Cycle News

2017 HONDA REBEL 300/REBEL 500 FIRST TEST P78 for a shot of go juice and one last look at more custom bikes that they build. These places will certainly inspire you when it comes to personalizing your Rebel, which is something Honda is encouraging you to do. To Honda, the Rebel is more than just a learner's bike but a learner's bike that you'll want to keep and customize to the tilt for years to come. After a long day in the saddle of mostly stop-and-go riding, I came to the realization that the Rebel 300 and Rebel 500 perform exactly how you would expect them to. These are two bikes that are extremely easy to ride, simple to maneuver at slow speeds, far from intimidating, and are great for, well, just riding around for fun or for transpor- tation. They are comfortable, practical, and do many things well and nothing terrible. The 500 is powered by the same 471cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine that propels the Honda CBR500R but tuned for more bottom-end perfor- mance, and, of course, delivers significantly more power than the 300's 286cc liquid-cooled sin- gle-cylinder engine that is bor- rowed from Honda's CBR300R. Like the 500, the 300's engine is tuned for increased bottom- end performance. The experienced rider will pre- fer the more powerful Rebel 500 to the 300, for sure, but even the beginner won't have any real problem quickly mastering the extra ponies of the 500, and will probably be glad they went with the big-engine Rebel once they graduate to novice and even in- termediate status. Basically, the 500 feels like the 300 but with more power. Both bikes feel relatively small between your legs; a lot of that has to do with their super low 27.2-inch seat height, narrow seat and compact trellis frame, an unusual design for a bob- ber- or cruiser-style motorcycle, but it definitely works with the new Rebel. Ergos are more sport-like than cruiser. Seating position is surprisingly straight up and down with the footpegs directly underneath you, and the bars requiring a slight forward lean to reach. The Rebels have a sportier feel than your typical cruiser, without question, until you scrape the pegs when speeds pick up. Both bikes have decent lean angle. The gas tank is unobtrusive. It holds a sufficient three gallons; most of the time, you will run out of gas way before the Rebel does. Honda made the die-cast aluminum subframe and stylish steel rear fender strong enough to support a passenger if you chose the optional passenger seat, passenger footpegs and footpeg hangers, which all bolt right up. Besides the tamer power, THESE ARE TWO BIKES THAT ARE EXTREMELY EASY TO RIDE, SIMPLE TO MANEUVER AT SLOW SPEEDS, FAR FROM INTIMIDATING, AND ARE GREAT FOR, WELL, JUST RIDING AROUND FOR FUN OR FOR TRANSPORTATION.

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