Depending on how you define “production”, Kawasaki was the first motorcycle manufacturer to roll out a turbocharged motorcycle. But as this excellent article on OddBike points out, Kawasaki’s effort was more of a quasi-aftermarket creation, and it wasn’t well-thought out either. Honda’s CX500 Turbo is more deserving of the ‘first production turbo bike’ title, as it truly started the forced induction craze of the early 80s.
Hindsight has shown that turbos were not meant to be, as manufacturers were later able to get big power out motors without that pesky turbo lag. Plus, if you really want to buy a turbo Honda, the CX650 Turbo that was introduced a year after the CX500 is objectively a better bike. Still, as a piece of history, this is a fascinating motorcycle – the small cylinders required a tiny turbo with 51mm rotors that spun over 200,000 rpm.
This example (VIN: JH2PC0303CM0001052) has 28,450 miles and while the seller doesn’t actually state if the bike runs or not, I still wanted to feature it as it comes with an extra I haven’t seen before. In addition to the OEM tool kit, original key, owner’s manual, service manual, and saddle bags, it comes with the factory diagnostic tool kit, and I think that’s pretty cool:
Find this CX500 Turbo for sale in Lodi, California with a BIN of $4,000 or best offer here on eBay.