VOL. 52 ISSUE 42 OCTOBER 20, 2015 P47
T
he 500cc iteration of
Honda's CBR range
is coming in for a host
of improvements for the
2016 model year. Honda
is making a big push for
new riders with the mini-
Blade, angling it firmly at
the sub-21-year-old mar-
ket and trying get more
of them on the seats, and
thus increase the pool of
riders on the road.
2016 Honda CBR500
The 500, the third in the
capacity line behind the
CBR600RR and 1000RR
is powered by the same
471cc parallel twin four-
stroke as before, however
comes with a new, lighter
muffler to aid mass
centralization and take
advantage of the 500's
low weight and nimble
handling.
The 500 had been
criticized in the past for
being too basic in the
suspension department,
so the Big H has fitted
preload adjustment on
the fork—whether that's
enough to keep riders
happy remains to be seen.
There's new coloring
and the bodywork has
been restyled and is
now fitted with LED head
and taillights sitting in a
sharper rear seat design
that's reminiscent of
the CBR600RR. Other
changes include an
adjustable span front brake
lever, revised gearshift
mechanism for smoother
shifting and feel and a
larger reshaped fuel tank.
Honda hasn't released
final pricing yet but expect
the machine to be on sale
in the first quarter of 2016.
