CB500

Honda’s CB500 nameplate first appeared in 1971 as the Dream CB500 FOUR, a middleweight road sport motorcycle introduced alongside the larger CB750 FOUR. It was positioned as a more manageable, lighter four-cylinder machine for riders who wanted the character of Honda’s new big-bore inline-four lineup without the size and power of the flagship 750. In Honda’s own CB history, the CB500 FOUR is presented as the first model in that expanded four-cylinder family, and it was later evolved into the CB550 FOUR in 1974, ending that initial production run. The nameplate returned decades later as part of Honda’s modern global mid-class platform. In 2013, Honda launched the CB500F together with related 500-class models built around a newly developed twin-cylinder engine, marking a new era for the CB500 badge rather than a continuation of the original four-cylinder motorcycle. That modern CB500 family has remained important in Honda’s lineup and has been updated over time, including the move to the CB500 Hornet naming in some markets. Because the CB500 badge has been used in clearly separated production periods with different motorcycles and eras, it should be treated as a revived nameplate rather than one continuous model run.