Honda CB500 Four
Honda weighed in with its CB750 superbike in 1969 – followed in the early ’70s by this, a middleweight four-cylinder for the masses
By the time the ’70s got underway in a blaze of candy-hued paintwork and multi-cylinder technology, Honda had already staked a claim for superbike supremacy with their 1969 CB750. Four-cylinder motorcycling for the man on the street was a reality, but so too was the fact that not every man on the street necessarily wanted (or could afford) Honda’s hot-shoe 750. So, following Soichiro Honda’s assertion that: “With our technology we can create demand, we can create the market,” they created the four-cylinder middleweight sports bike market with the CB500K0. Introduced in April 1971 (but not generally available in the UK until the following year), it provided all that four-cylinder sophistication, swagger and swank in a considerably more manageable package.
Though the styling of the new 500 broadly followed that of its bigger brother, the CB500 was significantly different to the 750 under the skin. For a start, the lubrication system of the ohc 500 engine was wet sump. And Honda had seemingly learnt from experience with the larger four and fitted a Hy-vo primary chain – quieter and more efficient than the conventional chain used on the 750. The cam chain tensioner is different too, with a guide plate used in place of the roller employed on the 750 engine.
But if there were differences between Honda’s new middleweight contender and its 750cc forebear, there were plenty of similarities, too. A five-bearing crank – with the outer pistons opposed to the inner pair by 180° – was similar to the 750’s. So, too, were the shell-type main and big-end bearings. Four (smaller) carbs and four separate exhaust pipes followed the 750 template, too. But everything was just a little smaller and lighter than its counterpart on the 750. The result, not surprisingly, was a bike that felt considerably different to the ground-breaking 750.
Viewed alongside the competition in 1971, the CB500 certainly stacks up pretty well. At the time of its launch, it was the first – and only – four-cylinder 500cc road bike on the market. Pit the Honda against any contemporary middleweight and there could only be one winner in objective terms. BSA could offer you either a Victor-based B50SS Gold Star single or an overhead-valve A50 twin. Triumph’s top of the range offering in the 500 class was the T100R Daytona. They’re all fine bikes, but the engineering of all three was a generation behind that of the Honda. And try holding any of them at between 75 and 80mph round Snetterton Circuit for four hours, as Motorcycle Mechanics magazine did with a stock 1972 CB500, and you might just be tempting providence. The Honda managed the four hours needing nothing more than fuel and, at the end of the session, the tester (the late and highlyrespected John Robinson) felt that the bike could easily carry on for another four hours – or more. In fairness, by 1971 Honda had already proved the reliability credentials of their four cylinder engine design. And the tweaks incorporated in the 500’s engine would only have added to that. As for performance, well, it’s one thing being able to crack the ton – as a decent Triumph Daytona could – but quite another to sustain genuinely high speeds for hour after hour.
Most testers of the day reckoned the CB500 was good for just over 100mph with the rider seated normally, with another 10mph achievable by flattening yourself across the tank, revving to the max in fourth before changing into top and peering between the rev counter and speedometer with the chin bar of your helmet hard against the fuel filler. And, to further underline the performance potential of the bike, Honda dealer and racer Bill Smith won the four-lap 1973 500cc Production TT aboard a CB500 – beating Suzuki T500-mounted Stan Woods by a slender 8.2 secs.
So, the CB500 was reliable, fast and pretty flashy with the cachet of its four cylinder engine. But how did it fare out on the road? Well, for one thing, the CB500 was somewhere around 80lb (36kg) lighter than the CB750. Most testers reckoned the handling and braking to be markedly superior, too. And, of course, the impressive Honda build quality,
SOICHIRO HONDA
‘WITH OUR TECHNOLOGY WE CAN CREATE DEMAND, WE CAN CREATE THE MARKET’
level of equipment and overall standard of finish were all present and correct on the 500 as well.
By 1972, Honda had developed a smaller four – the Us-market CB350F – to further bolster the appeal of the middleweight sportster sector. And, in 1975, the iconic CB400F – this time targeted at the European market and a huge favourite with UK riders – joined the line-up. The CB500 remained available on the UK market until the end of 1975, but a new CB550 had replaced the 500 in the USA as early as 1974. In 1976, the UK got the 550 too – initially the F1 model which featured a four-into-one exhaust and sleeker, so-called ‘Euro’ styling. An F2 version followed in 1977, alongside a four-pipe CB550K model, before the sohc 550 was dropped at the end of 1978. By then, just about anyone could afford the four-cylinder Honda experience. But it was the CB500 that started the trend for genuinely affordable four-cylinder motorcycling in an easily accessible middleweight package.
Somehow, though, for all the CB500’S appeal in theory, it hasn’t attracted the same following as the 750, in the UK at least. And, for the majority of Uk-based fans of classic bikes, the 500 falls behind the CB400F in the popularity stakes, too. Have we all been missing a trick? One man who thinks we have is Wiltshire engineer, custom bike builder and CB500 owner Larry Houghton. Larry’s a fan of ’60s and ’70s Japanese classics and he thinks his bike is right up there with the best of its era.
“I think the CB500 is hugely underrated,” he confirms. “I definitely think it’s a better bike than the 750. It might not be quite as fast, but there’s not that much in it. And it’s so much easier to ride, it’s lighter and I think it handles better. And I think it looks great, too.
“I bought this one about five years ago and it was pretty much how it is today. It’s a 1971 American-market model [though registered on a 1972 age-related plate – probably
because the CB500 wasn’t widely available in the UK until that year] and is in pretty original condition – even down to the paintwork. All I had to do was fit some new tyres and replace the exhaust system with a replica system from David Silver Spares. I can’t tell the difference.
“Since then, it hasn’t missed a beat. I lent it to a mate for a couple of years and he went all over on it – including a trip to Germany. I think it’s one of Honda’s best fours. But don’t take my word for it – take it out for the morning and see what you think.”
Thanks Larry, I will. Which is why I’m hustling the Honda down a twisty rural back road just a few miles from Larry’s workshop – and enjoying myself immensely. I owned a CB500 for a while back in the ’80s, though it was nothing like Larry’s lovely example. My old war horse had a handpainted tank, home-made seat cover and a dreadful fourinto-one exhaust system. It never let me down, though. Larry’s is a very different motorcycle.
For a start, his bike looks simply sensational in the sporadic sunshine. You might not think that brown and black would be a particularly inspiring colour scheme for a motorcycle, but the almost golden hue of the Honda, tinged with a tint of candy sparkle, combines perfectly with the black accents on the side of the fuel tank. Of course, taste in such things is always subjective – but, to me at least, the CB500 looks classy, yet far from staid.
I also like the look of the higher-rise Us-market handlebars. I know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea and they do compromise comfort at high speeds, but for cruising round the Wiltshire back roads on a summer’s day they’re just the job. Whatever Larry had to pay for his new exhaust system (he thinks it was around £800), it was worth it, too. The CB500’S four-into-four set-up is an inspired design and the replicas fitted to Larry’s bike are as near perfect as you’ll get. This is one good-looking motorcycle.
It’s also a well-equipped one. Put the choke on and the briefest stab at the starter button has the CB spinning into life with that familiar Honda four rustle. Electric start (there’s a kickstart, too – for emergencies), reliable indicators, a disc front brake and four-carb fuelling are things we take for granted today. But in 1971, the CB500 – and the CB750 – were genuinely cutting-edge.
I snick the gearlever down to engage first and feather the clutch to ease the Honda out into the morning traffic. The clutch action is smooth and the gear selection, though a little notchy, is positive enough. As soon as possible, I turn off the main A36 and head cross-country into the wide open spaces of Salisbury Plain. As you’d expect, the CB500 lacks the midrange urge of the CB750; I have to keep the revs up to get the best out of the ohc unit, but it’s a willing engine and seems to thrive on it. There’s no appreciable surge in power, no feeling of the engine coming on cam abruptly, just a smooth and steady increase in velocity as the revs build.
At the sort of speeds I’m travelling, the handling is excellent. It may not be as light and flickable as, say, a Triumph twin, but it feels appreciably lighter and lower than a CB750 – because it is. That low centre of gravity undoubtedly contributes to the 500’s stability, both in a straight line at speed and when holding a line in a corner. It feels easy to ride and unthreatening – but at the same time, more than fast enough to get the blood pumping. And, while the single front disc might appear underwhelming by modern standards, it actually works pretty well, while the rear drum is a touch on the fierce side if anything.
Overall, the CB500 is a real case of the whole being more than the sum of the parts. It’s fast, but not crazy fast. It stops well, accelerates more than briskly and looks and sounds amazing. And it handles better than a lot of its contemporaries. It’s a real pleasure to ride. I’ve ridden plenty of CB750S over the years, but never a 500 since I moved my own on back in the ’80s. Today is a real eye-opener.
So, the CB500 remains a competent, enjoyable and engaging bike today. But imagine the impact it would have made back in 1971. With rival two-strokes like Kawasaki’s fiery triples and Yamaha’s RD range coming under increasing pressure from environmental legislation even then, arguably the CB500 is responsible for establishing the sports middleweight sector. That area of the bike world went from strength to strength in the ’80s, ’90s and 2000s, with market leading machines such as Honda’s CBR600 and Yamaha’s R6. The combination of performance almost on a level with the range-leading superbikes, superior handling and less weight proved a powerful draw. It still does. And maybe back in 1971, less – in the shape of the CB500 – really was more.
LARRY HOUGHTON
‘THE CB500 IS HUGELY UNDERRATED. I THINK IT’S A BETTER BIKE THAN THE 750’