Honda XBR500


The Honda XBR 500 is a 500cc Japanese sports motorcycle launched by Honda in 1985 in response to the Yamaha SR500. It is powered by a single-cylinder four-valve engine with the valves arranged radially . Displacing and producing 44 hp, the engine, which originated from the Honda XR series off-road models, features a dry sump, the oil being stored in a separate tank below the seat. The steel-braided hoses connecting the oil tank to the engine became a strong visual element.
The two exhaust valves enabled the motorcycle to be fitted with two separate exhaust systems. The motorcycle had both an electric start and a kick start. On earlier models, the kick start was linked by a cable to an exhaust valve decompressor to reduce cylinder compression during manual engine starting. The fuel-efficient engine combined with the large fuel tank capacity provided the bike with a long range between refueling.
XBR500s were fitted with Comstar wheels and tubeless tyres. A removable pillion seat cover was supplied to simulate a cafe-racer look. The last iteration, the XBR500SJ, was provided with conventional wire-spoked wheels and tubed tyres. Honda subsequently released a café racer version of the XBR500, the Honda GB500 TT, which featured some "classic British qualities", such as a solo seat, seat hump, wire wheels, two-into-one exhaust system and a fuel-tank with pinstriping.