The new Honda CBR500R can be the next big thing from the Japanese brand for India, which seems to have definite plans of bringing cosmetic upgrades from the litre-class CBR into all the middleweight models. First, the upgrade was seen on the CBR650R while later, all remaining products are getting the same front facial expressions with a slight change in fairing size and a different set of equipment. Honda CBR500R comes with a refined front cowl, making space for the two brilliant LED headlights.
The turn indicators look neat and are mounted on the inner layer of the fairing. The side profile flaunts a big bike feel with a single exhaust, a sharp tail section, and a massive fuel tank with a visibly-connecting dual-tone underseat panel. The front end of the bike comes with a huge petal disc brake and visible ABS ring while the rear disc is decently-sized in comparison to other rivals of this segment.
The powerful 471cc parallel-twin engine under the fairing places the new Honda CBR500R indirectly against the Kawasaki Ninja 400 and other middleweight performers. However, the benefit of extra displacement is the 43Nm of impressive torque as power seems decent at just 47HP. If planned and launched in India, the same restriction will not hold back as the restricted power is a result of A2 licensing for several countries around the globe.
The Indian market is about to witness the launch of 5 new premium Honda bikes in 2020 and it is being speculated that the CBR500R is one of them. The launch of the CB300R and CBR650R has further confirmed that Honda has aggressive plans to increase its lineup in the premium motorcycle segment.
The CBR500R comes with a 120-section front and a 160-section rear tyre size, further getting a dual-channel ABS unit for safer riding. The fuel tank measures 17.1-litres while Honda claims that the sports bike is able to deliver 28.6kmpl of mileage. If launched in India, the new CBR500R would be priced somewhere around INR 5 lakh (ex-showroom).