The CBX1000 is a challenging motorcycle to restore and maintain. And not because of its six cylinders or its six carburetors. It's a challenge because the bike's brilliant engineers were somehow able to develop an engine with otherworldly Gran Prix heritage and characteristics yet do so in mass quantities and at consumer pricing. As a result however, there remain many compromises. This Lambo-like engine was built to a price, so that the magic of exotica at not so exotic cost has its downside. The biggest of these involves cylinder compression, an issue that plagues every single one of these bikes.

It's rare to see one of these machines display more than 130 psi cylinder compression. Yet they produced 170 when new. Many commentators insist that the bike performs just fine with an almost 25% loss of compression. That's true if all you expect is 350 twin performance. But have your engine properly rebuilt with valves that are more durable than Cheddar cheese and with blueprinted cylinders and you will be be astounded. A 170 psi CBX is a joy, and a 200 psi one a revelation. You'll be a believer.

Look for a new Motorcycle Project booklet, Rebuilding the Honda CBX1000 Top End. This is a massive (100+ pages), comprehensive, well- and liberally-illustrated, step-by-step tutorial. The booklet will be available sometime in 2023. Here is a sample page.