This 500cc Neo-retro Bike Is As Powerful As KTM 390 Duke & Is Lighter Than Bajaj Pulsar 150

The Herald Brute 500 weighs 62kg less than its rival, the Benelli Leoncino 500

Formed in 2010 and a part of the larger Encocam engineering group, Huntingdon-based Herald Motorcycles have been known for their range of mostly 125 and 250cc Chinese-built air-cooled budget singles but with British-designed retro and scrambler styling. 

The company made its first ‘authentic British’ bike: the Brute Concept in 2018. The company says it’s their ‘first British designed, engineered and manufactured motorcycle’. Now in 2022, the bike’s production model has finally made its way to the UK market as the Brute 500 for £6,950 (around Rs 6,78,869). 

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s focus on this intriguing-looking motorcycle. The bike has a minimalist look with its short rear end, easy-to-reach handlebars, sleek indicators and a round headlight. The seemingly retro motorcycle gets modern bits in the form of an all-LED lighting system and a full-LCD instrument cluster. That said, the cluster looks a bit dated.

The tubular steel frame houses the bike’s heart: a 449cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine. Among other things, what isn’t British is the engine, as it’s the one that’s found on the Zongshen Fantic, andit produces a healthy 43.5PS. That puts it 4PS under the Benelli Leoncino 500 which has a parallel-twin heart. More importantly, the Brute 500 at 145kg is a humongous 62kg lesser than the Benelli. That gives it not only a better power-to-weight ratio but it should also offset the slight power handicap that the Brute has. Unfortunately the torque figures haven’t been revealed by Herald. To give you some perspective, the Brute 500 makes as much power as the KTM 390 Duke, but is lighter than the Bajaj Pulsar 150. 

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Underpinnings include an inverted front fork and rear suspension with a monoshock at the rear. In typical street bike fashion, the Brute 500 comes shod with 17-inch wheels on both ends. 

An 835mm seat height might leave the Brute on the taller side, but its seemingly narrow profile should make it a bit easier to ground your legs on. A 13.5-litre fuel tank should give it a decent range between full tanks. What’s interesting is the fact that the bike doesn’t get ABS, which is a bit of a bummer in today’s day and age. 

At a price of 6,950 Pounds (approximately Rs 6,78,869), the Brute is not something you’d call cheap. Though it packs decent equipment, features like ABS and a better instrument console would have made the package a lot sweeter. 

It’s unlikely that the Brute 500 will make its way to the Indian market. If you’re looking for a 500cc naked, you could check out the Benelli Leoncino 500.