A 500cc version of the GB350/S, which has sold out of its planned sales volume for 2021, is rumored to be on the way.
Although only large motorcycle license holders will be able to ride this model, there is no doubt that the rich feeling of the GB350 will become even richer. This is something to look forward to!
Original Source July 2021 issue of Motorcycle Monthly (June 1)
CG: Shinji Miyakubo
Big single 500㏄ version of GB has a more pleasant engine than 350
The GB350, whose selling point is a feeling of comfort, which Honda has never used as a development index, is built primarily around low speed, which is the opposite of the conventional index of high revolutions and high output.
Maximum torque is produced at only 3,000 rpm, and an unusually long-stroke engine was developed to achieve this characteristic.
It is rumored that a 500cc version will also be added to the lineup, which will surpass the GB350 in terms of comfort due to its larger displacement. It is also expected to adopt more classical equipment to embody its driving performance.
HONDA GB500 [HONDA] Estimated arrival date: Late 2023 (forecast in the November 2022 issue).
The image is a CG produced by the editorial department.
HONDA GB350. The GB350 and GB350S (released in April and July, respectively) are so popular that all 4,500 planned units have been reserved.
The tradition has been to have a medium-sized and a large one.
Yamaha's SR400, which was announced to be discontinued the introduction of the GB350, was once offered in two versions, a mid-size and a large, with the large version, the SR500, targeted mainly at the European and US markets.
Similarly, the GB400 Tourist Trophy (TT), the predecessor of the GB350, also had a large version, so it can be said that where there is a 400, there is a 500. The new GB will be a 350, but as will be touched on later, there seems to be plenty of room to expand its displacement.
In addition to the 500 cc engine, the bike would also be more attractive if it were equipped with spoked wheels and a twin-lens meter with a tachometer. As for the wheels, Honda has also applied for a patent that would allow tubeless wheels to be used in the normal assembly method, which would look more classic, rather than the cross-spoke method used by adventure models such as the Africa Twin. If this technology is adopted, it will be a feature unique to the new GB, with a classic look and the latest technology.
HONDA GB500. Editor's CG. The "TT" model, which corresponds to the "S" model in GB350, is also available.
The next new GB500 is expected to use spoked wheels. And yet it will be tubeless, the latest technology. This is Honda's patent diagram.
HONDA GB500TT. GB is a reproduction of a road race spec car that was active in the UK in the 1960s.
Released in 1985 together with the 400. The 500 had a single seat.
YAMAHA SR500. The SR500 debuted in 1978. The engine was originally from the XT500, and the SR400 was a short-stroke version of the XT500.
14mm bore up to 501cc. GB350 engine is unexpectedly large
An enlarged version of the engine can be expected from the appearance of the large engine, but the cross-sectional view of the engine also shows that there is room for the cylinder to be enlarged. The GB350's 70mm bore x 90.5mm stroke can be enlarged by just 14mm to 84mm bore and 501cc. Still, the GB has a long-stroke design, so much so that the piston diameter is smaller than the SR400's 87mm bore.
Illustration of the GB350 engine. If the diameter of the area circled in red is enlarged by 14 mm, it is calculated to be 501 cc.
The theory is to target the Indian market with the 350 followed by the 500.
Honda launched the GB350 because the motorcycle market is maturing in India, and sales of models in the hobbyist domain are expanding. The first of these models is the Royal Enfield, a typical Bullet 350 that has been on sale since the 1930s and has sold a massive 500,000 units per year.
Honda also developed the GB350, the CB350 as it is called in India, to enter the market here. The Bullet also has a 500, and the introduction of a GB500 to compete with it is also a necessity. The new GB series will be a key double feature of the Indian strategy.
ROYAL ENFIELD Bullet500. A very long-selling model that debuted in 1932.
The air-cooled single engine was converted to FI, and the Bullet 500 was sold in Japan. In India, only the 350 is available, with the larger model moving to a 650 cc two-cylinder.
