This fully faired middleweight sportbike nameplate appeared for the 2013 model year as part of a new global 500cc family built around an all-new parallel-twin engine. It was introduced as an approachable supersport-inspired machine aimed at riders who wanted everyday usability with styling and character taken from larger performance bikes. From the start, it sat alongside related naked and adventure-oriented siblings, giving the family a clear role as an accessible entry point into the brand’s sport and middleweight lineup.
The original version was launched with market-friendly versatility in mind, rather than pure track focus. Its mission was to deliver a compact, affordable, road-biased sportbike with strong visual links to the company’s flagship superbike styling. That positioning helped make it a popular stepping stone for newer riders and A2-license markets in Europe, while still appealing to experienced riders looking for a practical, lighter-displacement sport machine.
Over time, the nameplate evolved through regular updates rather than disappearing and returning. Honda refreshed the styling and equipment in later model years to keep it aligned with the company’s newer supersport design language, while preserving the same core identity as the faired member of the 500cc trio. The result is a long-running modern nameplate that helped define Honda’s current entry in the middleweight sportbike class and remains closely associated with the idea of a usable, real-world supersport for the street.