The Japanese Moto Guzzi...

[JJ]

...only liquid-cooled!!!   Brought to you by the folks at BAT (Bring-A-Trailer)

[Ncdan]

I’ve had 3 of them, great little bikes. The one pictured is an 83 GL650I, which was only offered one year. I sold this one a couple years ago. Really fun tough little tourer.

[Dirk_S]

I had a CX500 for a year and consider it the gateway drug to my interest in Moto Guzzi

[JJ]

I’ve had 3 of them, great little bikes. The one pictured is an 83 GL650I, which was only offered one year. I sold this one a couple years ago. Really fun tough little tourer.

As I recall, they had a model called "The Silver Wing", yes?...., with fairing and bags...

[Ncdan]

That’s correct JJ. Honda started the series in 1981 with the Silverwing GL500i, the I model was INTERSTSTE, bags snd  exchangeable tail trunk, for a passenger seat. These were 81 and 82. In 83 Mr Honda listened to his consumers and redesigned the silverwing to a 674cc long stroker that redlined at 9500 RPM.  This motor produced 64 HP and best of my memory around 50 FP or torque. It was a tough fast little tourer that could deliver near 60mpg. I wish I had kept mine sometimes.

[2dogs]

If yours made anywhere near 74 HP, 90 ft/lbs you should have kept it around.   
 

[Ncdan]

If yours made anywhere near 74 HP, 90 ft/lbs you should have kept it around.   

Yea, I think my memory was off a bit. The horse power rating was near 64 at the rear wheel. My memory could be off a bit on the torque as well, that was around 50 lb. thanks for the correction. Sorry, it’s late:(

[JJ]

That’s correct JJ. Honda started the series in 1981 with the Silverwing GL500i, the I model was INTERSTSTE, bags snd  exchangeable tail trunk, for a passenger seat. These were 81 and 82. In 83 Mr Honda listened to his consumers and redesigned the silverwing to a 674cc long stroker that redlined at 9500 RPM.  This motor produced 74 HP and best of my memory around 90 FP or torque. It was a tough fast little tourer that could deliver near 60mpg. I wish I had kept mine sometimes.

The reason I remember this distinctly is that in 1982, on a 6 month motorcycle trip around the USA and Canada, we met a French Canadian couple from Montreal, Serge & Louise, in Daytona Beach Florida, and they rode one!

[BRG-BIRD]

A CX650 custom was my first motorcycle. I didn’t know a lot about motorcycles at the time but became enamored when I found out about Moto Guzzi and the similar engine layout. Naturally it took another 17 years to actually own a Guzzi

[Rough Edge racing]

 Since the CX 500 and 650 are pushrod engines they have been making an appearance in the pushrod  classes in land speed racing. They have had a bit of success but the Triumphs ,1930's technology,  still dominate....The Honda is an ok bike however for street use.

[fotoguzzi]

If Honda was looking toward Guzzi they missed the mark by a mile. They do have two wheels like a Moto Guzzi but that's about the only similarity.

[twowheeladdict]

That’s correct JJ. Honda started the series in 1981 with the Silverwing GL500i, the I model was INTERSTSTE, bags snd  exchangeable tail trunk, for a passenger seat. These were 81 and 82. In 83 Mr Honda listened to his consumers and redesigned the silverwing to a 674cc long stroker that redlined at 9500 RPM.  This motor produced 64 HP and best of my memory around 50 FP or torque. It was a tough fast little tourer that could deliver near 60mpg. I wish I had kept mine sometimes.

That was a dream bike of mine when I first saw it in the magazines.  But, for riding in Florida an unfaired bike worked best and I ended up taking the fairing off my XS750 for most of the year. 

[Ncdan]

If Honda was looking toward Guzzi they missed the mark by a mile. They do have two wheels like a Moto Guzzi but that's about the only similarity.

Are the cylinder angles and stroke about the same.
It would interesting to compare the differences and likeness.

[jwinwi]

Traded my '82 ? CX500 Deluxe plus $500 for my first Guzzi: 850T that was owned by some old farmer with the same last name as mine so it kind of stayed in the family.

[larrys]

They made a turbo'd model for a year, maybe two. It was pretty fast, if my memory serves...
Larry

[JJ]

If Honda was looking toward Guzzi they missed the mark by a mile. They do have two wheels like a Moto Guzzi but that's about the only similarity.

Yes, the engine design looks similar, but that's it, really...Anyway, that's all I was referring to...

[Murray]

The infamous plastic maggot, the styling wasn't well regarded locally.

[oldbike54]

 I thought this was gonna be about the Lilac 

 Dusty

[fotoguzzi]

Are the cylinder angles and stroke about the same.
It would interesting to compare the differences and likeness.

no, it's a 80 degree V.  And liquid cooling, it does have a driveshaft if you want a similarity.

[Rough Edge racing]

 Magazine road tests from when the turbo CX650T was new list an actual 1/4 mile time of high 11's with good midrange power. Rather portly at 575 pounds....

[blu guzz]

the original cx500 came out in 78. pretty radical for the time, water cooling sideways V shaft drive.  they made the turbo in both the 500 and 650 size.  the original 500 turbo started the short lived attempt by the big 4 to make a smaller bike accelerate like a big bike.  the yamaha 650 followed and james bond rode one in one of the movies.  the best one was probably the kawasaki attempt.  all of those turbos are just footnotes in history now. 

[Two Checks]

The Honda also has 4 valve heads with forked rocker arms and centrally located sparky thing.
The heads are also rotated some to tuck the carbs in.
The transmission is a cassette type and the counter rotating clutch is at the front of the engine.
They were popular among dispatch riders.


A friend located one in a garage years ago for $600. He asked me about it so we went and looked. I expected to see a claptrap. It was mint! I told him if he didn't buy it I would.
He bought it and rode many a trouble free mile.
One morning I got a call saying he was hit head on by a guy reading a map and suddenly swerved into Vern's path. He died instantly.


The early models were butt ugly. The Custom, Wing and Turbo models actually looked pretty good.

[Thunderbutt]

I bought an '81 CX 500 Deluxe with 42,000 miles on it back in 2011.  It  Came with the Hondaline fairing and hard bags.  Being that it was summertime in Western N.Y., I removed the fairing so I could get a little more air flow.  Could not believe how much that fairing weighed (38 lbs) with all the brackets!   We had a blast with it, rode paved roads, dirt roads, interstate (once), anywhere I wanted.  We named it "the turtle"  because of the shape of the fuel tank and the length of time it took to hit 55mph.  We had a lot of fun with it, my wife said it had the most comfortable passengers seat of all my bikes.  Luckily I never had any mechanical problems but they had several known issues, leaking seals, cooling fan attached directly to the cam shaft, stators and cdi failures.  We sold it at the end of the summer before we went back to Florida for the winter.
Picture with Cassadaga Lake in background.

[Daleroso]

Butt ugly? I've found some butts extremely attractive. Married one in fact.

[Tkelly]

There is a Lilac in the museum in the bike shop at the Michigan rally.

[blu guzz]

my memory of the early reviews on the turbos especially the honda and the 500 much more than the 650 was about 2 seconds of turbo lag, so, like the old Kawi triples, you have better be pointed straight when the rush hit, but the boost was dialed way high so it was some rush.  Turbo cars in those days suffered from that too, the scary 911 turbo comes to mind.  If my rusty brainbox remembers right, the Suzuki XN-85 had the most linear power, but by the time it came along, the turbo fad had passed and I think it was a much more hard core bike in all other respects as well.  It may be the rarest of the rare turbo breed, thus very scarce and probably parts are non existent.  i think it was only a one year model too. 

[malik]

I still have a soft spot for them. Back in '78 I was riding a 400/4 - a decent commuter for someone of my size & build, but not so good for long distance touring, so looked for something else. Tried the Guzzi dealer - surly lot - "No test rides, No trade ins". And expensive - a factor, being cash poor, as well as time poor, well, poverty stricken, time-wise. With a $1,700 trade in on the brand new $2,200 on the road CX500 Shadow, it was a no brainer. Comfortable seat, especially for long distance (would regularly do 500-600 miles overnight - not so much traffic at night those days), decent commuter, reliable, undemanding. Several years later, it stopped firing on one cylinder - not trusting any motorcycle mechanic, with no garage space and working 70 hour weeks, I set it aside - to get a round tuit later. It's still there, deteriorating. Much later, only a few years back, borrowed a mate's CX for ride around NZ'd South Island. It's NOT a Guzzi. No torque, you have to double the revs you're used to to get anywhere, but still a very comfortable, decent handling, unassuming machine. It won't fire the blood, but it will get you there.

Ran across a chap who said he used to race them. !!! "Do you realise you can reduce the CX's weight by 65kg", he says. A 135kg CX would be interesting.





I've a mate who has picked up a couple of them over the last few years - he recommends the CX650 Euro - a little more punch in it, despite the unfortunate 80's styling, a la Lario.

[knockerjoe]

I owned the CX500s ugly stepsister the GL500 “Silverwing” for a short time.
Woefully underpowered but had a little fun with it.

[ampm7]

As someone posted, "the Lilac". Check it out.

[pete mcgee]

I had one back in 1986, did 50,000km in 14 months on it.
A brilliant engine search for a decent frame and suspension and 50 kg less weight.
A mk 3 lemans has been its replacement since Aug 87.