The new Honda CB500 Super Four in all its glory
Honda has taken us a bit by surprise over the weekend, by quietly rolling out a CB900F-inspired CB500 Super Four at the CIMA show.
Following on from the Honda CB1000F production confirmation, Honda has revealed a new CB500 Super Four (CB500SF) at the China International Motorcycle Exhibition (CIMA).
Like the CB1000F, which was confirmed for production in the spring, the CB500SF takes its aesthetic inspiration from the much-loved CB900F of the ‘70s and ‘80s. But the beauty of this bike is more than just skin deep.
Indeed, while Honda could have slotted its existing parallel twin-cylinder 500 unit into the new bike, it instead played at the heartstrings of rose-tinted riders the world over, thanks to a new inline four-cylinder engine. Not only does that seem vastly more exotic than a twin-pot motor, it also puts the new model in a slightly more premium-feeling segment, compared to a vast number of bikes in the 500cc class.
There don’t seem to be any confirmed specs from Honda for the new bike, although initial reports suggest a 502cc engine, which pushes out around 80bhp peak. That does open the door to a potential A2 licence-compliant version of the bike further down the line. Dennis Chung from Motorcycle.com also states that the new bike will arrive with five riding modes, while the frame is a diamond-type steel frame, with the engine mounted as a stressed member.
Other features we can glean from the images of the bike are that USD forks are a feature, along with a cast aluminium swingarm at the rear of the bike. The braking system comes, rather predictably, from Nissin, with radially-mounted four-piston calipers at the front, and a two-piston sliding caliper at the rear of the bike.
Retro style with E-Clutch options
Like a number of Honda’s most recent models, the new CB500SF will be arriving with E-Clutch as an option. Many riders call Honda’s E-Clutch an “automatic gearbox,” but that’s not quite accurate. The transmission itself is identical to a standard manual, the difference lies in how the clutch is operated.
Instead of your left hand working the lever, the E-Clutch uses electronics to do the job. Think of it as a robotic hand hovering over the clutch: as soon as you touch the gear lever, the system engages, pulling the clutch in, shifting, and releasing again. That’s the simplified version, but it’s essentially how it works.
What makes E-Clutch unique compared to other systems is that it doesn’t remove rider control. Both the clutch lever and gear lever remain in place. So if you want to ride as normal, perhaps on track, off-road, or simply because you prefer the feel, you can. Riders can either turn the system off completely or override it on the fly with manual inputs.
In short, E-Clutch is a hybrid between convenience and control: it removes the need for constant clutch work in traffic or on longer rides, while still leaving the option for traditional manual shifting when you want it.
With the bike’s first reveal coming at the CIMA show in China, all signs point to the bike landing in that region first or at least at the same time as it arrives in Japan. We have no word at this time as to whether the bike will make it to the UK and Europe, but we are seriously hopeful that it will.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
