Whatever happened to motorcycles with factory mounted turbo's? When turbos first became 'en-vogue', in the early 1980s on sporty hot-hatches, it wasn't long before motorcycles became targets for these power accessories. Turbo-charging works by forcing more air into the engine via a turbine, which is driven by escaping exhaust gases. The first bikes to feature turbos were the Honda CX500 Turbo of 1981 and the Yamaha XJ650T a year later. The old Maggot could gallop along at around 210km/h thanks to the turbo, and this was replaced by a 650 version in 1983.