Motorcycle specifications HondaCX 650 Turbo 1986 La Honda CX 650 Turbo

In 1981, Honda was the first to unleash its turbocharged missile (CX 500 TC). yamaha, which was still developing its 4-cylinder XJ 650 equipped with its precious turbine (marketed in 1982).

this equipment, very much in vogue in the automotive sector, had to gain a foothold with motorcycle manufacturers. The Japanese Honda Yamaha Kawasaki and Suzuki released their models. Honda went so far as to produce 2 turbocharged models based on the placid CX, in 500cc and 650cc versions.

the CX 650 TC Turbo came out in 1983. It corrected the major problem of its predecessor: its underpowered performance compared with the competition. Indeed, while the CX 500 Turbo was not ridiculous (82 hp), the Suzuki XN85D was 3 hp more powerful, the Yamaha XJ 650 T added 8 hp and the Kawa outclassed everyone with 112 hp, the Honda's main weakness was its smaller displacement.
The CX 500 turbo is also very tricky to ride. The engine, drowsy at low revs, becomes extremely brutal as soon as the turbo kicks in. This character, already a nuisance on the road, is amplified by the chassis, which is not designed for such a spirited ride. And while performance is breathtaking, the bike is soon considered dangerous.

with its 650 cc, Honda offers 100 horsepower and buries its comrades of the same displacement (Suzuki and Yamaha), at least on paper.

a day-to-day user testifies:
"I've owned the CX650Turbo for several years, and had chosen this model after trying out the two turbocharged CXs, the 500 and 650. The 650 Turbo, an evolution of the 500 Turbo, is in truth an engine truly adapted to road use: power is always progressive and controllable, whatever the rpm (the turbo starts to push from 3500-4000 rpm, resulting in interesting acceleration - for example, in 5th gear, between 90 and 105 km/h). In the naturally-aspirated phase (up to around 4,000 rpm), it pushes hard but does no better than a 650 CXE with 2 carburetors and 64 hp (of which I also own one).

The chassis is actually very stable and comfortable (depending on settings and tires), and allows you to reach top speed (220 km/h - I tried 190 km/h on the speedometer) in excellent conditions, making the CX650CT an excellent GT-Sport (better roadholding in the CX range than a CX650E or CX650GL Silverwing, because forks, calipers and shock absorbers are different).
It's also a bike that weighs quite a bit (though lighter than the CX500Turbo).

The CX500Turbo's brutality and dangerousness were attributed to the testers... at the time. Today, the performance and character of CXTurbos make us smile, because there are far more powerful motorcycles out there...
The heavier CX500Turbo has a turbo boost from 5000 rpm, and the extra power (off/on like an RDLC without YPVS), is then impressive... compared to a certain sluggishness below 5000 rpm (the observation of underpowered is justified). All this makes the CX500T more sporty."

the adventure came to an end in 1986 when Honda stopped marketing the 2 models, after a modest production run of around 1,800 units for the 650 cc (of which a good 1,000 were sold in the USA). The other turbocharged Japanese models fared little better, commercially speaking.

Thanks to ST for the photos of its ex-CX650T

News credit: Tanthallas - ST user review
Photo credit D.R. - In photo, US model