Honda XBR500

Honda XBR 500 (1985) with Comstar wheels

Honda XBR 500 (1988) with wire-spoked wheels

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 (the Radial Four Valve Combustion Chamber, or RFVC). Displacing 498 cc (30.4 cu in) 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 (clearly visible at the right-hand side of the motorcycle) 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 (20 litres/5,28 galls) provided the bike with a long range (typically well in excess of 200 miles) between refueling.

XBR500s (F,G and H sub-types) 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.