Honda has said that they are planning to bring their entire 500cc range of motorcycles to India and these big bikes will come here by the CKD route to keep costs in check.
Honda launched the Africa Twin in India yesterday and at the event, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) have revealed some interesting plans for the future. The company seeks to change its strategy which involves offering bigger, more powerful bikes in India. Currently, in the big bikes category, Honda has the CB300R, the newly launched Africa Twin, the CBR650R, CB1000R, and the Goldwing. We’ll soon have the 2020 CBR1000RR-R Fireblade as well.
However, if you look closely at the lineup, there’s a significant gap between the 300cc to 650cc range. Honda now intends to close this gap by offering their entire 500cc lineup in India. And all this is going to take place within 2020 itself. We expect Honda to bring these 500cc motorcycles to India via the CKD (completely knocked down) route to keep costs in check.
Honda’s 500cc range of motorcycles is underpinned by a single platform but it encompasses multiple genres of motorcycles at an accessible price tag. This includes the CMX500 Rebel, CB500F, CBR500R, and the CB500X. This entire range of 500cc motorcycles was updated last year with retuned engines and cosmetic updates. If you are familiar with Honda’s nomenclature, you would understand that the CB500F is a streetfighter, the CBR500R is a supersport, the CB500X is an adventure tourer while the CMX500 Rebel is a cruiser.
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All of these motorcycles use a 471cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine. In the CB500F, CBR500R, and the CB500X, this engine produces 47.5PS of power and 43Nm of torque. According to Honda, in an update the motorcycles received last year, the retuned engines make more power and torque in the mid-range (between 3000rpm-7000rpm). The CMX500 Rebel on the other hand makes 46.2PS of power and 43.3Nm of torque from the same engine. The Rebel also features an assist-and-slipper clutch which is also said to reduce clutch lever effort by 30%.
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Well, that is all for Honda’s 500cc range and we hope it comes to India as soon as it can. This should spice up the middle-weight motorcycle category in India by quite some much again. But apart from that, we also have the all-new Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade and Fireblade SP coming to India very soon. With the Fireblade, Honda can finally join the 200bhp club in India.
