Key highlights
- Honda Rebel 500 unveiled in India
- To be launched as a CKD by this year’s end
- Powered by a 471cc parallel-twin liquid-cooled engine
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India recently conducted a massive event to showcase its upcoming two-wheelers bound for the Indian market. Out of all the two-wheelers displayed, one of the most interesting was the Rebel 500 cruiser-bobber motorcycle, which is expected to be launched by the end of this year in India.
Honda Rebel 500: Everything you should know
The upcoming Rebel 500 was displayed alongside the smaller Rebel 300. Although both bikes could look the same, the Rebel 500 has a bigger footprint for obvious reasons. The Rebel 500 features a crossover look between a low-slung cruiser and a bobber design.
The bike gets a low seat height with a scooped design, a teardrop-shaped fuel tank, a bobber-like rear fender, an oval LED headlight, a front-set handlebar, and mid-controls, which cumulatively provide a cruiser motorcycle riding experience to the rider. The bike also features a two-in-one exhaust design, black engine components, and black alloy wheels with a 130/90-16 front tyre and a 150/80-16 rear tyre.
In terms of features, Honda has packed the global-spec Rebel 500 with a traction control system (switchable), LED lights, a digital instrument console, Bluetooth connectivity with navigation, SMS, call, and music controls, a dual-channel ABS, and more.
Powering the Rebel 500 is a 471cc parallel-twin liquid-cooled engine that makes 46 bhp and 43.3 Nm of peak power and torque. It is paired with a 6-speed gearbox and a slipper clutch. Honda has tuned this engine to provide a sweet mid-range power delivery and a linear torque curve, which offer a typical parallel-twin cruiser riding experience.
With that said, Honda will launch the Rebel 500 in India later this year as a CKD or Completely Knocked Down unit. This means it will be priced competitively to the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650, which will be its primary rival once the bike is launched. We assume that Honda could price the Rebel 500 around Rs 6.5 lakh in India, which will be higher than the Super Meteor 650.
Also read: Piaggio is finally taking aim at India’s mass-market scooter segment
