Honda has patented the designs of four multi-cylinder motorcycles in India. These are CB500 Hornet, CBR500R, CBR650R and CB1000 Hornet.
- CB500 Hornet, CBR500R share engine with NX500
- CBR650R now gets E-Clutch technology
- CB1000 Hornet uses engine from 2017 Fireblade
Honda patents 4 premium bikes in India
Let’s start with the CB500 Hornet and the CBR500R because these bikes already have a sibling, which is already on sale in our country—the NX500 tourer. Essentially, the CB500 Hornet is a naked roadster, and the CBR500R is a fully-faired sports bike based on Honda’s 471cc parallel-twin engine platform.
Both bikes have the same features as the NX500, including a switchable traction-control system and dual-channel ABS (not switchable), all controlled via a crisp TFT display, sourced from the bigger Honda XL750 Transalp.
The Honda CBR650R needs no introduction as it has been on sale in India in some form or another since 2015. The 2024 CBR650R has been updated with a sharper design language, especially visible in the tail section and the redesigned headlight. The bike also gets a TFT dash with Bluetooth connectivity, now increasingly common across much of Honda’s international two-wheeler line-up.
The CBR650R is also one of the first models to utilise Honda’s E-clutch technology. Honda retails both the manual and DCT transmission variants of the Africa Twin in India, so the CBR650R could likely be launched in both standard and E-clutch variants, too. Conspicuously, the CB650R has been given a miss this time around. Honda had registered a design patent for the CB750 Hornet in late 2022, but that bike hasn’t been launched in India yet.
This brings us to the largest bike that Honda has filed a design patent for—the CB1000 Hornet. Honda hasn’t listed the exact output figures for this motorcycle and simply claims it makes “over 150hp and 100Nm of torque”. The biggest Hornet in the line-up utilises the 2017 Fireblade’s engine, which is nestled in a new steel twin-spar frame suspended by a USD fork and mono-shock suspension, both courtesy of Showa. A 5-inch TFT dash allows you to control the riding aids, which comprise three default riding modes and traction control.
Honda has a history of registering patents to protect its intellectual property on our shores; Hawk 11 cafe racer, CBR250RR, Forza 350, ADV350 and Vario 160 are prime examples. It remains to be seen which of these bikes end up getting launched here.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
