Known faults: Surprisingly few. You must drain the carbs if laying up, or they clog up badly, and there was an issue with fuel taps on the earliest models leaking into the motor causing hydraulic lock, but these should all have been fixed by now under warranty. Rattly clutches are common, and alternator failure isn’t unknown; they had a clutch built into them, typical Honda solving non-existent problems.

The CBX's cult following has spawned several technical websites with an abundance of shared knowledge, including factory workshop manuals available for free download. So, when compared to Jap bikes of a similar age...

Reliability: I’ve had three CBX’s, there seems to have been one in my life for nearly thirty years and I’ve never had one fail.

Handling and Brakes: The engine is far too potent for the cycle parts and the suspension becomes overwhelmed if pressing on a bit. The brakes, likewise, are very weedy. People that ride them a lot fit later forks and brakes from other bikes, or you could go the Moto Martin route... Fine for modern roads and ridden smoothly, but when compared to say, a GS1000, only a...

Value: Considering that it is arguably the greatest air cooled engine ever made and is a rare sight on British roads, yet is perfectly happy touring for thousands of miles or commuting into town every day, they can still be had very reasonably. It's for the same reasons that people didn’t buy them when new, namely: too expensive; too thirsty; too complicated, they still don’t trust them today.

But everybody secretly wants a go on a CBX. They tend to be either standard and more expensive, or modified and cheaper. Great value, buy one, resistance is futile!

1979 Honda CBX 1000