Additionally, the NX500’s siblings, the CB500 Hornet and the CBR500R’s designs have also been registered.
Honda has patented the designs of not one, not two but four multi-cylinder motorcycles in India. The bikes in question are the CB500 Hornet, CBR500R, CBR650R and the CB1000 Hornet.
- CB500 Hornet, CBR500R share engine with NX500
- CBR650R now gets E-Clutch technology
- CB1000R Hornet uses engine from 2017 Fireblade
Honda patents 4 premium bikes in India
Let’s start with the CB500 Hornet and the CBR500R, because these bikes already have a sibling which is already on sale in our country – the NX500 tourer. Essentially, the CB500 Hornet is the naked roadster and the CBR500R is the fully-faired sportbike based on Honda’s 471cc parallel-twin engine platform.
The feature-set on both bikes is the same as the NX500, comprising a switchable traction control system and dual-channel ABS (not switchable), all controlled via a crisp TFT display, sourced from the bigger Honda Transalp 750.
The Honda CBR650R is a model that needs no introduction as it has been on sale in India in some form or the other since 2015. The 2024 CBR650R has been updated with a sharper design language, especially visible in the sharper tail section and redesigned headlight. The bike also gets a TFT dash with Bluetooth connectivity, now increasingly common on much of Honda’s international two-wheeler lineup.
The CBR650R is also one of the first models to utilise Honda’s E-clutch technology. Honda retails both the manual and DCT transmission variants of the Africa Twin in India, so it could be possible that the CBR650R could be launched in both standard and E-clutch variants too. Conspicuously, the CB650R has been given a miss this time around but Honda had registered a design patent for the CB750 Hornet in late 2022, but that bike hasn’t been launched in India yet.
This brings us to the largest bike that Honda has filed a design patent for – the CB1000R Hornet. Honda hasn’t listed the exact output figures for this bike yet and simply claims the bike makes ‘over 150hp and 100Nm of torque’. The biggest Hornet in the lineup utilises the 2017 Fireblade’s engine, which is nestled in a new steel twin-spar frame suspended by a USD fork and monoshock, both courtesy of Showa. A 5-inch TFT dash is on offer and allows you to control the riding aids which comprise three default riding modes and traction control here.
Honda has a history of registering patents to protect its intellectual property on our shores – the Hawk 11 cafe racer, CBR250RR, Forza 350, ADV350 and Vario 160 are prime examples – so it remains to be seen which of these bikes do end up being launched here.