Honda CL500 Scrambler on the Way

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Patent drawings filed by Honda, show that a new model based on the Rebel 500 and named the CL500 is on the way. (Honda/)

While a cruiser might not seem the obvious basis for a scrambler, it’s not unprecedented. Yamaha’s SCR950 was based on its Bolt with a retro scrambler vibe, and since traditional cruisers are among the few bikes remaining that incorporate twin-shock rear suspension, they provide a better platform to obtain that 1960s to early ‘70s scrambler look than more modern chassis designs allow.

Evidence that Honda was developing a scrambler around the 471cc parallel twin of the Rebel 500 first emerged back in 2019, when the company filed patents that specifically focused on fitting scrambler-style footpegs to the Rebel’s frame. The Rebel’s footpegs and controls are mounted—as befits a low-saddled cruiser—on brackets that extend forward from the frame’s swingarm-pivot section. On a scrambler, the pegs need to move backward to sit more directly under the seat, making it easier to ride standing up as well as sitting down.

The solution appears simple. The patent shows footpegs mounted on a new alloy plate that’s bolted straight to the existing mounts on the frame, but doing that introduces a new engineering problem when it comes to packaging the rear brake master cylinder and brake-light switch. Honda’s 2019 patent addressed those issues.

On this patent illustration, the rear brake master cylinder that is hidden behind the frame plate can be seen. (Honda/)

Clearly shown in the patent, is how the master cylinder was repositioned just below the swingarm pivot—hidden and protected by the frame itself—with a linkage connecting it to the brake lever. The details of that linkage were novel enough to spark the patent application. Fortunately for us, the drawings clearly show the footpeg details, which reveal that it is an off-road-style design with a sawtooth upper surface and a removable rubber insert. The brake lever is similarly given a serrated top, as befits a bike with off-highway intentions.

This illustration shows the footpeg’s aggressive teeth, hinting at its off-highway-capable scrambler intentions. (Honda/)

A closer look at the bike in the patent drawings shows that the engine is Honda’s long-lived CB500 parallel twin, used in a host of models from the CBR500R to the Rebel, and the frame is basically the same as the Rebel’s but with a different subframe design. The Rebel’s subframe is angled downward where it attaches to the main frame rails to give a low seat height, whereas the scrambler’s is horizontal. Not only does this raise the seat, it allows longer rear shocks and more rear suspension travel.

In this image, you can clearly see the engine, which we believe is the 471cc parallel twin from the Rebel 500. (Honda/)

We can’t read too much into the styling represented in the drawing—it’s probably little more than a generic outline used as a placeholder—but elements that are directly related to the rear brake master cylinder area which it highlights are likely to be accurate. Those include the exhaust system, which features a collector box under the engine, as on the Rebel, but then rises almost vertically just behind the right-side footpeg before turning 90 degrees to enter a relatively high-mounted, horizontal muffler. It’s an unusual layout, but one we’ve seen before on Honda’s 2015 Bulldog concept bike—a rugged CB500-based design with the same engine seen in the Rebel (and hence expected in the CL500) but an odd, utilitarian style reminiscent of the Ruckus scooter.

Rumors from Japan suggest the CL500 will closely resemble the 2019 patent seen here, and that it will be launched later this year. They also predict a smaller CL250 model, though there currently isn’t the same hard evidence for that machine as with the 500.

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