Sports Cycle

If we talk about the 6-cylinder engine in the World Grand Prix (MotoGP) event, then Surely our minds will be on the legendary 250cc Honda RC166 or 350cc RC174 with "madness" specifications, as well as a record of his remarkable victory. However, there is other Inline-Six figure that equally phenomenal, and one of them is the MV Agusta 500-6 Bialbero !




MV Agusta 500-6 or often referred to as MV Agusta Bialbero, is one of the MV Agusta Grand Prix Motorcycle that was first introduced in 1957 ago, in the Grand Prix of Nations series Monza Circuit, Italy, which also became the headquarters of this manufacturer.

MV Agusta 6-cylinder engine is a "proof" of a Count Domenico Agusta (Founder MV Agusta), who did not want to lose fame by high-specs bike such as Gilera Rondine-Four & MotoGuzzi Ottocilindri V8... So, They began a large grandprix development in 1956 ago, and the results were introduced at the end of 1957 GP series.



If you all thought that the Honda RC166 & RC174 is the first 6-Cylinder Motorcycle at the Grand Prix event, then it is totally wrong ! MV Agusta Bialbero 500-6 comes first decade earlier (1957) than those two Honda's ! In fact, This Parallel 6-Cylinder engine Motor comes before the glory era of the legendary MV Agusta bike, MV Agusta 500-3, along with super legendary riders such as John Surtees, Mike Hailwood & Giacomo Agostini.


In the design & detail sector, MV Agusta Bialbero 500-6 did not look too different from the other 50's GP bikes. This GP machine is equipped with Dustbin fairing which seems ridiculous, and totally old school, just like MotoGuzzi V8 which will be discuss later. Meanwhile, details are also no less old school. Although armed with six-cylinder 500cc engine, but is still equipped with MV Agusta big Drum Brakes, front - back Telescopic Suspension, as well as Double-Cradle Frame Model.


Looking closely behind the "eccentric" fairing , That's what we looking for this bike ... Yes, as the name suggests, MV Agusta 500-6 equipped with 4-Stroke, 498cc, Inline-Six, DOHC 12-Valves, with traditional engine cooling - Air Cooled. Though still visibly inferior to MotoGuzzi V8 that carries 8-Cylinder plus Liquid-cooling, but it turns out that the motor power is not less flashy !

Yeah, MV Agusta 500-6 Bialbero claimed capable of spewing power of 70 HP @ 15,000 RPM ! A very surprising power output result for the motorcycle that comes almost 6 decades ago.

And This is the Completely Specifications of  MV Agusta 500-6 Bialbero :


Manufacturer : MV Agusta Motor SpA

Model : 500-6 (Bialbero 500-6C)

Year : 1957 - 1959

Class : WorldGP


Engine : 4-Stroke, Inline-Six, DOHC 12-Valve (2 Valves per cylinder), Air Cooled, Gear-Driven Camshaft

Bore x Stroke : 48 x 46 mm

Cylinder capacity : 498 cc

Compression ratio : 10.8: 1

Fuel Supply  : 6 x Carburetor Dell'Orto SS26A

Transmission : 6-Speed

Maximum Power : 70 HP @ 15,000 RPM

Top Speed : 240 Km / h (GP Monza, Italy)


Dimensions L x W x H: 1,950 x 530 x - mm

Wheelbase : 1,310 mm

Fuel tank capacity : 22 Liter

Dry weight : 145 kg


Frame : Steel - Double Cradle Frame

Front Brakes : Drum Brake

Rear brakes: Drum Brake

Front tires: 3.00 - 18 Inch

Rear tires: 3.50 - 18 Inch

Honda CBX 1000 6 Cylinder was a Legendary Bike from the Big Japanese firm. First introduced in 1978 and then, discontinue in 1982. This classic japanese motorcycles was developed when four Japanese manufacturers are competing to create the Superbike that is really "Superclass Bike".



At that time, as chairman, Soichiro Honda, Decides to select the Parallel-Inline 6 cylinder engine, which will be used in the CBX - compared with other options namely Inline 4-cylinder 1000cc or 1200cc. Soichiro actually is already familiar with a 6 cylinder engine. At the 60's, He also had to make a far more devastating masterpiece, Honda RC166 250cc six-cylinder, that once drove Mike "The Bike" Hailwood became 250cc World Champion.


But apparently, the CBX development is not without obstacles. The most confusing for Soichiro Honda is how to put the 1047cc six cylinder inline engine with a width of almost 60 cm to CBX Frame, plus Reduces the jarring sound from very powerful machine, without having to sacrifice comfort and rider's satisfaction.

Finally, with minimizing Crankcase Engineering, Stretches fuel tank design, exhaust & Placement dispensing cylinder block made tilted forward 30 degrees, Make CBX finally ready for launch !

In the Design & Detail, Honda put the various Regulatory Electrical and Ignition reversed / behind the machine to keep reducing the size of the width of the CBX - that is always be a major issue. CBX1000 use the high quality Chromoly Diamond-Frame. In the frame itself, there are 8 Mounting to the engine - 4 on Cylinder Head & 4 other at Gearbox Crankcase.

CBX 1000 using 35mm Telescopic front suspension and Double-Shockbreaker rear suspension - until the third version in 1981, the suspension changed by Pro-Link monoshock the rear.


More about the CBX, This masterpiece is equipped with Parallel-Inline 6 cylinder 1047cc engine, DOHC 24-Valve, 5-Speed Transmission, and also 6 Barrel Keihin VB28mm Carburetors. With a compression ratio of 9.3: 1, Maximum power CBX 1000 reaches 103 HP and accelerates 402 m in a time of 11.6 seconds with a maximum speed of 189 Km/h (118 mph). Real Top Speed of the CBX reaching 216 Km/h (135mph) !

No wonder then, Honda claimed CBX 1000 is Fastest, High-Tech, Futuristic & Most Powerful Motorcycle in his era.

And Here is Complete Specifications of Honda CBX1000 :

Manufacturer : Honda Motor Company
Model : CBX1000
Year : 1978 - 1982

Engine : 4-Stroke, Air Cooled, Inline 6 cylinder, DOHC, 24-Valve
Bore x Stroke : 64.5 x 53.4 mm
Cylinder capacity : 1.047 cc
Compression Ratio : 9.3: 1
Fuel supplies : 6 x Carburetor Keihin VB28
Maximum Power : 103 HP @ 9000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 85 N.m @ 8000 rpm
Transmission : 5-Speed
Top Speed : 215 Km/h (135 mph)

Frame : Chromoly Steel - Diamond Frame
Front Suspension : 35mm Telescopic Fork
Rear Suspension : (1978 - '80) FVQ Dual Shockbreaker, (1981 - '82) Pro-Link monoshock
Brakes Front : Dual 276mm Disc
Brakes Rear : Single 296mm Disc
Front tires : 3.50 - 19
Rear tires : 4:25 - 19
Fuel tank capacity : 20 Liter
Empty weight: 249 kg

The V-Fours (V4) Engine

When Honda introduced its water-cooled V-four engine bikes for the 1982 model year, pundits predicted the demise of the inline four. It seemed reasonable at the time. These engines have exceptional power characteristics, providing good torque figures and more than adequate horsepower. Plus they are one of the smoothest engine designs in existence.

This engine design has become something of a standard - powering a variety of sportbikes, cruisers, and touring bikes - but it never came close to replacing the inline four. That was probably due to the expense of manufacturing such a complex engine design rather than any inherent flaws with the concept. In service, these have proven to be remarkably reliable motorcycles.

" A V-four engine is an engine with four cylinders arranged in a V-shaped configuration."

If you are in the market for a used motorcycle, a bike with a V-four engine is a safe bet. These bikes have been nearly indestructible. I have a friend who has 125,000 miles on his 1985 Honda 700 Magna as I write this. By the time you read it, he will probably hit 150,000 miles.

Inline Six Engine

For a few years in the mid-1970s and early 1980s, a few manufacturers fooled around with inline six-cylinder motorcycle engines, but these proved to be oddities, footnotes in the motorcycle history books. The odds of you stumbling across one of these beasties by chance are slim; most such machines are now the property of collectors.

"An inline six-cylinder engine is an engine with six cylinders in a row."

The Italian company Benelli produced a 750cc six-cylinder bike, but like many Italian bikes, this is one you’ll probably only see in pictures. More common were the big Sixes produced by Honda and Kawasaki. These were functional motorcycles, but both were victims of their own excess. The width of those six-cylinders just proved to be more bulk than would comfortably fit down in the engine bay, and handling suffered, especially on the water-cooled Kawasaki, which weighed nearly as much as a small car. And if four-cylinder engines are complex to maintain, sixes are absolute nightmares.

The Gold Wing - Flat-Six Engine

The engine Honda uses in its Gold Wing touring bikes is so unique, it doesn’t fit into any other category. The only thing comparable to the same inline six-cylinder version is the engine Porsche's uses in its 911-series. This is a flat, Boxer-type engine, with four or six liquid cooled cylinders, rather than two air-cooled cylinders, like BMW uses. The flat-four and flat-six-cylinder engines used in Honda’s Gold Wings are called flat because their cylinders are arranged in a flat, opposing configuration.

"When Honda introduced its Gold Wing in 1975, it created a new class of motorcycle : the luxury tourer."

These are the smoothest engines used in motorcycles, period, and are a major part of the Gold Wing’s appeal to the touring crowd. They also have a fairly centralized mass, which makes the entire motorcycle easier to maneuver. I’ve seen Gold Wing riders whip their bikes around as if they were riding sportbikes instead of ultimate behemoths weighing twice what the average sportbike weighs.