Honda CB500 price and launch timeline details revealed

The CB500 was one of the hot-ticket reveals from Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) recently and it enters a segment of the market where it will sit virtually in a class of its own. The CB500 is based on the same platform as the CB350 line of bikes but with nuanced differences. 

1. Powered by a 501cc, long-stroke thumper
2. Launch likely to happen around October-November
3. Likely to slot in between Harley-Davidson X440 and RE Interceptor 650

Powered by a 501cc, air/oil-cooled, single-cylinder engine making 28hp and 43.3Nm of torque, the CB500 sits virtually in a league of its own, occupying the space vacated by the erstwhile Royal Enfield 500cc models. While the CB350 models have competitive pricing, sitting around the Rs 2 lakh ballpark (ex-showroom, Delhi), the CB500 will be considerably more expensive. 

This is partly due to the larger engine and additional features but a large contributing factor is the higher GST rate. The new regime taxes two-wheelers above 350cc at 40 percent, which is more than double the 18 percent tax levied on machines below that mark. 

As a result, it is likely that the CB500 will slot into the market between Rs 2.80 lakh - Rs 3.00 lakh (ex-showroom) upon its launch, which is likely to take place in October-November 2026. While this is sure to relegate it to a niche audience, the CB500 - on paper, at least - promises a unique riding experience in today’s marketplace. 

Upon launch, there will be three variants on offer. The base CB500 will come with simple colours and alloy wheels, the mid-spec variant will have metallic finish solid paint and cross-spoke rims permitting tubeless tyres and the top model will have exclusive colours and graphics as well as those aforementioned laced rims. 

The nearest challengers to the CB500 are the Hero-built Harley-Davidson X440 models (Rs 2.35 lakh - Rs 2.85 lakh), although the X440s use a smaller engine with lesser torque. At its price point, the CB500 will slot in below the Royal Enfield 650s, which start at Rs 3.39 lakh (ex-showroom, Chennai) with the Interceptor 650.