1983 Honda CX650 CX650T Turbo Service Manual

Cycle magazine's October 1983 review didn't hold back on the CX650T's transformation from its CX500 Turbo predecessor: "off the boost, it felt somewhere between a normally aspirated 250 and 400... once the engine hits the boost, however, the CX turns into an absolute animal with stunning mid-range punch." Built for one model year only as Honda's refined answer to the shortcomings of the original CX500 Turbo, the CX650T remains one of the rarest production Hondas ever made — just 1,777 built worldwide, with fewer than 1,200 imported to the US and Canada.

Power comes from a turbocharged 674cc liquid-cooled 80-degree V-twin, longitudinally mounted with pushrod-operated overhead valves (4 per cylinder), an 82.5mm x 63mm bore and stroke, and a bumped-up 7.8:1 compression ratio versus the CX500 Turbo's 7.2:1. Honda's IHI turbocharger delivers up to 16.4 psi of boost, producing a claimed 100 hp at 8,000 rpm and roughly 63-69 lb-ft of torque (sources vary between 5,000-6,000 rpm peak), run through a 5-speed transmission with wet multi-plate clutch and shaft final drive. Computer-controlled electronic fuel injection — genuinely advanced for 1983 — delivered smooth, modern-feeling throttle response even by later standards, according to period test riders.

Chassis hardware included a Showa air-adjustable front fork with TRAC anti-dive control, Honda's Pro-Link rear monoshock with adjustable air pressure and rebound damping, and dual 276-280mm front discs paired with a single rear disc. The CX650T also carried a genuinely important tariff-beating role: the US government's 1983 tariff targeted Japanese imports over 700cc specifically to protect Harley-Davidson, and Honda's sub-700cc CX650 slipped in under that threshold while still delivering genuine performance — a claimed 140 mph top speed and 0-60 in around 4.3 seconds. Dry weight sits around 518-573 lbs depending on source. Reliability and high complexity ultimately doomed the model alongside rising insurance costs for turbocharged bikes across the industry.

This factory service manual covers the procedures, torque specs, and diagrams needed to keep a 1983 CX650 Turbo's turbocharged engine and driveline running the way Honda built it.