Honda CB500 price revealed in India: could the GB500S cost £5,500 in the UK?

Honda has revealed the Indian price of its new CB500, and the numbers give us our first real clue about what a potential GB500S could cost if Honda decides to bring the retro single to the UK.

You may also like to read our Honda GB350S review.

The CB500 starts at ₹275,000 in India, equivalent to around £2,160, for the version fitted with alloy wheels. The range then rises to ₹299,900 for the tubeless wire-spoke version, while the top-spec spoked and pinstriped model costs ₹301,900.

That gives the new 501cc single a surprisingly low starting price in its home market, though Indian and UK motorcycle pricing aren't directly comparable once tax, homologation, shipping, and market positioning are taken into account.

The CB500 is powered by Honda's new 501cc air- and oil-cooled single-cylinder engine, producing around 28bhp and 43.3Nm. It is essentially the bigger brother to the GB350S, using the same basic recipe of simple air-cooled engineering, classic roadster styling and an emphasis on torque rather than outright performance.

And now that the Indian bike has officially gone on sale, we also know what colours Honda is offering.

The alloy-wheel CB500 comes in Pearl Igneous Black and Pearl Deep Ground Gray, while the tubeless spoke-wheel version gets Rebel Red Metallic 2 and Mat Steel Silver Metallic. The range-topping spoke model is finished in Pearl Igneous Black with contrasting stripes.

Could the Honda GB500S cost £5,500?

Honda has already established the GB name in Europe with the GB350S, and the bigger CB500 has several clues pointing towards a possible future GB500S. Honda has previously registered the GB500S name in European markets, while the styling and engine concept make it a natural fit alongside the existing GB350S.

We can also use the GB350S launch price in India and the UK starting price to take a guess at the UK pricing.

When the GB350S launched in India, it cost ₹195,200, or roughly £1,530 at the time. Honda subsequently launched the European-spec GB350S in the UK at £3,949, meaning the UK price was approximately 2.58 times the Indian equivalent.

Apply that same ratio to the CB500's ₹275,000 Indian starting price and you arrive at approximately £5,570.

Obviously, this isn't a leaked price and there is no guarantee Honda would use the same pricing strategy again. But it suggests that a UK GB500S somewhere around £5,500 would be a reasonable ballpark if the Indian bike makes the jump to Europe.

That would also put it in an interesting part of the UK market. The existing GB350S currently costs £3,999, while the CB500 would offer substantially more capacity and torque without moving into the sort of pricing associated with Honda's larger 500cc twin-cylinder models.

For now, though, Honda isn't confirming anything. When we previously asked Honda UK about the possibility of a GB500S, the company said it had no comment on possible future additions to its European line-up.

So the UK bike remains speculation, as does the name. But with the CB500 now officially priced and about to go on sale in India, we have a much better idea of what a European version could look like, what colours Honda could offer and, perhaps most importantly, what it might cost.

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