Honda CB500

The all-new Honda CB 500 has been launched in India, with bookings now open. The motorcycle is manufactured in India and follows a familiar retro roadster design language as the CB350 but brings a bigger engine and slightly more premium hardware, appealing to retro enthusiasts who want a torquey bike. It is offered in three variants: Alloy, Spoke Tubeless, and Spoke Tubeless with Graphics.

The Honda CB 500 is priced between Rs 2,75,000 and Rs 3,01,900. The Alloy variant is priced at Rs 2,75,000, the Spoke Tubeless variant at Rs 2,99,900, and the top Spoke Tubeless with Stripes variant is priced at Rs 3,01,900. (All prices ex-showroom, Bengaluru)

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.

The bike is available in five attractive colours in total. The Alloy variant gets two colours: Pearl Deep Ground Grey & Pearl Igneous Black. The mid variant with spoke wheels is available in Mat Steel Silver Metallic & Rebel Red Metallic 2. The top variant comes in Pearl Igneous Black colour with golden stripes.

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 is available in either alloy or cross-spoke wheels with a 19-inch front and an 18-inch rear wheel setup, with tubeless tyres on all variants

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