This Bike Has Honda CB300R’s Beauty With Honda CB500F’s Brawns

The Bristol Veloce 500 has been launched in the Philippines

The Veloce 500 gets a 471cc parallel-twin engine good for 47.7PS and 43Nm.  Also features spoke wheels with tubeless Pirelli tyres. Costs an equivalent of Rs 5.32 lakh.

Bristol Motorcycles is a Philippines-based motorcycle company, founded in 2018, primarily dealing with European-themed classic motorcycles. The company recently launched the Bristol Veloce 500. As you can see, the bike bears an eerie resemblance to a combination of the Honda CB300R and the Benelli Leoncino 500. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the design elements are coherently put together. 

The ergonomics is easy-going thanks to the wide handlebars, contoured single-piece seat, and neutral footpeg positioning. Ensuring it’s on par with the rest of the retro-modern motorcycles from mainstream brands, Bristol has equipped it with an all-LED lighting system, TFT instrument cluster, and dual-channel ABS from Nissin.

The bike is powered by a 471cc parallel-twin liquid-cooled engine, which produces 47.5PS at 8500rpm and 43Nm at 6500rpm, linked to a 6-speed transmission. Bristol claims the bike can reach a top speed of 185kmph and offer a mileage of 25kmpl. This should ensure a theoretical range of about 450km, thanks to the 18-litre fuel tank. 

Made out of steel, the single-sided swingarm is a contrasting complement to the neo-retro genes of the motorcycle. Bristol has equipped the bike with a fairly premium KYB adjustable inverted front fork and a preload-adjustable KYB monoshock at the rear. Braking is via dual 300mm petal discs up front and a 240mm rear unit. For better mild-off-road performance, it also rolls on a 19-inch front and a 17-inch rear spoke wheel with Pirelli block pattern tubeless tyres. 

What takes the cake is the accessible 760mm tall seat and the fairly light kerb weight of 173kg. This should make it an ideal motorcycle for the Indian market. Also, with its 190mm ground clearance, you could indulge in some good-old trail riding. But at PHP 348,000, which is around Rs 5.32 lakh (introductory), the price is a little bit on the higher side. What do you guys think?