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Motorcycle engine displacements are not unlike hemline indicators: When the economy soars, literbikes tend to fly off dealership lots, and absurd exercises in excess like V8-powered motorcycles seem perfectly normal. But when markets come crashing to earth-- as they did in 2008-- the industry responds with meek-but-innovative offerings like the pint-sized Honda CBR250R and Kawasaki Ninja 300.
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If you subscribe to my completely unscientific correlation between engine size and prosperity, Honda's recent announcement of three 471cc new middleweights suggests the economy might be looking up. Covering the no man's land between strong-selling starter bikes and bigger 600s, Honda's new trio offers something for a broad spread of two-wheeled tastes. As our man-on-the-street Ty van Hooydonk reported from Milan's EICMA motorcycle show, the $5,999 CBR500R?(seen here, left) is the fully-faired sportbike of the bunch, the $5,499 CB500F?(center) offers a naked alternative, while the trail ready?CB500X (right, price TBD) is like a mini-me of the grown-up NC700X.
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But at the end of the day, whether or not this new crop of middleweight offerings promise a bright financial future is less telling than the fact that they exist at all; with manufacturer lineups finally growing after years of shrinkage and stagnation, one can only hope that more bike options are good for both the motorcycle industry and the economy at large.
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