Honda Rebel 500 Bobber Supreme Edition: All You Need To Know

Here’s everything that makes this special edition of the Rebel 500 unique

A lot of us are waiting with bated breath for some form of announcement regarding the Honda Rebel range coming to India, but in the meantime, the Rebel 500 has received a special edition in Thailand. Called the Rebel 500 Bobber Supreme Edition, here’s everything you need to know about it:

A New Look

The biggest and most obvious change is to the Rebel’s appearance. The defining characteristic is a dark theme that makes the bike look rather sinister. The Bobber Supreme Edition also gets a bikini fairing around the headlight, also finished in black, and a new seat design. Flatter handlebars have been bolted on, resulting in a more aggressive riding posture, but this is offset somewhat by the slightly more forward-set footpegs.

More Accessories

Honda is also offering some optional goodies with the Bobber Supreme Edition. These include add-on luggage in the form of saddle stays, soft panniers, throw-over-type leather saddlebags and a tail rack, all of which should make the Bobber Supreme Edition a more touring-friendly motorcycle.

Motor Immobility

One area where nothing has changed is the engine, and this is not necessarily a bad thing. The liquid-cooled 471cc parallel-twin is a sweet unit, and churns out a reasonable 45.5PS at 8500rpm and 44.6Nm at 6000rpm. It is mated to a 6-speed gearbox via an assist-and-slipper clutch.

Underpinnings

The basic underpinnings remain the same - a conventional 41mm telescopic fork and twin shock absorbers. On this special edition, though, fork gaiters have been thrown in, as well as premium tyre valve caps. Braking continues to be handled by discs at both ends with dual-channel ABS, but the Bobber Supreme Edition gets a more premium brake master cylinder cap.

India Plans

Honda does have plans to bring its 500cc range to India, hopefully within the next 12 months, and this does include the Rebel 500 as well. This special edition, though, has been developed specially by the  official accessories division of Honda Thailand and is limited to just 100 units. This means that it’s highly unlikely that the Bobber Supreme Edition will arrive in India.