Honda GB500

GB500
Manufacturer Honda
Production 1980s-1990s
Predecessor XBR500
Class standard motorcycle
Engine 498 cc air-cooled RFVC 4-valve SOHC single
Bore X Stroke: 92 x 75 mm
CR: 8.9:1
Transmission 5-speed
Suspension Front: 35 mm telescopic forks
Rear: Twin shocks with adjustable pre-load
Brakes front single disk, rear drum
Tires Front: 3.25 x 19 in
Rear: 3.75 x 18 in
Rake, trail Rake: 64°, trail: 105 mm
Weight 157 kg (346 lb) (dry)
Fuel capacity 20 L (4.4 imp gal; 5.3 US gal)

The Honda GB500 'Tourist Trophy' is a single cylinder, air-cooled, single passenger motorcycle introduced in the late 1980s and first marketed in Japan in 1985 in two 400 cc and one 500 cc versions.

Honda subsequently introduced a third 400 cc version for Japan and finally a 500 cc version for the US (1989,1990). The motorcycle was unofficially sold on the grey market in a number of countries.

Also called the TT, the motorcycle derives its café racer styling,[1] mechanical configuration and its name from the motorcycles that raced the noted Tourist Trophy,[2] a historic 37-mile road circuit on the Isle of Man.

Overview

Japanese and non-US export models had the tank and side panels painted in dark maroon with a Honda wing decal on the tank. It was available with either a single seat with no cowl or a dual seat, the latter version having a longer footrest carrier on the left to carry a pillion footrest. It featured clip-on handlebars and the instruments featured a black background with white lettering. Japanese records indicate that 1,726 were manufactured, probably all in 1985 although first road registrations continued through to at least 1987. US-model production was for model years 1989 and 1990 and featured black-green paint with gold pin-striping and lettering, as well as chrome wire wheels. Like the Japan-market model, it had steel-braided oil lines, steel side covers (i.e., not plastic), fork gaiters, non-adjustable fork with hydraulic damping and 18-inch wheels with tube-type tires. However, its round gauges have matte silver faces and its solo seat has a painted rear cowling.[3]

The GB500's engine was based on the Honda XL600 engine, a dry-sump four-stroke dirt bike. The four-valve single cylinder engine featured a radial four-valve combustion chamber, along with a tubular frame, wire wheels, clip-on handlebars, solo seat, seat hump, and pin-striped gas tank. The styling resembled TT single-cylinder racing bikes (such as the Manx Norton, the BSA Gold Star and the AJS 7R) that were prominent in the TT until the 1960s.

In the USA, GB500s were imported for model years 1989 and 1990. In 1992, a third-party exported 1,000 unsold Honda GB 500 Clubmans (German) from the USA to Germany as grey import vehicles.[4][5][6]

Both the 400 cc and 500 cc versions were imported and sold by Honda New Zealand. When originally released in NZ, the GB came in three models: dual seat; Mk2 with half-fairing, single seat with cowling; and no fairing, single seat.

References

  1. ↑ JJ Cerilli. "A Forgotten Classic: Honda GB 500". Vintage Motorcycles Online.
  2. ↑ Clement Salvadori (June 22, 2007). "Retrospective: Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy: 1989-1990". Rider Magazine.
  3. ↑ Peter Egan (March 17, 2014). "Time Machine: 1989 Honda GB500". Cycle World.
  4. ↑ Schmieder, Thomas (30 December 2008). "Liebhabermotorrad Honda GB 500 Clubman". Motorrad (in German). Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  5. ↑ Fey, Martin (March 2002). "Honda GB 500 Clubman". BMA das norddeutsche Motorrad-Magazin (in German). Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  6. ↑ Richard Backus (January–February 2011). "Honda GB 500: Under the Radar". Motorcycle Classics. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
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