Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India likely to launch its Rebel range of cruiser motorcycles, along with three other models, in the market some time next year
The Honda Rebel has been in news for a while now. The range of stylish cruiser motorcycles is said to be India-bound and could launch here as soon as next year. Moreover, the company seems to have planned to bring not one, not two but as many as four new models to our market, which will include the CMX500 Rebel cruiser, CB500F naked sports, CB500R faired sports and CB500X dual-sport.
Of course, out of the above, it’s the Rebel that is our point of focus today. The CMX500 Rebel could become a serious alternative to the 650 Twins from Royal Enfield. Internationally, though, the company even sells a ‘300’ variant of this motorcycle. In a new development, Japan-based Kijima Customs has come up with a range of ‘city-riding’ and ‘touring’ accessories for the 2020MY Honda Rebel.
With the addition of these accessories, the Rebel range ends up having a fair resemblance to the Harley-Davidson Sporster and Glide models. The list of accessories for the motorcycle include panniers, pannier-support, tandem grip (grab rail), crash guard, LED lighting, fog lamp kit, visors, and more.
Powering the Honda Rebel CMX500 is a 471cc liquid-cooled DOHC parallel-twin engine that churns out a maximum power of 46bhp @ 8,500rpm and a peak torque of 45Nm @ 6,000rpm. For the latest version, the motor comes mated to a 6-speed transmission coupled to a slipper-clutch assembly.
In comparison, the 650 Twins from Royal Enfield are powered by a 648cc air/oil-cooled SOHC parallel-twin engine that produces a maximum power of 47bhp @ 7,250rpm and a peak torque of 52Nm @ 5,250rpm. Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India intends to have 100 per cent localization for its ‘500’ range of motorcycles.
What this clearly means is that the new models would make it to the market with highly attractive price tags. The upcoming motorcycles will be sold through ‘Wing World’ outlets.
