Honda has unveiled the CL500 scrambler motorcycle. The bike will complement Honda’s existing 500 parallel-twin range for 2023.
Honda has taken inspiration from the CLs of the 1960-70s era. The CL500 follows a minimalist retro theme and is offered in four eye-catching colours. The engine is housed in a black tubular steel trellis frame. The bike gets 41 mm forks at the front and twin shocks at the back with preload adjustment.
The exhaust has been tweaked and the twin-exit design now delivers a heavier, bassy note than the one on the Rebel. It also gets upright handlebars and a tank pad with grippy contact points so the rider can grip it with their knees.
The tweaked twin-exit exhaust arrangement is billed as delivering a heavier, low-frequency soundtrack than the Rebel while a slipper clutch will make life easier for new riders still getting to grips with a manual gearbox.
The CL500 gets a low seat height of 790mm and a kerb weight of just 192kg. Honda has offered 19 inch front and 17 inch rear rims that are shod in Dunlop Mixtour rubber for both road usage and some mild off-roading.
The 471cc parallel-twin engine produces 46 BHP @ 8500 rpm and 43.4 Nm of peak torque @ 6250 rpm. The engine is finished in black and is rated Euro5. It gets a revised fuel injection, a new intake and a fresh exhaust set-up.
Additionally, compared to the Rebel cruiser, the CL500 gets a 41 tooth rear sprocket for additional acceleration.
Stopping duties are handled by an ABS-equipped single 310mm front disc and twin-piston caliper.
While Honda has not yet revealed prices for the CL500, one can expect it to fall in the INR 6,00,000 price bracket internationally. There is no word yet on India launch yet.
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