Honda CB 500

The all-new Honda CB 500 has been unveiled in India. The motorcycle will be manufactured in India and follows a familiar retro roadster design language but brings a bigger engine and slightly more premium hardware, appealing to retro enthusiasts who want a torquey bike. It will be offered in three variants: Alloy, Spoke Tubeless, and Spoke Tubeless with Graphics.

At first glance, it looks like a bigger version of the popular Honda CB350 H'ness. So, in line with the classic roadster design language, the CB 500 gets a round LED headlight, a teardrop-shaped fuel tank, and long single-piece seat. It also gets a brushed aluminium finish for the engine casing along with plenty of chrome used across the motorcycle, which adds a touch of premiumness.

Its instrument cluster is a simple analogue speedometer with a compact LCD inset to display information like gear position, odometer, mileage and trip meters. Safety is covered by dual-channel ABS and a switchable traction control system.

The CB 500 is powered by a 501cc, single-cylinder, air-and-oil-cooled engine that produces 28.1 PS and 43.3 Nm and is paired with a 5-speed gearbox. This is not an engine that’s built for high-speed thrills but rather easy-going highway runs. Expect it to be torquey lower down the rev range, resulting in quick acceleration in city traffic.

The Honda CB 500 gets a conventional Showa telescopic fork with fork gaiters up front and twin gas-charged shocks at the rear.

The bike has tubeless cross-spoke wheels, expected to be a 19-inch front and an 18-inch rear setup. The alloy wheel variant is also likely to have the same sizes, along with tubeless tyres for all variants.

There's no direct rival for the Honda CB 500 at the moment, but among big retro-styled motorcycles, it goes against the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and the BSA Gold Star once it hits the market. That said, this is the only air-cooled 500cc retro roadster in India at the moment.