Here’s What You Need To Know About Honda’s Upcoming Sports Bike

Honda will be getting its 500cc lineup to India and among the list is a sportsbike called the CBR500R. The CBR500R has got us excited as it is expected to be as versatile as its larger cousin, the CBR650R. Here’s what you need to know about the CBR500R.

It gets a parallel-twin motor:

Honda’s 500cc platform uses the same parallel-twin motor but in different states of tune. The CB500R’s 471cc liquid-cooled motor delivers 47.58PS at 8500rpm and 43Nm at 6500rpm. Honda says the motor has been tuned to deliver better low to mid-range grunt and claims to deliver a fuel efficiency of 28.6km/litre. With its 17.1-litre large fuel tank, Honda says the CBR500R can travel upto 480km on a full tank. It gets a 6-speed gearbox with a slip and assist clutch. 

It gets simple underpinnings:

It gets a steel diamond-type frame that uses the motor as a stressed member. Suspension components include 41mm preload-adjustable forks and preload-adjustable monoshock. Braking is via a single 320mm front and 240mm rear disc. It gets 120/70-ZR 17 front and 160/60-ZR 17 rear radial tyres. 

It gets premium features:

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The CBR500R gets an LED headlamp, LED tail lamp and LED turn indicators. It comes with a fully-digital instrument console that includes the speedometer, tachometer, dual trip meters, fuel gauge, average fuel consumption, digital clock and gear position indicator. In terms of safety, the CBR500R gets an engine immobiliser and dual-channel ABS. 

Also read: Here’s All The Dope On The India-bound Honda Rebel 500

It is on the heavier side:

The CBR500R weighs 192kg, which is a tad on the heavier side if you consider the more powerful Kawasaki Ninja 650 weighs just 4kg more.  However, it should be accessible to most riders given its low seat height of 785mm. The ground clearance, at 130mm, is on the lower side while the long 1410mm wheelbase should make it stable around corners. 

It could cost below Rs 5 lakh:

Honda will bring the CBR500R to India via the CKD route with plans to fully localise it in the future. We expect the mid-size sportsbike to be priced around the Rs 4.99 lakh. Once localisation happens, we expect the price tag to drop to around the Rs 4.5 lakh. The Honda CBR500R is expected to reach our shores by the end of this year.