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Honda GB 500 Clubman in the studio

Single-cylinder sportsman in the English style

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Based on the XBR 500 S, Honda created a pretty single-cylinder sports car in the English style for the US market in the late 1980s. But there the GB 500 Clubman flopped. And so still found the way to us via detours. Much to the delight of many traditionalists.

AT.merika, you’re better off – this is the headline of US correspondent Roland Brown in MOTORRAD 16/1989, his first driving report on the Honda GB 500 Clubman. While the European importers showed no interest in this beautiful single-cylinder machine, Honda of America had ordered a large contingent of 5000 copies of the petite retro single in 1988.

Honda GB 500 Clubman in the studio

English style single cylinder athlete

The Clubman cleverly conceals the relationship to the XBR

Bilski

This model of the Honda GB 500 Clubman has just 83 miles on the clock.

Many a specimen did not even make it into the showroom. Instead, it landed directly in the garage of a Honda dealer. Just like our photo model, who only has 83 miles on the clock. It belongs to Manfred Domaier, who also couldn’t resist the charm of the nostalgic single. Today the Swabian trades in used bikes (www.motorcity.de), but his Honda GB 500 Clubman is not for sale. Together with some rigid-frame monkeys, it is one of the very special eye-catchers in Domaier’s showroom.

With great attention to detail, the Honda stylists transformed the rather businesslike and a little chubby looking XBR 500 S into a classic beauty whose style is unmistakably based on the traditional models of the English Clubman racers of the late 1950s. And so skillfully and consistently that allegations of plagiarism were never an issue. On the contrary. With its polished aluminum handlebars, the golden-lined metallic paint in black, which reveals a dark green shimmer in the sunlight, sporty solo seats, spoked wheels with high-shoulder rims, the conically shaped muffler, brushed engine covers and lots of chrome, the Honda GB 500 Clubman is one of those today the coveted classics.

It doesn’t matter that it can’t hold a candle to the XBR 500 in terms of performance and sound. Instead of 44 HP, the official data sheet for the Honda GB 500 Clubman shows only 38 HP, which is due to the leaner US vote and the secondary air system and the more clogged silencer of the two-in-one exhaust system. Before potential buyers start pondering: With 42 horses measured, the loss of performance in the first Clubman test was within narrow limits (MOTORRAD 14/1992).

More importantly, the carburetor, which has been enlarged by three to 42 millimeters, does not change anything in the harmonious power delivery of the stew, which is already working hard at low engine speeds. He is a robust fellow, this radial four-valve engine, which, with regular care and maintenance, achieves high mileage without engine revision. The supply of spare parts is also quite good, with the exception of a few (obvious) camber parts, the Honda GB 500 Clubman is identical to the XBR. The technical differences are limited to lower handlebar stubs, shortened spring travel with tighter springs, a narrower front tire and the slimmed-down rear frame. However, it is only its stylish appearance that makes the Clubman really desirable – fortunately not only reserved for US bikers.

Technical specifications

Bilski

Simply beautiful: Spoked wheels with high-shoulder rims made of brushed aluminum and the well-formed silencer, which, however, only emits a subtle puddle. When it comes to sound, the GB sister XBR 500 has the more sonorous arguments.

engine
Air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke engine, four radially arranged valves operated by rocker arms and rocker arms, bore 92 mm, stroke 75 mm, 498 cm³, compression 8.9: 1, 38 hp (28 kW) at 7500 rpm, a 42-Keihin – Equal pressure carburetor, oil bath clutch, five-speed gearbox, chain drive

landing gear
Single-loop frame made of tubular steel with split beams, telescopic fork at the front, two-arm swing arm at the rear with two spring struts, front disc brake, rear drum, weight 179 kg with a full tank, tank capacity 16.5 l

Top speed
166 km / h

Price (1992)
7,760 marks

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