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Lot #12 - 1981 Honda CBX 1000 Super Sports - Rare Pro-Link six-cylinder CBX

  • Auction House:
    Donington Auctions
  • Sale Name:
    Collectors' Motorcycle Auction
  • Sale Date:
    03 Jul 2022 ~ 2pm (AEST)
  • Lot #:
    12
  • Lot Description:
    1981 Honda CBX 1000 Super Sports - Rare Pro-Link six-cylinder CBX
    Frame No.: SC06-2303688; Engine No: SC03E-2306563 This CBX1000SS was purchased by Bryan from William Terrence Evans from Numurkah Victoria around 1998. Sold with the owner's manual, it was previously registered in Victoria as 'XN671', but registration has elapsed. This bike is featured on pages 67 of issue No. 15 Sep/Oct 2009 of Old Bike Australasia. The Odometer displays 35,490 km. Bryan Thomson has had the bike running in May 2021 but only by squirted fuel into the carburetors, as it appears to have blocked jets. The carburetors need servicing as part of the recommissioning works. This perspex windscreen is cracked. This motorcycle is sold unregistered.
  • References:
    To view high resolution images of the motorcycles, please follow this Dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/n5bcjb2nuoc16t4y3k5hs/h?dl=0&rlkey=exyqlbxilyvv4n3ue8jmppkbx
  • Notes:
    By the mid 1970s, Honda motorcycle development was in the doldrums. By becoming preoccupied with car manufacture Honda had lost their performance image. They needed a knockout motorcycle and the fastest motorcycle in the world. Their response was the six-cylinder CBX1000. The CBX project leader was Shoichiro Irimajiri, designer of the 1960s famous racing Honda sixes. With double overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder the in-line six cylinder owed its genesis to the racing sixes. With a bore and stroke of 64.5x53.4mm the CBX displaced 1,047cc, the forged crankshaft ran on plain bearings, and a Hy-Vo primary drive to a jackshaft behind the cylinders drove the alternator and ignition. This helped minimise engine width, as did chamfered outer crank webs. Engine width was only 50mm more than the CB750 four. Unfortunately, the CBX landed smack in the middle of a Superbike war. Although fast and powerful, the chassis was taxed to the limit and the handling found wanting. Some of these handling problems were addressed for 1980, but the Superbike crowd continued to shun the CBX. Honda's own, cheaper, CB900F was almost as fast, and handled better, so for 1981 the CBX was refocused into the CBX1000SS sport tourer. In its adaptation into a sport tourer the CBX gained a vastly improved chassis, while the now black-painted six-cylinder engine was retuned for more mid-range power. With new higher lift camshafts, a more horizontal mounting of the six 28mm Keihin CV carburettors, and a revised exhaust system, the maximum power was 100 horsepower at 9,000rpm. Chassis updates included a more relaxed steering head angle, a beefier 39mm front fork and motocross-inspired single shock absorber Pro-Link rear suspension. The front brakes were also updated, with twin piston calipers and twin 296mm ventilated cast discs. The reversed Comstar wheels also had wider rims (2.50x19 and 2.75x18-inch), and completing the specification was a touring-style fairing, engine protection bars, a more luxurious seat, and removable saddlebags. The result was a very competent sport-touring motorcycle. A long 1,535mm wheelbase ensured high speed stability, and although the CBX1000SS weighed around 277kg it still capable of over 210 km/h. Built in Marysville, Ohio, primarily for the US market, just over 6,500 1981 model CBX1000SS were produced. Unlike many Japanese motorcycles, the CBX (in any incarnation) has enduring appeal. The CBX has become an allegory for Honda. Honda didn't need to build a six, but their corporate persona required a six for emotional, rather than engineering reasons. The CBX is now seen as a monument to Honda's impressive technical capability.
  • Estimate:
    A$18,000 - 20,000
  • Realised Price:
    *****

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  • Category:
    Automobiles & Accessories

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.



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