Ok Mr Kaplan this was my all time favorite...I was working at the local Honda shop when the CBX came out. The super cool shop owner got on the intercom and yelled "SCOTT!!! Get the forklift!!! the CBX's are HERE!!! Put one together we're ALL going to RIDE IT!!!!" Putting new bikes was one of my many jobs at that shop. I was 18 still in High School. I was elated as all Hell. I jumped on the forklift got the crate off the truck,set it down in my mechanics bay, put that Engineering work of art together gassed it up started it up and rode out to the front and everybody in the building was out there, I was wearing my Bell MX helmet & my boss made me take it off according to him, so I wouldn't go fast,and It didn't stop me from going fast either. I took off, twisted the wick & the back tire broke loose at the same time the front wheel lifted about 3" off the road,I controlled sudden burst of power by not backing off but shifting my body weight around Motocross like until it was time to shift, the front tire came back down and the rear tire quit burning after about 60' from take off, clicked it into second gear, and it did the same thing as it did from start but not nearly as much,by then I was going 90 something mph.I was on the pipe the entire test ride.went through the rest of the gears topping out at around 167mph. I rode everything the same way you ride a 125 Elsinore in an MX race, EVERYTHING, especially street bikes & cars. That was the most exhilarating thing I had ever done to that point in my life including the Suzuki GT-750 triple two-stroke & the Yamaha XS-1100 shaft drive. The wind pushed all of the water in my eyes all the way down my face. My boss could tell I went as fast as the bike allowed me to without hurting the engine.The torque of the bike automatically lifted it up exiting turns. Your legs hug the engine due to the width. But that cool rear fender with the Camaro-like spoiler and racing stripes was the cherry on top. Take that one of yours for about a 30 minute thrashing on the road, make you feel like you never have before.🦍 Thanks again for letting me re-live my favorite motorcycle moments. I was the luckiest teenager for being allowed to experience big moments like this.Kaplan Cycles is true grit MOTORCYCLING !!!💪💪💪🇺🇸
Love all these videos. I watch them all. I’m disabled with muscle waisting but I’m working on saving money to buy a 80 or something small from you guys just for my neighborhood. If I get some pain relief I’m coming to the museum! Seniors a big hero of mine! Hero to me someone I look up to!!👊🏻🇺🇸
Back in the mid-80's a good friend of my brother had one, ('79 or '80 model) it had the 6 into 2 kerker, it sounded like a Ferrari and ran like a stripped-assed ape!!! Incredible bike! He let me ride it around the block once, just once...never got out of second gear... was to scared. If you wont ready for it, it could easily get away from you.. the power was awesome! Great memory!! Those bikes really did have a unique sound all to themselves.
Looks just like my '79 CBX when I bought it new for $2800 OTD in '83! Still have the bike to this day. It is turbocharged now, and still puts the fear of God into you when you boost it. These engines had 33mm ID intake ports which made them a natural for forced induction. Your bike has '80 model rear shocks on it. Someone has drilled holes in the exhaust to make it louder. Overall about a 90 to 95% bike IMHO. Very cool video, brings back a whole buttload of great memories I've made over 39 years of ownership of mine!
This Kawasaki engine sounds like a Formula 1 car.... I'm the owner of a KZ 1300 1979 year with only 7000 km on the clock... God Bless America!!!🇺🇸🇺🇸 Greetings from Buenos Aires Argentina 🇦🇷
These made quite the stir back in late 1978. We had one of the original press bikes in December 1978 at our dealership so our customers could come check it out. Didn't sell many but they sure got loads of attention.
First time I ever rode one was when they were just released to dealers. I was lucky to be a salesman at a multi brand dealership. I remember the sound and the power delivery feels like no other machine. They just feel special.
What a beauty and the beast One of probably top 5 best sounding motorcycles ever made. I would love to own a CBX one day The only thing that I'd change on it would be the open exhaust of course to make it sound like a high revving old school racing V12. It still sounds great withe stock pipes. I believe I heard some knocking noise at the very end of the video but I'm not sure it was the bike. Dream machine
It was a CBX1000 all over the world, actual capacity was 1047cc. 600lbs quite thirsty and handled ok if not pushed too hard in the bends, the spindly forks and period tyres let it down in that respect. BUT always very desirable.
I put an ATK fork brace on mine....along with S&W Street Stroker shocks. Silver '79, just like the one Ken is on and a six into one pipe....of course 🤗
Honda actually used nylon bushings in the swingarm instead of metal! We had guys come in for service and say the bike doesn't handle like it used to and our service manager or one of the mechanics would move the swingarm from left to right, right to left due to those worn out nylon bushings! Why would a great company like Honda do something like that? Build a masterpiece and do that. Also the 35mm forks! Such a wonderful bike they should have sold like crazy but they didn't. Fortunately Honda fixed most of those issues on the 1980 model but reduced the horsepower. It's not difficult to get that HP back though thankfully!
I want one soooooo bad. I lived on OAHU from 1975 to 1979. Dad was a Master Chief in the Navy. There was a dealership right near our crib. At 17, i had the orgasmic pleasure of sitting on the 1978 CBX. Ohhhhhh did i want one. I always like the sport touring model because it had the mono shock in the rear. Too bad it was a sales failure.
Had same bike. Parked one night onside stand. Did not turn gas valve off. Next day hit the starter and it wouldn’t crank after short second! Hit the switch couple more times and it started, but have a serious clanking noise. Fuel had leaked past a carb and piston hydraulic locked. Bent the rod! Honda rebuilt, but it was never really the same after that. Had a ticking noise, slight but there. Still ran like a bat out of hell! I drilled a few holes in the end of each muffler. Opened it up amazing. Really sounded like an f-1 then. Wish I still had it!
😈😈😈😈 they pull extremely well the older classics ... i bet there not scary until your getting right up there .. sits nice and planted on power doesn't look squirrelly seems like a good tourer 😈😈😈😈
I passed my bike test on a mates RD250 and promptly sent a £20 postal order to a dealer in Southampton to hold one of the last NEW CBX's in Perseus Silver for me. Happy memories for sure! 😊
😈😈😈 now the bike looks to scale with your big frame ... your basically sitting on this huge friggin motor ... its crazy how huge they made them ... amazing they didnt go to v8 😈😈😈😈😈 sounds legit mint
I have a 79 in candy red paint, 1304 big bore kit, 6 into 1. It's a rocket! It's the 4 valve cylinders and the 10,500 rpm red line that give them that F1 sound.
Woo weeee sexy bike and that Formula 1 sound just beats um all we used to gear them down so we could go through the gears quicker man you can smack them gears just like a formula One car fast as you can shift it just screaming like a scolded Demon unfortunately we had one snap a chain and send it through the case sad day !
I have 4 into one kerker header and slip on the Ltd 1000 personally they have a distinct sound only ppl who know what it is can detect in the distance 🤘 those suer sports sounded wicked too as they’re 6 cyl not 4 .
I never get used to watching someone take off up the road with no helmet. Or full gloves for that matter. I can't help thinking a restomod on one of these would rock. Although that is a really nice clean stock one.
I opened mine up at 4am on a long wide deserted street at the bottom of a hill and made the six o'clock news. The news anchor was talking about some mystery racing car though because it sounded like one. The next day a radar cop was waiting for me there and he gave me a funny look. lol
remember these as a kid there would be one nutter with a yoshi 6-1 pipe and straight bars and then you'd see another with the luggage bags on and a seat box and his missus on the back in matching jackets....strange times
Ma786sai Dua magnificent raw yet so refined. What’s the actual difference between The CBX 1000 and 1100? Is the CBX 1000 the original first in-line 6 with 6 Keihin Carburettors, and put out 108 bhp?
Beautiful dream bike. I have a friend who bought a cbx 900 bold'or . .my brother always wishes to have the 1050cc , like that, but he had no enough $$$ back then. I love the 6 cylinder ones ,that's why I just bought a BMW k 1600 GT. Now days is the best option, and functional.
Ken I love you and all your content. Beautiful specimen of classic crotch rocket but you also have to be honest this thing has nothing on even a modern 600 or 650 they sound great they look sexy but they handle like s*** they can't stop and they only have a hundred and something horsepower LOL beautiful bikes but we need it honesty my buddy's 1986 GSXR 750 will smoke that thing
I love the old bike's from the seventies, and Honda makes some good looking bikes. To me this bike just doesn't look good, I don't know if it's the six cylinder engine sticking out or that monster tank. I guess to each his own.
