Joining the Hamamatsu motorcycle maker’s naked sports lineup is the 2024 Honda CB500 Hornet. The CB500 enters the catalogues alongside the earlier released Honda CB1000 Hornet and the CB750 Hornet that was launched in 2022 as a 2023 model.
The CB500 Hornet joins Honda’s other 2024 middleweight offering, the NX500 “Crossover” that replaces the previous generation CB500X. Initially intended for the European market, the CB500 Hornet will eventually make its way around the world as an “international” model with a source saying it will come to Malaysia late in 2024 or mid-2025.
Similar to the NX500, the CB500 Hornet gets a parallel-twin with eight-valves, DOHC and liquid-cooling displacing 471 cc, fed by Honda’s PGM-Fi. Power is claimed to be 47 hp at 8,600 rpm with 43 Nm of torque at 6,500 rpm, going to the rear wheel via six-speed gearbox with assist and slipper clutch, and chain final drive.
An ECU update improves acceleration feel while Honda Selectable Torque Control (traction contol) is now standard. A new full-colour 5-inch TFT-LCD screen displays all the necessary information and features Honda RoadSync with Bluetooth connectivity to the rider’s smartphone, showing onscreen information such as music management and turn-by-turn navigation.
2024 Honda CB500 Hornet: Matt Gunpowder Black Metallic (left), Pearl Himalayas White
Honda’s streetfighter styling for the CB500 Hornet includes an all-new LED headlight and tail light, along with LED turn signals. Attention has been paid to aerodynamics for improved handling and agility with headlight side ducts channeling airflow smoothly around the upper fuel tank area.
Braking is done with twin Nissin radial-mount four-piston brake callipers – the NX500 gets axial-mount two-piston callipers – in front acting on 296 mm brake discs. In the rear, a single 240 mm diameter disc is stopped by a single-piston brake calliper while two-channel ABS is standard.
2024 Honda CB500 Hornet Grand Prix Red
Suspension uses Showa 41 mm diameter Separate Function Fork Big Piston (SFF-BP) upside-down forks, non-adjustable, in front. At the rear, a monoshock is fitted, adjustable to one of five preload levels.
With 17.1-litres of fuel in the tank, the CB500 Hornet tips the scales at 188 kg (the NX500 weighs 196 kg) while seat height is set at 785 mm versus the NX500’s 830 mm. In Malaysia, the 2019 model year Honda CB500F was priced at RM33,999.
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