[NH08]

Is this a tractor?

The sound is very strange. I doubt it is Rebel 500.

[dinu2506]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Honda teases Exhaust Note of New Motorcycle, likely to launch 500cc Cruiser On 30th

https://Youtu.be/FCt13qfYIM8

https://twitter.com/gaadiwaadi/statu...025769985?s=19

Clearly targeted at the RE thump fans. Sounds bassy and nice. Pricing will be key for success

[Sebring]

Came across a Tweet that the Rebel 300 is launching on 30th Sep, 2020

[aargee]

If the CBR 300's 286 motor is changing cloths to Rebel 300, then, something to consider for potential buyers. Listen from 6:08 to 6:25

Same video, folks who're interested in the review of Rebel 300, starts from here (from 2:13) -

https://youtu.be/Z8bVMyPA3Xk?t=133

Edit - The short URL or the jump to 6:08 is not working, so please pardon

[Xaos636]

I dont know where the idea of Rebel 300, or even Rebel 500 came from. If you check the reviews of both these bikes, both of them doesn’t sound like the sound from the teaser video, which sounds a lot like a Royal Enfield. All knows how a CBR250R/CB300R sounds like and there is no way Honda can make it sound like the one in the teaser.
This should be the in-house model made by Honda for India which was previously explained by @neil.jericho in one of our threads.

[aravind.anand]

From the audio clip it definitely sounds like a long stroke motor. No way the regular short stroke motors from the CBR250R or the CB300R can be made to sound like that - with the relaxed cruiser style thump.

Also, as per the latest article on Autocar, this is an all new model with styling that has not been seen anywhere else. Good thing that, as the Rebel is not exactly 'good looking'. A nice tear-drop shaped fuel tank and refreshing styling could really up the competition in that segment. The distinct 'thump' sounds very interesting, can;t wait to see what they have got for us at the end of this month now

[Shumi_21]

I hope Honda's so called Royal Enfield Competitor takes on the 650 twins instead of the anaemic 350's.

Awesome as the RE 650's are, their ergonomics are not the best, with the interceptors footpegs' weird placement and knees getting too close to the engine case on the continental GT. Most reviews here on T-Bhp also mention the 650 twins are not the most pillion friendly.

So a Rebel 500 with similar power figures, sorted cruiser ergonomics and comparatively more pillion friendliness makes a lot of sense. The question is whether Honda can price such a motorcycle close enough to the RE 650's.

The optimist in me says if a Rebel 500 succeeds, it may lead Honda to get their more awesome (IMHO) CBR500R & CB500X to our shores sooner.

Fingers crossed till September 30!

[bf1983]

Originally Posted by Shumi_21

I hope Honda's so called Royal Enfield Competitor takes on the 650 twins instead of the anaemic 350's.

Awesome as the RE 650's are, their ergonomics are not the best, with the interceptors footpegs' weird placement and knees getting too close to the engine case on the continental GT. Most reviews here on T-Bhp also mention the 650 twins are not the most pillion friendly.

So a Rebel 500 with similar power figures, sorted cruiser ergonomics and comparatively more pillion friendliness makes a lot of sense. The question is whether Honda can price such a motorcycle close enough to the RE 650's.

The optimist in me says if a Rebel 500 succeeds, it may lead Honda to get their more awesome (IMHO) CBR500R & CB500X to our shores sooner.

Fingers crossed till September 30!

The Rebel 500 if it ever launches will most definitely be a good match for the interceptor. But Honda is known for it's premium pricing so it will be far more heavily priced compared to the Interceptor. Abroad the bikes are more comparable but in India RE can reduce quality and price the bike lower while Honda makes sure their bikes are the same quality all over the world.
That's precisely the reason why they can get away with premium pricing of their bikes and cars.

[motor spirit]

There is something odd about the design of the rebel . Not sure it is for everybody's liking . low seated & then a tear drop design tank half cut & placed almost at 45 degree with exposed frame members .
above all I doubt Honda can match RE pricing of the 650 twins incase they are trying to bring in their 500.

[Sebring]

Even the seating stance, should have had the foot pegs up front - Like a proper cruiser. I'd call this a crossover bike (straddling between commuter bike and a Cruiser)

Originally Posted by motor spirit

There is something odd about the design of the rebel

[motor spirit]

It is off topic but, I wish Kawasaki also follows Honda & brings their smaller derivative of the W series along with the 800 , The Estrella to India . This will be a nice addition to the 250+ CC segment .
Above all this can almost complete their model portfolio for India & bring some much needed sales volumes

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by Shumi_21

I hope Honda's so called Royal Enfield Competitor takes on the 650 twins instead of the anaemic 350's.

Awesome as the RE 650's are, their ergonomics are not the best, with the interceptors footpegs' weird placement and knees getting too close to the engine case on the continental GT. Most reviews here on T-Bhp also mention the 650 twins are not the most pillion friendly.

So a Rebel 500 with similar power figures, sorted cruiser ergonomics and comparatively more pillion friendliness makes a lot of sense. The question is whether Honda can price such a motorcycle close enough to the RE 650's.

Fingers crossed till September 30!

But what makes you think that the pillion seat on the Rebel wold be comfortable? Look for reviews on the Honda Rebel, the ergonomics on that bike is quite flawed as well. Also considering that bike doesn't look all that great too, doesn't make a good proposition.

Seeing that the CB300R is priced close to the Interceptor, I am not sure if Honda would price this sensibly. But if they really have a single cyclinder long stroke motor made in India, for India, then we should see some reasonable pricing.

[Nithesh_M]

Sounds like a made for India motorcycle and unlike any Rebel series. The words "World Famous Legacy" makes me think they're bringing the NX650 Dominator.

There were rumours they were working on bringing the nameplate back for a midsize adv. Patent images appeared aswell.

https://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles...-ar179145.html

[darkLightning]

Going a little bit off topic here but a constant thought in my mind has been that the planning we are seeing from Honda today is just not what it used to be. So I did some digging around and found this
https://auto.economictimes.indiatime...2C%20ET%20Auto

Again it could be entirely my speculation but the Honda that we all came to love brought gems like Unicorn, Twister and CBR250R for common Indian consumers, there was something about Honda think tank which showed that all along their time with Hero they have really caught the pulse of Indian market however the last such product which really clicked for Honda was CB Hornet.

Since then there is something off about Honda's direction and strategy and coincidentally that time frame parallels with a big change in management.

First up they refused to update CBR250R which even to this day remains one of a kind bike in our market at the same time keeping it's sticker price so high. Who took this call that's up for guess but it was definitely not a good decision.

Second they ignore the segment between 160-650 cc, yes they had CBR250R but it had above mentioned issues and CB300R was there but it also suffered from unusually high pricing as well as less than usable pillion seat. Like come on Honda you are known for reliability, singletons who don't want pillion comfort in this engine capacity segment will always end up with Dukes they are not going to buy a Honda no matter what you try, that boat sailed long ago when you tamed the youthful Twister and Stunner to bring out the ever reliable Shine.

Third continuing on the above point Shine needed a slightly mad sibling, SP125 was definitely not that sibling, Twister/Stunner and Shine could have co-existed really well.

Fourth, who really at Honda decided that they absolutely need to outgun Hero of all companies that too in their yard. This is a lesson other companies learned long ago but somehow Honda still doesn't learn it, you cannot outgun Hero in the 100-125 cc commuter segment. Just have one product there (something like a CD110) no need for all those Dreams/Yugas/Livos. That's a wasted effort and a big one at that.

Fifth whosoever genius decided to skip rear disc brake in Unicorn BS6 even as an option and hike X-Blade BS6 prices with outright absurdness ? A Unicorn with rear disc brake can still be king of ~1L- 150cc segment as what it offers as a complete and understated package does not exist in the market, and for those who want a different look with similar experience a correctly priced X-Blade would be a worthy consideration. They hit their own foot with these two decisions.

I thought with Hornet 2.0 they are somewhat trying to move back in correct direction.

However now this ? I don't hate Rebel it's a good motorbike but it does not make sense now in Indian market.

Case 1 - Honda launches a ~300 cc Rebel which could be more refined, lighter as well as more fuss free than the RE arsenal of Classics/ Bullets/ Meteors/ Himalayans however you cannot really fault the ergonomics of these RE bikes and that is one major area where Rebel design just doesn't click. At best Rebel can eat out whatever is left of Jawa and to be frank Perak vs Rebel looks more apt comparison than Rebel vs any RE of this segment.

Case 2 - Honda launches a Rebel which competes with 650 cc twins from RE. Well here again can Honda really price it competitive enough ? if pricing of CB300R is any indication to go by then Honda will end up marginally away from Vulcan S which is where used Bonevilles/ Street Twins start coming into picture for a prospective buyer as well. Again Honda will no doubt be a superior product mechanically but for all it's advantages over every bike in this segment there is a RE 650cc cruiser (Thunderbird design) in works which is going to probably eat even Interceptor and Continental sales. Rebel design stands no chance against the practicality of RE cruiser design.

Case 3 - Honda launches a completely different cruiser made specifically for India emulating the exact philosophy which has worked for RE so well but then what really is the advantage of buying this Honda over any established RE bike ? RE comes with very simple mechanicals which is for sure something Honda will not be able to replicate.

Summary - Honda should not have ventured into this segment. They had the ~250cc segments theirs for taking, heck they even had a better chance in ADV segment. But sadly challenging RE on it's own turf is something Honda will most likely fail in.

[NoSugarNoSpice]

The sound seems similar to the CB400SS.

https://youtu.be/jf-ShmajUHc?t=755

Its an old style bike, double cradle frame. Low compression big SOHC single but with bigger bore than stroke. A 5 speed gearbox and spoke wheels. It went out of production a while ago, so localization would have to be very comprehensive and BS6-ed.

Definitely more bullet competitor than the Rebel. Still not sure about the 'Highness' part. That could be perhaps a new name ?