UPDATED 9 September 2024: This CBX has now sold for AUD$45,500 (USD$30,300), which we believe is considerably less than it would have sold for at Mecum's Las Vegas auctions considering its absolute authenticity. There's another auction and even more 1970s collectibles coming up - see the bottom of this article.
Honda’s legendary six-cylinder CBX motorcycle is one of those modern classics that will be increasingly sought-after forever more.
There were two versions of the CBX: a naked first model that was released in 1979 to global acclaim as the fastest road bike in the world, and a later fully-faired model with better brakes and suspension.
The later version took the first model’s stonking 24-valve DOHC 1047cc engine (the first production motorcycle with more than 100 horsepower) and turned it into a turbine-smooth gentleman tourer … by smoothing the power spread and knocking off a few horses.
Not surprisingly, the original naked bike is setting all the auction records – it displays the bonsai powerplant’s six header pipes better, and it smashed all comers on the racetrack. In Australia, where major production bike races were held in every state, it was visibly faster than the rest.
When Grand Prix rider Graeme Crosby was co-opted by Honda to ride the CBX in preparation for the world’s most important production race at that time (the Castrol Six Hour), he faced a throng of journalists after his first test ride. When questioned as to whether the CBX would be fast enough to include a four-minute tire change in the six-hour race, he quipped, “we’ll have enough time to stop for a valve-grind.”
Auction prices for the CBX began moving in earnest when Mecum sold four CBX motorcycles in its January 2020 Las Vegas auction for US$22,000, $24,200, $26,400, and a record $26,950.
Prior to 2020, when Mecum’s prices kicked the CBX market into top gear, the CBX was a bargain for motorcycle connoisseurs, and could be easily procured for under $10,000.
When Mecum held its “Sale of the Century” in 2019, I wrote “the Honda CBX had the sweetest internal combustion engine I've ever experienced in a motorcycle, and could run a standing quarter in 11.4, trapping at around 130 mph (209 km/h). If they'd built a few hundred, this would be a $200,000 motorcycle already. They built 37,000, so fortunately, it will remain an affordable and usable motorcycle for quite some time.”
In that auction, a museum quality CBX (from the MC Collection of Stockholm) sold for $14,100.
Mecum’s Las Vegas auctions are the bellwether for global motorcycle prices, and in 2021, the top two CBX prices were $34,100 and $27,500. In 2022, Vegas saw a black 1980 model Honda CBX sell for $49,500, with another at $38,500.
The $49,500 CBX that took the (since equaled) record, wore a DG Performance six-into-one exhaust, an aftermarket bikini fairing, a cut-down seat but it presented on the auction block with a perfect set of near-unobtainable original exhausts sitting beside it. That exhaust system made all the difference.
Very few of those original exhaust systems have survived, as it was common practice in the day to remove 20 kg (44 lb) of ugly fat at the same time as liberating the engine’s audible delights by fitting an aftermarket exhaust system … and most of those big heavy original chrome monstrosities are now in landfill somewhere.
The exhaust system is one of the critical factors shaping the CBX into the ultimate auction block superstar. It is one of the most visually spectacular motorcycles of all time, the fastest of its day, has a mid-range surge that will tweak anyone’s adrenal glands and it is as reliable as … a Honda.
The CBX is now a museum piece with modern performance that can still be enjoyed on the road while it appreciates in value faster than a comic book or baseball card.
A Honda CBX without its original mufflers is still a thing of beauty, but if you want to sell it for big bucks, an original exhaust system is mandatory.
Now a completely original 1979 model with just 2651.4 km (1647.5 miles) on the odometer is going to market at a small (and previously obscure) motorcycle auction just outside Melbourne (Australia).
The vendor purchased the bike seven years ago from an estate sale. The bike had been registered for the first three years of its life, and then sat in a shed untouched from 1982 until 2017. It has been cleaned but not started since then.
The bike appears to be completely original and unmolested and online bidding is sitting at AUD10,250 (US$7,000) with the auction closing at 6.00 pm on Monday 9 September 2024.
The auction is being webcast, the auctioneers can arrange shipping, and given that the Pacific Peso (the Australian dollar) is worth less than 70% of an American greenback, there’s a golden opportunity there for a bright young lad/lass … or an old geezer wishing to relive his glory days.
Finally, by sheer co-incidence, the world’s foremost CBX wrangler, Roland Skate, is just 15 minutes from the auction site. Roland’s CBXs are world renowned for their reliability and horsepower and his "Beast" and "Beastess" CBX racers impressed the hell out of the world's foremost motorcycle writer of the last half century: Alan Cathcart.
Source: Burns & Co
PS - if you're a six cylinder motorcycle enthusiast, you'll no doubt be aware of the Kawasaki Z1300. There was one of them in the auction too, with just 7734 kilometres on the dial - 4800 miles. The Z1300 was an even more thrilling motorcycle than the CBX, with more horsepower than the CBX, and a LOT more bulk (544 lb v 652 lb) - it was liquid cooled, shaft driven, and built on a much larger scale. Riding one of these things fast was like play-wrestling a gorilla, regularly reminding the rider how it could "rag-doll" you if it wasn't paid due respect. The Z1300 sold for USD $9123 (AUD $13,700)
Finally, if you're a die hard motorcycle collector with an eye for a bargain, here's another tip as a reward for having read this far. Some well cared for 1970s motorcycle rarities that will be sold at another Australian auction 12 days from now. Donington Auctions has a stellar roster of desirable auction superstars coming up including a 1973 MV Agusta 750S, 1976 Ducati 900SS, 1972 Triumph X75 Hurricane, a 1974 Kawasaki H2 Mach IV 750 (see our story on this bike entitled Who is buying all the Kawasaki Mach IV Widowmakers?), and a 1977 Benelli Sei 750 (the other six cylinder motorcycle).
With the Aussie dollar currently sitting at two thirds value of the American dollar, there are some rare and inexpensive opportunities for American collectors.
