Honda CB500 twins were a family of medium-sized

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

s produced by

Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...

from 1993 until 2003. Because of their low cost, reliability, and good handling they were popular with commuters, and

Motorcycle courier A motorcycle courier, also known as a despatch rider or motorcycle messenger, is a courier using a motorcycle. Motorcycle couriers are common in the major urban centres of Europe, South America (especially Brazil), Asia and North America. ...

s. They were also raced in the United Kingdom in the

Honda CB500 Cup The Thundersport 500 is a three-make motorcycle racing series organised by the UK Club Thundersport Ltd. Until 2009, the series was called the Honda CB500 Cup, before the rules were changed to allow the use of Kawasaki ER-5 and Suzuki GS500 moto ...

(changed its name in 2009 to the Thundersport 500 when Suzuki GS500 and Kawasaki ER-5 were included). The half-faired Honda CB500S was introduced in 1998. Production of the first CB500

twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two ...

range ceased in 2003 as the engines could not meet Euro 2 emission regulations. According to Honda engineers, the 499 cc parallel twin

DOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combus ...

engine was designed to last for . One motorcycle was tested by '' Moto Revue'' from 1993 through 1996. Dismantled at , the engine was in perfect condition. At only the cam chain and the pistons were replaced, although, in the tester's opinion, it could have run with the original parts for longer with no problems.

Model history

1994: CB500R naked version launched. Rear drum brake. Nissin front disk brake. Made in Japan. 1995: No change 1996: CB500T. No significant changes. Some CB500Ts made in Italy. 1996, November: CB500V. Brakes changed to

Brembo Brembo N.V. is an Italian manufacturer of automotive parts that most notably produces braking systems, for high-performance cars and for the sim racing series Gran Turismo. Its operational head office is in Curno, Bergamo, Italy, while Amst ...

. Rear drum brake changed to disk. Silver wheels. CB500 Cup race series introduced. Special silver model with cup logo introduced. Production moved to Italy. 1998: CB500W naked version. CB500SW 'sport' half-faired version with new headlight introduced. New instruments and handlebar layout. 1998, December: CB500X, CB500SX. No technical changes. 2000 through 2003: CB500Y, CB500SY. No technical changes.

Specification (CB500Y 2003)

References

{{Honda CB500 twin Standard motorcycles Sport bikes Motorcycles introduced in 1993 Motorcycles powered by straight-twin engines