Tamiya Honda CX500 TURBO 1/6th
This was copied off the instructions, I found it interesting so I included it in this article
In 1980, motorcycle enthusiasts gathered at the IFMA trade show in Cologne, Germany to witness the debuts of two exciting motor-cycles: the Suzuki GSX1100S Katana and the Honda CX500. The latter, released to the public in 1981, was a particularly noteworthy for being the world's first turbocharged production motorcycle. Turbochargers utilize the engine's exhaust gases to rotate turbine, which in turn drives a compressor.
This compressor then forces a larger volume of air at increased pressure into the cylinders to improve the engine's efficiency. Turbochargers were fitted to aircraft engines during WWIl, became commonplace on racing cars starting from the late-1970s, and found their way into many passenger cars by the 1980s. Compared with normally-aspirated engines, turbocharged engines offer greater power and torque for higher performance, but at the same time they suffered from turbo lag, which delays throttle during acceleration.
This weakness, together with the small displacements of motorcycle engines, presented technical challenges for turbocharging motorcycles. In response Honda, together with IHI (Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries),
overcame these difficulties by using CFI (Computerized Fuel Injection) to provide their engine with the optimum amount of fuel at all times.
With this system, the 80 degree V2 OHV engine, which produced 48hp and 4.1 kg/m of torque in naturally aspirated form, became a high-performance engine with 78hp, 7.5kg/m of torque. Other technical advances included a cowling which was designed through extensive wind tunnel testing, Honda's unique Pro-Link rear suspension, and a 4-step adjustable anti nose dive front suspension. The CX500 was capable of a maximum speed of over 200km/h and a breathtaking zero to 400m acceleration time of just 12.1 seconds.
The bike was a interesting build for me, I have built almost 50 bikes in the last 3 plus years and this has been the most interesting one.
The biggest issue was the front wheel was put on last because of the front cowling, so it was difficult to keep it upright while working on it.
The decals were a disaster, but I had a junk kit so I was able to rob parts from it and redo the ruined ones. I tried 3 different colors to match the color of the original decals and settled on Tamiya Metallic Grey, it was an almost perfect match. Orginal decal on the rear of the seat and the front cowling.
The front decals were one piece so I cut them, that helped a lot, the seat decal was very thin and fragile and went one perfectly.
The suspension works great, the rear damper to good : ) as the rear wheel touch the ground when the stand is down. No big deal.
The turbo parts were difficult to assemble as several things needed to be in place before glueing so it was hard to hold it all while the glue set, these parts were also dependent on the good fit of future parts so it was a challenge.
This is the most complex model I have done since I lost my husband, I think he would be proud of it, I also feel like I am back on my game. And the weather has been conducive to good painting : )
You can view more progress on the in the Motorcycle Group
Without your hand in the photo, it's hard to tell it's not the real thing!
@wyvern1965 Thank you Brian, it’s a scale model hand ; )
Um... yeah. 🙂
🙃
Another amazing model, Cricket (@bikequeen). At 1/6 scale, this is a huge bike and you have brought out all of the detail. I still love the various metallic tones you are able to bring out. Well done.
@gblair Thank you George, I’m pretty proud of it : )
It came out very well in the end, Cricket, and it looks great in the sunshine, nice pictures.
@chinesegeorge thank you George, outdoor pics are the best
Congratulations Cricket! What a wonderful result! Loved following your thread!
@fiveten Thank you Spiros, I’m pretty happy with it
This result is really impressive, Cricket @bikequeen
Your solution to those bad decals turned out perfectly.
@johnb Thanks John, not the first time I painted decals other than using them
Such a realistic looking build Cricket, you are certainly back on your game with bike building. Marvellous.
@firelockg Thanks Ian, I am super happy with this build in spite of the anomalies of the parts
Another beauty to add to your collection. Well done!
@gwskat Thank you sir! Up to 16 1/6th bikes now : )
Bike looks amazing, especially with the black backdrop which makes the highlights pop!
@georgeswork Thanks George I like the black background as well
You can't kid me, Cricket - that's a real one!
@tcinla BUSTED…LOL, thanks Tom. I couldn’t image what a real bike in that condition would sell for these days
Am very impressed- is perfect..usually kit chrome looks like kit chrome…you simply nailed it…be proud of that one!
@johnaitken Thank you John. Kit chrome is a lot of trouble to deal with, it scratches so easily