FIRST RIDE
P66
2013 HONDA CBR500R/CB500F
adopted the same strategy as
BMW and Triumph and stepped
up product development to release a slew of new models. Yamaha was all set to do the same.
But then it looked in its bank account for the cash to do so, and
discovered there wasn't any.
And Honda? Well, Honda
seemingly did very little for the
first couple of years, beyond an
awful lot of thought and planning
on how to address the fact that
the world had changed, especially with the revalued yen making everything Made in Japan
much more expensive. Honda
then developed a blitz of new
models that are now hitting the
marketplace – five years after the
global implosion.
All of these new models have
several things in common:
They're priced to sell, economical to run, bring a new design
philosophy to the marketplace,
plus they're real-world rational,
and best of all practical – but still
lots of fun. How very Honda.
So here in the tire tracks of
the NC700 all-rounder launched
last year, the CB250R that's introducing new converts to riding motorcycles as opposed to
scooters, and the retro CB1100
that's a traditional-styled bike in
terms of accessibility as well as
looks (not forgetting the laid-back
CTX700 neo-custom just revealed as a 2014 model), Honda
>>The Honda CBR500R – the fully
faired and racier version of the allnew Honda 500 platform that's
aimed directly at new riders and
those returning to the sport.
has launched a new trio of middleweight motorcycles using a
clean-sheet, liquid-cooled 471cc
parallel-twin engine - targeted at
three different audiences with a
common focus on value for money.
The full-fairing CBR500R and
the naked CB500F versions
are already in Honda dealerships around the world, with the
CB500X adventure bike to follow shortly. All three, like the
CB250R, are entirely manufactured in Honda's factory in Thai-
