Honda Rebel 500: All You Need To Know

Here’s everything you need to know about Honda's first small-displacement cruiser in India

Honda may soon expand its premium lineup in India by bringing in its entire 500cc range that's currently available in the international market. While the platform targets several genres, the most interesting one of them all has to be the Rebel 500, a mid-displacement bobber. It's likely to make it to Indian shores by the end of 2020. Here’s everything you need to know about Honda's first small-displacement cruiser in India:

Powered by a parallel-twin motor:

The Rebel 500 currently uses a Euro 5-compliant 471cc parallel-twin engine that puts out 45.5PS at 8500rpm and 44.6Nm at 6000rpm in its international trim. According to Honda, the motor was reworked to offer better bottom end grunt which improves acceleration. The 6-speed transmission features a slipper clutch, reducing clutch effort by 30 per cent and negates wheels hops during hard downshifts. Its 11.2-litre fuel tank should offer a range of around 300km if you take into account its claimed fuel efficiency of 27kmpl. 

Also Read: Honda Rebel 500: Photo Gallery

Underpinnings:

The cruiser employs a tubular steel frame paired with a bolt-on cast aluminium unit. Its suspension setup comprises a 41mm telescopic fork and twin shock absorbers at the rear from Showa which gets 5-steps of preload adjustability. Its 16-inch wheels come shod in Dunlop 130-section front and 150-section rear tyres which are clamped by discs at both ends. Dual-channel ABS comes as standard. A low seat height of 690mm should be ideal for shorter riders. Honda says you could remove the pillion seat pad and footpegs if you wish to give the bike a rider-centric feel. 

Feature-packed:

The Rebel 500's feature list includes LED lights all around and a negative LCD instrument cluster. The console reads out information like speed, odometer, two tripmeter, time, gear position and fuel consumption. Interestingly, the ignition key slot is placed below the fuel tank, on the left-hand side.

Also Read: Honda CBR500R: Picture Gallery

Personalisation options:

Honda offers a number of factory-fitted accessories for the UK-spec Rebel 500, some of which could find its way to India. This includes a headlight cowl with a smoked fly screen, retro front fork covers and gaiters, and a special diamond-stitch style seat, saddle bags, saddle stays, a tail rack, and 12V socket near the instrument cluster. And if you want to extract more performance for the motor, you also have an optional Termignoni stainless steel ceramic-coated exhaust system. Needless to say, these add-ons would surely aid the bike’s touring capabilities while giving it a boost in performance.

How much will all of this cost?

Expect the brand to bring in the cruiser via the CKD route initially at a price of around Rs 4.5 lakh (ex-showroom). The price might decrease to about Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 4 lakh in the future as Honda plans to localise some of its premium bikes to keep costs competitive.