Tagged: Benelli Sei

Honda

1979 Honda CBX for Sale

1979 Honda CBX Silver L Side

I just posted one of these last week, but I can’t pass up the opportunity to write about the massively-engined, and massively cool Honda CBX. I’d love to own a six-cylinder bike: they really do make the sweetest ripping-silk sounds, and that massive engine sticking out on either side will always have people wondering just what is going on with this bike.  I’d love to go Italian, but the idea of finding parts for a Benelli Sei 750 or 900 is intimidating to say the least.  So while I typically don’t lust after Japanese bikes, I surely do want one of these.

1979 Honda CBX Silver Dash

Styling is largely unremarkable: apart from the little turned-up ducktail spoiler, the look is basically Standard 1970’s Universal Japanese Motorcycle.  But you don’t need to make much more of a statement, with that glorious engine out in front!  Supposedly, the six is only a few inches wider than Honda’s own 750 four, but you’d never know it by looking at it.

The bike was introduced in 1979 as a sport touring machine: it was powerful, but also very heavy and far from a nimble handler.  But the 1047cc, 24-valve six-cylinder motor gave it charisma to spare, and the bike is blessed with Honda’s famous reliability.  Although rebuilding those carburettors might give you or your mechanic pause…

1979 Honda CBX Silver R Pipes

Another really cool bike with a very spare eBay listing: 1979 Honda CBX for Sale

All original, unmolested condition with the exception of the 4-into-1 DG exhaust.  New tires.  Seat has a small split in a seam (see bottom photo), but included is a replacement seat and a brand new replacement cover.
  • Runs perfectly – fast, smooth and strong all the way to red-line
  • Replacement seat with new upholstery included
  • Ready to hop-on and ride home!
  • New tires: Dunlop 491 Elite 120/90-18 rear, IRC Grand HS 3.25H-19 front

Let’s hope he means a “6-into-1 exhaust,” or those two unmuffled cylinders are going to be VERY loud…  Bidding’s at about $5,500 right now, which seems like a real bargain for a machine this nice.  I’m a big fan of these early CBX’s, as opposed to the later, more touring-oriented bikes.  I’d love to upgrade the running gear a bit, fit some lower bars and smaller indicators, find out a way to unobtrusively protect those protruding cylinders, and go howling around, scaring my neighbors.

-tad

1979 Honda CBX Silver R Side

Kawasaki

Reader Suggestion: 1979 Kawasaki KZ1300 for Sale

1979 Kawasaki KZ1300 R Side Front

One of our readers suggested this beast, but wasn’t sure if was sporty enough for this site.  It may be pushing things a bit to call the leviathan Kawasaki KZ1300 a “sport bike”, but it certainly could be called a sports-tourer, in an era when “touring bike” meant that you could cover large distances behind the bars, not necessarily that you could pack enough stuff for a week of camping once you got there, charge your iPhone, navigate via GPS, and listen to Skynrd…

No this is a touring bike from a simpler era.  And as far as I’m concerned, if I can justify weird and unusual or forgotten machines as “sport bikes” I’ll include them.

Looking like a traditional UJM that’s somehow… off…  Just what is it, something wrong with the scale, just slightly…  Oh my god!  It’s huge!  And are those six cylinders?!  It really is a bulky machine, but with simple lines and undeniable presence.

1979 Kawasaki KZ1300 L Side

Pumping out 120hp from its straight six, with water-cooling and shaft drive, it got exactly the reviews you’d expect from a machine like this:  it was smooth.  Powerful.  It was stable, like a locomotive.  There was limited cornering clearance.  It was powerful.  Comfortable.  Did we mention powerful?

And oh look!  An eBay ad with a video clip!  But don’t get too excited, unless you’re a big AC/DC fan…

1979 Kawasaki KZ1300 Dash

From the original eBay listing: 1979 Kawasaki KZ1300 for Sale

The original Trifecta of “six cylinder” motorcycles in the late 70’s and early 80’s consisted of the Honda CBX, the Kawasaki KZ1300, and the two Benelli Six Cylinders [750 cc and 900cc].  These motorcycles were originally of course made for the purpose of riding, touring, and eating up hundreds of miles on the road in comfort.  They were all fast for the day and were also considered very reliable.  Today the Trifecta is considered highly collectible and the smart collectors are getting a copy each in their collection.  Today we have a most unusual offering that the KZ1300 in this ad is the exact motorcycle that was used in both the Cycle World road test and Motorcycle Classic road test.

The owner has indicated that he would consider ending the auction on this motorcycle for the sum of 6,750.00.

IF YOU ARE A COLLECTOR OF ICONIC 70s & 80s BIKES, A FIRST YEAR KAWASAKI SIX CYLINDER IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST FOR YOUR COLLECTION.  AFTER THAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND A FIRST YEAR CBX AND EITHER A BENELLI 750 CC OR BENELLI 900 CC.

Really?  You’d recommend I buy your bike first?  Wow, I’m glad I asked.

1979 Kawasaki KZ1300 Tank

In any event, this looks like a classic Japanese bike that offers the sort of performance that most riders are looking for in the real world.  It’ll out-cruise just about anything on the road, and classic, carburetted straight six motorcycles sound simply amazing.  Oh, and it makes lots of lazy power.  I read an article once about one of the fathers of the stunting-scene in the UK, who started out riding one of these simply because it was cheap to buy and so stupidly easy to do burnouts on.

-tad

1979 Kawasaki KZ1300 R Side