Unappreciated when new, the Honda GB500 is one of those motorcycles that everyone at the time let slip away. They showed up in Honda showrooms as the Japanese interpretation of what the classic British cafe racer should have been and they built a beauty. Unfortunately, it showed up as the big displacement horsepower wars were getting under way and buyers had something crazy fast on their minds. Race replicas were flying out of dealerships and customers walked right by this little gem. Years later, people began to notice the few that were around and when they looked for a new one found Honda had pulled the plug. Too bad.
These show up for sale now and then, in a wide range of conditions, some have had a hard life, but this one looks nice. The seller admits it’s not a show bike, but it still seems to be in fine shape. The mileage is extremely low, only 1350, plus it’s running a SuperTrapp exhaust, a common swap when they were new and the original is included with the bike. The very dark green color is a fooler, unless the light hits it just right, you can mistake it for black, but it’s not.
It has a new battery, new Bridgestone tires and a new NOS gas tank. According to the seller, everything functions properly and it rides and runs as it should, though inspections before purchase are always wise if possible.
This 1989 Honda GB500 was for sale on eBay, but the listing has ended.
Felipe Zapata says
Boy, that is pretty, and it sure does look black. Dark green or black, still pretty.
todd says
I love mine but always have problems. In the 50,000 miles I’ve put on it, I’ve replaced the cam, rockers and valves twice, installed a new connecting rod and new piston and rings. This isn’t anything like my Yamahas or BMWs that will go on for tens (or hundreds) of thousands of miles with no problems. I think the oil capacity is too small and what little oil there is probably gets too hot. The engine is best suited to dirt bikes from which they were derived – then again, the RFVC dirt bikes don’t fare so well either.
Paul Crowe says
At the low miles this one has, it probably hasn’t run into those issues yet and it might not ever. I think your mileage may be on the high side of what these usually see, but since yours is still running, they’re fixable, which is good to know, too.
Phil says
There was a Japanese-market version of this bike too, with a sleeved and de-stroked 400cc motor in silver. They were sold new in New Zealand but I’m not sure about anywhere else. In addition to the ‘naked’ variety there was a MkII of the 400 with a lovely 1/2 fairing – a few of these were fitted to the 500 but it’s a far-from-easy swap.
Paul Crowe says
I’ve never seen that half fairing on these, but based on what the bike looks like naked, it probably made for a pretty sweet looking cafe.
dave says
dont forget the brilliant Honda XBR 500 just as good as the GB 500 in performance but not as good looking…….. a easy way of telling them apart the XBR has mag wheels.. for those wanting a bigger engine consider the Honda NX 650 found in the Honda Dominator……
regards Dave u.k.