310-hp Honda CBX1000 Twin Turbo

Twin-Turbo CBX from Salvanos Drag Racing: “Unless you ride it yourself you can’t believe it…”  

The Honda CBX1000 remains one of the most revered and iconic street bikes ever produced. Aeronautical engineer Shoichiro Irimajiri, who masterminded Honda’s legendary RC166 six-cylinder Grand Prix racer, led the development of this highly ambitious six-cylinder uberbike. The engine, of course, was the star — a 1047cc DOHC 24-valve inline-six that produced 105 bhp and sounded like an F1 car at full song. To this day, the six-cylinder symphony of a CBX at wide-open throttle is one of the most glorious sounds in the history of internal combustion.

Andreas Salvanos of Greece’s Salvanos Drag Racing (SDR) has had deep ties to Honda motorcycles since his teenaged years. His father, trying to get keep him from falling into the world of two wheels, destroyed his old Honda CB175 — or though he did…

“My father made the mistake of telling me: If you fix it, it’s yours. 🙂 After 6 months it was mine… THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF EVIL :D” -Andreas

Then began a life of two wheels. At 16, Andreas bought a CB750 he still owns (today it’s supercharged), and two years after that, the legendary Honda CBX enter his life:

“At 18, in my first professional steps looking for a job in a motorcycle repair shop, I saw the Great Wall of China of motorcycles for the first time. It was the Honda CBX1000 engine. Every night I had nightmares 😀  (I needed to get a CBX and make it like no other.)”

About 15 years later, Andreas set out to build the absolute monster you see here, starting with an original naked super sport model from 1978. Given Andreas’ deep affinity for Honda motorcycles, it was important to him to keep the bike in line with the brand: “color, design, parts, all Honda.”

To that end, the majority of the bike’s modern upgrades come courtesy of a 2006 CBR600RR. This includes the entire front end, the rear swingarm and suspension, the wheels, the tail section, and the entire front fairing and instrument cluster. Andreas also modified the original CBX frame to handle the 21st-century suspension, brakes, and more.

What isn’t CBR is the engine. The big six-cylinder engine now boasts a pair of Garrett turbochargers with a handmade intake manifold, 60mm electric throttle body, and an electronic throttle from a 2020 CBR1000RR. Andreas says a smaller A/R (Area/Radius) on the exhaust side of the turbine housing provides a burst of power at very low RPM.

Andreas has a background in drag racing, and his 30+ years of design, engineering, and fabrication expertise went into the engine build. The bike’s con-rods are his own design and construction, as is the centrifugal clutch — a necessary feature to handle the machine’s staggering output of 310 hp and 159 ft-lbs of torque!

The bike weighs over 500 pounds wet, but Andreas says you don’t feel the weight at speed. In fact, from a handling standpoint, he says you might think you’re on a CBR600RR…except lean angle is limited by the width of that massive CBX engine!

The acceleration, of course, is another matter. Andreas says you can’t believe the thrust until you ride it. He calls the bike his “Old Lady with Nikes.”

“When we were doing some road races, they complained about the two turbines that I have, and that this is the reason I passed them. And I told them: ‘If you give your grandmother a pair of Nike shoes, and you run 100m and lose, will it be Nike’s fault???'”

Love it, Andreas, ha! We’ve seen some truly mind-melting CBX builds, but nothing quite like this. And this just one of the Andreas’ pet projects. Recently, he’s also secured a patent for a system that utilizes an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) and GPS to achieve real-time, variable motorcycle geometry…

“The bike’s geometry adjusts dynamically while in motion, based on factors such as current speed, the nature of an approaching turn, road surface conditions (e.g., whether it is wet), and whether the motorcycle is accelerating or decelerating.”

 

Honestly, we’re surprised this technology hasn’t made it into the production world yet, especially with the “shape-shifting” nature of today’s MotoGP bikes. So far, Andreas has had a hard time finding investors in Greece who want to “shake things up” in the global history of motorcycling. So if any of you readers are interested in investing in this technology, reach out to him at Salvanos Drag Racing. 

Below, you’ll find our full interview with the man himself about his twin-turbo CBX, along with more details, images and video. Thank you to Andreas for sharing this absolutely mental build with us…and we look forward to showcasing more of the forced-induction monsters he has hiding in his garage.

Twin-Turbo CBX1000: Builder Interview

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

I was born in 1973 and from the time I was little I was making various children’s things without help. The big madness started from a family quarrel. I was 14 years old when I asked for my father’s motorcycle — a Honda CB175. So that I wouldn’t get it, and in consultation with my mother, he destroyed it. However, he made the mistake of telling me: If you fix it, it’s yours. 🙂 After 6 months it was mine with my sword. THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF EVIL 😀

At 16 I bought a CB750 Four that I still have. It has gone through various stages of improvement. When I was 25 I ultimately put supercharger on it.

At 18, in my first professional steps looking for a job in a motorcycle repair shop, I saw the Great Wall of China of motorcycles for the first time. It was the Honda CBX1000 engine. Every night I had nightmares 😀  (I needed to get a CBX and make it like no other.)

I should mention that I have also secured a patent for a system I developed two years ago. It utilizes electronics — specifically an IMU and GPS — to achieve in real-time, variable motorcycle geometry. The bike’s geometry adjusts dynamically while in motion, based on factors such as current speed, the nature of an approaching turn, road surface conditions (e.g., whether it is wet), and whether the motorcycle is accelerating or decelerating.

All the motorcycle’s characteristics change without the rider noticing a thing. Unfortunately, I cannot find investors in Greece to help us change the standards and shake things up in the global history of motorcycling.

• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?

1978 Honda CBX1000.

• Why was this bike built? 

Personal dream.

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

I had to do everything I could to keep it as a Honda (color, design, parts, all Honda). I grew up with Honda and learned from them. And truly, in my 30+ years of experience in motorcycles, having already had my own workshop since 1999, when you get your hands on any work on a Honda, you truly understand the enviable quality construction that it has.

• What custom work was done to the bike?

All the peripheral mechanical parts are from a 2006 Honda CBR600RR. This includes the entire front assembly, the entire rear assembly, the whole tail section, and the entire front fairing along with the instrument cluster.

The throttle is electronic, from a 2020 CBR1000RR, and the electric throttle motor is Bosch and works with a processor ECUMaster Black.

The clutch is of my own design and construction, just like the connecting rods inside the engine.

The current turbochargers are Garrett GTX 2554R GEN2 with a smaller AR on the exhaust side, which gives it a burst of power at very low RPM. The intake manifold is handmade and features a 60mm electric throttle body.

All the installed components have been included automatically so that it is easy to replace them after any unfortunate events on daily roads. Adjustments were made to the main frame so that it can automatically accept the parts on it.

• Does the bike have a nickname?

“My Old Lady with Nikes.”

When we were doing some road races, they complained about the two turbines that I have, and that this is the reason I passed them. And I told them: “If you give your grandmother a pair of NIKE shoes, and you run 100m and lose, will it be NIKE’s fault???” HAHAHAHAHAHA.

• Any idea of ​​horsepower, weight, and/or performance numbers?

310 hp / 22 kg-m torque (159 ft-lbs) / 240 Kg (529 lbs) full oil and fuel.

• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?

Unless you ride it yourself you can’t believe it… You don’t feel its weight and it behaves like a CBR600RR, except you can’t go any lower because the engine is on the road.

• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?

The build took eight months of sleepless nights. From January 2007 to August of the same year when I took it to the motorcycle show here in Athens. I’m proud of the entire build, but much more so of the final improvement and adjustment of the centrifugal clutch that I made to it. (It was something that was necessary.)

• Is there anyone you’d like to thank?

My own people who had the patience to stay up late, and by extension not to be very productive during the day 🙂

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