Honda planning GB500 retro bike
By Ben Purvis
Honda's GB350 single hits the European market in 2025 after several years on sale in India and other markets under the CB350 name - but a new larger-capacity variant is being planned specifically for Europe and the USA, wearing the GB500 name.
We know this because Honda has filed multiple trademark applications around the world to protect the 'GB500' name for a new motorcycle model, including in the USA, and given the recent success of retro models from companies like Royal Enfield it looks like that's the market it's aiming at.
Honda has made a GB500 before in the form of the GB500TT that was sold from 1985 to the early 90s, using an air-cooled single-cylinder engine. The new GB500 is likely to adopt a similar format, as the engine in the GB350 is believed to be physically large enough to be bored out to at least 500 cc.
The GB350 goes against motorcycling trends by being an 'under-square' design, using a long 90.5 mm stroke and a narrow, 70 mm bore. Honda would only need to bore the engine out to 84 mm, keeping the same stroke, to achieve a capacity of 501 cc. That would allow the company to launch a more powerful GB500 without incurring much cost in terms of R&D or retooling, with most of the GB350's chassis components being carried directly across to the larger bike.
