More a “sporty” bike or a “sportbike-inspired” bike than an outright sportbike, today’s Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy offers looks inspired by classic British machines of the 50s and 60s like the Norton Manx and Velocette Thruxton, along with a characterful, reliable, and durable Honda single-cylinder engine and modern running gear. They represent the best of two worlds: a bike with vintage styling and modern[ish] performance, a classic for people who don’t want to spend all Saturday prepping their bike for a Sunday ride. It’s a sportbike for people who love the classics but have nothing to prove.
Sold in the US between 1989 and 1990, the GB500 TT was powered by a variation of the Honda XL600 displacing 498cc, although a smaller version was available in Japan, and the bike was relatively lightweight, at under 400lbs wet. The engine produced 33hp, featured oversquare dimensions, four radial valves, and an overhead camshaft, all backed by a five-speed gearbox. Throttle to the stop, it was capable of 108mph. US versions were painted what appears to be black at first glance, but is actually a very dark green.
These were high-quality bikes when new, with neat, clean detailing, and a general attention to detail. That care and attention might have been its downfall, at least here in America. The GB500 TT was a premium product and priced accordingly, harking back to an era that wasn’t on many motorcyclists’ minds in 1989, with excellent, intuitive handling. But the modest power and outright performance made it a hard sell at $4,200, compared to more modern machines available at the time.
From the original eBay listing: 1990 Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy for Sale
This is a complete 1990 Honda GB 500 (pics 1 thru 13). It comes with the original documentation (pic 14), and some period aftermarket parts (pic 14 and 15). The Honda is currently set-up as shown in the final picture with the aftermarket exhaust. It has been rejetted. It was last registered and driven in 2012.
Condition Details:
The bike has been stored indoors and has no UV damage. The color of these bikes is actually black\green as can be seen in the pics. It has a new battery and all of the lights and electrics were tested and work as they should. The inside of the fuel tank is perfect and contains a gas\oil mix for storage. The engine was started on 12-1-2023 and it runs perfectly. The only thing this bike may need are tires as these are 20 years old.
The seller is asking $8,000 for this very clean, low-mile example. These were trading in the $5,000 range just a few years ago. Have GB500 prices gone up dramatically? Is the seller crazy? I’ll be curious to see what other examples go for in the future, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they’ve increased in value. I have a feeling that, if I owned one of these, I would ride it a lot.
-tad
I think for many years this model was thought of as a ‘what the heck is that’ kind of bike. Now with the current obsession with retro styling amongst the OEM’s, this bike seems decades ahead of its time.
Always loved these. Probably because they liked like something that I saw at the track as a kid. Used to beg my dad to take me to the road races. (As a young adult, this made sense in retrospect, as I ended up a pretty committed club racer.) Back then, the “cafe” classes were full of Nortons and Triumphs. I remember the distinct sound they made thundering down the front straight. Nothing like the Japanese 4s that dominated the fast classes, and oozing with a kind of cool that I could see my dad really enjoyed. This bike was a pretty decent clone, right off the showroom floor. Not too bad. Even as a kid, that seemed pretty cool.
I remember when the GB’s were new and Honda was taking chances – along withe those there was the NT650, CB-1, NX series of dual-sports. None sold well and now all are cult bikes; wish I held onto my Hawk – the only vehicle I ever bought new!