This 1982 Honda CX500 is an estate sale score that has been parked for years following a minor accident. The bike is now offered at no reserve as a dusty garage find that has been sitting since 1988 and shows an indicated 5,000 miles. The seller notes some cosmetic damage to the fairing and obviously years of deferred maintenance. Find the Honda here on eBay with bidding just over $1,500.
The CX500 was a showpiece for Honda, which at the time was going head-to-head with Yamaha in establishing dominance in the import bike arena. The CX500 combined multiple engineering achievements into a racy package, including turbocharging, fuel injection, and computer management of these complex mechanical systems.
The result was a bike that was fast and very easy to live with, helped greatly by the computer-based management of fuel injection and turbocharging. The seller notes that despite these innovations, the original owner parked the bike following an accident where he hit an oil slick and laid the bike down. Unable to pick it up, he hung up his helmet and parked it.
The seller has not tested the engine and says he will not do any sort of pre-inspection, hence the low bidding price at the moment. I love these bikes because they capture the spirit of the era perfectly, with the colorful graphics, full fairing, and of course, turbocharging. This being a Honda, I doubt it will take much to come back to life – and it could go quite cheap.
Deferred maintence = neglect. Call it like you see em! Darn shame. In its day these were fun bikes.
It’s a Honda, if the crash damage was limited to the fairing and pegs, not a twisted frame or fork it will run again. Fuel system clean, new battery and you’re just about done. I’ve never owned this particular model, but the CX500 was an excellent bike. Being a turbo I don’t think you would loose any money you put into it. I’ll check production numbers and current estimated value and post that in awhile…….. Howard are you watching this one? Have some fun, keep you busy for a bit and make some dough when you sell?
Production was about 5300 worldwide………NADA value now: fair=$1650…..good=$2300 Excellent=$9000. My own Motorcycle Museum of Wisconsin price guide, 2019 edition Shows condition 6=$1200 5=$2000 4=$3500 3=$4500 2=$5500 1=$7000…….
These were liquid cooled and if it wasn’t properly stored will be a total loss! Besides that, these make great touring machines.
“…unable to pick it up…”
Hmm… as one of the charter members of the aforementioned Hit an Oil Slick and Laid It Down Riders Club, I gotta say, with the massive rush of adrenaline, fear and anger pumping when you slide a bike you have to be pretty unmotivated NOT to be able to pick up a laid down 500cc.
I think he may be referring to having been hurt in the accident. The ONLY time I ever dropped a bike was a 1976 Goldwing going 30mph on a curve on 2 lane, hit sand from winter plows (Wisconsin) and it was like hitting ice. Broke 9 bones, couldn’t pick up a fork at dinnertime let alone a motorcycle!
Been there, done that. I went to the hospital with a shattered tibia/fibula, my brother went to the accident scene with my keys, picked the bike (Honda Shadow VT1100C) up off the pavement and rode it home. His statement was “a bit hard to shift with the bent shifter lever, but other than that, it drove fine.”
Come on now! In my day you had to drop your bike at least three times to be considered a motorcyclist!
Actually after 40 years of owning big Japanese bikes, I dropped my 900cc Honda in my own driveway.
I had to use my car and a tow rope to get it upright. That was the end of my motorcycle career, if I could not lift my bike on my own, I will no longer ride it.
I sold it 2 weeks later.
I rode big Japanese bikes for40 years.
I am now a healthy 63 year old.
Earlier this year I dropped my bike in my driveway. I could not lift it. This never happened to me before. With no neighbour around, I pulled it upright with my car and a towrope.
I had to admit that I was no longer an independant rider.
I sold my last bike, a collectors quality scratched full fairing Honda 900 Bol Dor, a month later.
Obvious to me you have never been badly injured in a car/motorcycle collision. I had my left foot almost mashed off riding a Yamaha Venture touring bike maybe 20 years ago after a Jeep ran into the left side of me and continued to push me after the initial hit because he had a baby in his arms and not watching what he was doing. I have 2 screws in my ankle and 3/4 of the top of my foot is numb today among other problems as in hurting every step I take, When he finally stopped the motorcycle was laying on the left side on the ground, My helmet covered head hit his left front fender maybe 7 or eight times denting the left front fender, After all this I could not get up because it felt like something was pulling at my belt loop so I jerked up one hard time. Turned out my left side was stuck on the front tow hook maybe 5 inches in my side, So when I stepped up over the handlebars 2 people were there to help me walk to lay down at which time I see blood coming out of my shoe along with pain. My foot had about a 7 inch gash all the way to the bone and about 1 1/2 inches wide or so where it was mashed and broken. In the emergency room the orthopedic doctor contemplated having to amputate the foot but after coming back from xray my foot finally turned from gray to purple when the blood finally started flowing again.The Venture touring bike weighs about 800 lbs. and is hard to pick up without any injuries. You’re riders club must not have had any serious damage or you would not be able to pick yours up either. Possibly keep all this worthwhile information in mind before running someone down when you do not know the actual facts.
Good for you Ronald, I’ve been riding since I was 15, didn’t go through Motorcycle Safety School till 1982 (17 years later). Learned a lot about how to stay alive. When you said you hit your head 7 times I understood that without that helmet you’d be dead. I cracked and ruined a Shoei helmet when I crashed but it saved my life. I too have a left hand that I can’t feel much in my last 2 fingers but I’m alive. I saw the accident happening, and held onto the grips so tight that it broke my thumb and hand in 2 places. It’s not the speed that gets you, it’s the quick stop………
My 1st bike 3 decades ago was a CX500 Deluxe and since then I’ve owned a couple Turbos. Such a great and way ahead of it’s time bike. When the boost hit it was like the Millennium Falcon kicking into light speed. Fun and comfortable. If I had cash for a classic collection the Turbo would be high on my list (CX650 Turbo please).
I was going to buy one that had been foreclosed on by a bank back in 86, I got the 3 grand together, went over to pick it up, and some ahole from the bank had taken it out for a joyride, and dumped it. I offered them half price, and they turned it down. So, I went down to the Harley-Honda dealership (there used to be businesses like that) and bought a brand new 1985 VF1000R, which is still in my garage and I fired it up just the other day. I test rode a turbo, and the biggest problem was predicting when the turbo would kick in, it was kind of doggy, otherwise. a lot of people dumped them on curves.
Water cooled, turbo, fuel injected, and shaft driven in 82! These bikes were way ahead of their time. I believe Honda also went on to build a 650 version.
With the low production #’s you’d think they’d be more valuable. I haven’t see one of these for decades. I you want to ride a fast 500cc try out a Kawasaki 3 cylinder 2 stroke. You didn’t need a turbo. I I had this I’d restore to original and enjoy it.
What a thrill that was! You’d better be hanging on when that 2 stroke turned on!
Ronald Ford,
I’m glad you’re alive (with foot intact) to tell your story. Inattentive drivers have become an epidemic. Unfortunately, new cars continue to offer more and more distractive “features.” As a dedicated motorcyclist I try to keep my distance from these numbskulls. As you have painfully described, we can only do so much to stay safe, whether we’re on two wheels or four.
I too suffered multiple compound fractures of my right tibia and fibula back in the 70’s while on a mint Honda 450. Motorist whacked me at a 3-way stop sign. I missed going into the windshield but catapulted over the car. Helmet and leathers on. Went to stand up and my foot was facing 180 degrees backward, and then the blood. Thankfully an EMT was in the car behind.
No pins in those days and 28 months of recovery, but despite imperfect alignment could still play some tennis years later, so I feel blessed.
Ever since then my advice has always been, “If you want to ride a road bike, spend a year on dirt and learn how to dump it confidently first, before you take to the road “.
Ok, I’m making a left turn on this here thread. 1st, I stayed a summer in upstate NY, the guy I stayed with had a CX500, non turbo,,,and I hated it. I drove it all over the Catskills that summer, I thought it was a POS. I had lots of bikes, but did not care for this bike one bit. It was underpowered, handled funky, gearing way off, 60 was like 6500rpms, buzzed your hands numb, sorely needed another gear, too small a fuel tank ( almost ran out a couple times), like I say, I’ve had a lot of bikes, and this was one I didn’t care for. The turbo, even more silliness. Never cared for these small, high winding, road bikes. Parts for vintage Hondas are pricey, if you can find them at all. Get a real bike,, like a Z1 and be done with it.
2nd, I began riding motorcycles at 10 years old with a Honda 50. Over the next 50 + years, I put hundreds of thousands of miles on motorcycles,( 90K on a ’75 GW alone) and aside from a couple dirt bike mishaps, I never put a bike down on the road. I’m not bragging, had plenty of close calls, but, and I’m not putting anyone down that did, but any biking accident is the fault of the bike rider, even if it wasn’t their fault, you have to go that extra step to make sure you don’t go down. I also have over 3 million safe miles in a semi, so I know what I’m talking about. I love biking, but never let it catch me off guard. I’m sorry for those of you that had a spill, but you only hear of the bad stuff, and not the millions of people that safely ride their bikes for years. Peace.
Wow Howard that’s an incredible driving record, bikes and trucks. Truly professional. You are somewhat correct about this being a buzzy motorcycle. Being a 500cc to me it’s not mean’t for interstate travel. Big cc’s and mass make a better road bike. My only bike now is a 500 single, it has no business going over 60-65mph for any length of time, yes your hands would numb, but at 40-50mph on a beautiful road you can’t beat it. Remember back in the 70’s when guys were going cross country on Honda 350’s and 450’s. Yikes!
My buddy bought a new 500 turbo and always complained, like mtshootist1 mentioned about the the turbo lag. And yes Gregg, I do do remember riders going to Cali on small rice burners. I had two buddys that rode there. One on a 350 and the other on a 750. Funny thing was when they got back to Wisconsin they opened a chopper shop!