1 Mile: 1990 Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy

1990 Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy
Miles: 1
Clean Title
Bid at post: $5,000
Auction ends: Aug 3
No Reserve

Straight from BaT
This 1990 Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy is said to have remained on static display from new through the seller’s 2014 acquisition, and its five-digit mechanical odometer shows just over one mile. It is finished in metallic Black Green with gold pinstripes, and it is equipped with a 498cc SOHC single and a five-speed transmission. Additional features include a Keihin flat-slide carburetor, a two-into-one exhaust system, a front disc brake, a telescopic fork with black rubber gaiters, and laced wheels with 18″ D.I.D rims as well as a black vinyl-upholstered solo seat, aluminum clip-on handlebars, and a side stand. This GB500 TT is offered at no reserve with a clean Ohio title in the seller’s name.

RSBFS
Back in 2017 Tad found an ’89 TT, “Styled to evoke British classics from the 50s and 60s like Norton’s famous Manx racers, the GB500 is one of those everything you need and nothing you don’t kind of machines, assuming you’re not trying to cut some serious lap times at the track or stalk superbikes in the canyons. Powered by a sleeved-down version of Honda’s XL600, it’s simple, fun, and easy to maintain. The four-valve single gave 33hp at the rear wheel, enough to push the 390lb wet machine to a top speed north of The Ton: 108mph in period tests. It’s not very fast in a straight line, but handling was very good and it’s obviously a handsome machine: anyone who doesn’t know what it is will probably assume it’s much, much older than it is, and you’ll get plenty of questions.

So with good looks, reliability, and usable performance, why didn’t it sell very well? Well it actually did sell pretty well in its home market. But in the late 1980s, vintage nostalgia hadn’t really taken off in the US, where the bike was sold for just two years: 1989 and 1990. Part of the problem might have been that you could still buy the real thing for reasonable prices, so the main reason to get one was that you wanted the style of a 50s or 60s British bike without the hassle. The price didn’t help either: it was a well-built machine, but the $4200 Honda wanted was just $500 less than a Kawasaki ZX-7, so it’s pretty obvious why the bike wasn’t popular among “more is more” American motorcyclists.”

The bike Tad wrote about was asking $6,500 in 2017 with 5,226 miles. This bike is up for auction with no reserve…

Good luck to the buyer and seller!