The Honda CBX introduced Honda’s six-cylinder engine to the company’s production motorcycle lineup in 1978.
The CBX used a 1,047 cc air-cooled inline-six engine with four valves per cylinder. Its broad engine and distinctive exhaust note made it one of the most visually and mechanically unusual Japanese motorcycles of its era.
Honda developed the CBX as a high-performance flagship during a period when multi-cylinder engines were being used to deliver smoothness and power. The engine was derived in part from Honda’s racing experience, although the CBX was built as a road motorcycle rather than a direct race replica.
The CBX is sometimes confused with Honda’s four-cylinder CB750 or the later six-cylinder Gold Wing models. The key distinction is that the CBX was Honda’s first production motorcycle with an inline-six engine and was introduced in 1978.