While a custom might not seem like the obvious basis for a scrambler, it's not without precedent. Yamaha has already taken the plunge with the SCR950, and since traditional customs are among the few motorcycles today that feature dual-shock rear suspension, they offer a better platform for achieving that 1960s scrambler look than more expensive chassis. modern systems do not allow this.
Evidence that Honda was developing a scrambler around the Rebel 471's 500cc inline-twin first emerged in 2019, when the Japanese company filed patents specifically focused on installing scrambler-style footpegs on the part of the Rebel. The Rebel's footpegs and controls are mounted on brackets that are arranged at the front, so the reference point is the swingarm pivot section of the frame. On a scrambler, the footrests should be placed more directly under the saddle, making it easier to ride both standing and seated.
The solution seems simple. The patent shows footpegs mounted on a new alloy plate that is bolted directly to existing brackets on the frame, but this introduces a new engineering problem when it comes to integrating the brake master cylinder rear and the brake light switch. The patent filed in 2019 by Honda solved these problems.
The patent clearly sets out 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 this connection were novel enough to trigger the patent application. Luckily for us, the drawings clearly show the details of the footrest, which reveal that it's an off-road style design with a sawtooth top surface and removable rubber insert. The brake lever also has a serrated top, as befits a motorcycle with off-road inclinations.
A closer look at the bike in the drawings of this patent shows that the engine is the inline twin from the CB500, well known at Honda as installed in a multitude of models, and the frame is basically the same as that of the Rebel but with some technical adaptations, to adapt to the saddle and allow the installation of longer rear shock absorbers in order to allow greater travel of the rear suspension.
The overall style of the bike has been revealed, without too many details, but still reveals the exhaust system, which first passes under the engine, like on the Rebel, but then rises almost vertically just behind it. the right footrest before turning 90 degrees to enter a relatively tall horizontal muffler. It's an unusual layout, but one we've seen before on Honda's 2015 Bulldog concept – a CB500-based design with the same engine as the Rebel (and therefore expected in the CL500) but strange styling.
Rumors out of Japan suggest that the CL500 will closely resemble the design shown on the 2019 patent, and that it will enter production this year. They are also predicting a CL250 model, although there currently isn't the same hard evidence for that machine as there is for the 500.
