One sunny Saturday afternoon in York, rejoicing in the shiny new Metzeler Tyre on my rear wheel, I pulled up at a T- junction behind an agricultural vehicle, waiting to turn right under Micklegate Bar. As usual, banked up traffic waiting for the lights occupied the bit of road into which we both waited to turn. The driver of the agricultural vehicle had become impatient and had edged half-way across the road. Then he thought better of it, his reversing lights came on, back he came, and before I could do more than paddle a couple of feet and get my thumb half-way to the horn button, there was a crunch and my front wheel, and remains of mudguard, were firmly wedged under his rear bumper.
I should say at this point that it was only an agricultural vehicle inasmuch as it was a big white van occupied by two STUPID F@CKING PIGS in matching blue uniforms.
So I leapt off my pride and joy (which remained upright), went round to the driver's door, and, in the words of my statement, "acquainted the officer with what had occurred". "I didn't see you", sez he. You'd think they'd train them to be more original. They called up another one who arrived on a bike: his first thought, perhaps naturally, was that I must have come round the bend at a hell of a lick to stuff it under the van like that! Fortunately there was an independent witness, who positively leapt from the pavement with unseemly haste and great glee. The Police motorcyclist takes everyone's name and address and quizzes us: "Any damage to the van?" "Not yet," I quipped.
Anyway, to come to the point, this explains why my GB500 now sports a KH250 chrome front mudguard (hello PC286). It's actually an improvement, and I'll have to get the rear guard chromed to match (or replace with a US-model part). Prompted by the somewhat jaded review in UMG 73 of Honda's grey import imitation Velocette, I thought I'd give some impressions of mine: a 1985 Japanese market model owned for 18 months and 15000 miles.
Firstly it's worth pointing out some differences between the model sold in Japan and the US market model, so you know what you're getting. It depends where your importer imports the bike from. US GBs date from the late 80s to early 90s; Japanese models from about 1985. The only mechanical difference of which I'm aware is the extra emission control plumbing fitted to the engine of US models. Cosmetically, the Jap model has the winged Honda badge painted on the tank, silver-painted steel mudguards, and an upholstered seat hump. The US model has pinstriping on the tank, chrome rear mudguard and plastic front, larger tail light and a plastic cover for the seat hump. The indicators stalks are longer and end in big chrome teardrops instead of the stubby ally Japanese affairs. Having said all that, I've seen photos of a bike on German plates that combined these features, though it could have been an owner's hybrid. I'm under the impression that the models sold down under resembled the Japanese bike. An Australian mechanic told me they sold three versions down there: single seat, single seat with nose fairing, and dual seat. For some reason most of those that make it to the UK are naked single- seat bikes. The GB400 differs only in capacity and gearing. First lesson over.
Apart from the obvious cosmetic differences, most parts are interchangeable with the XBR, though establishing which XBR can be a bit hit & miss for cables, etc. Some official Honda dealers are becoming amenable to sourcing OE GB parts. A GB 2- 1 exhaust will not fit an XBR, owing to different frame rails under the engine. This makes it uncertain whether the transplant works the other way around, which is a shame as to my eye the GB's looks would be enhanced by a separate pipe down each side of the bike.
The motor is the same RFVC four valve unit used in different capacities in the XL and XR series, and the NX 650 Dominator. XL barrels can be made to fit with minor engine mods; entire engines should transplant OK. The motor has been used extensively in singles racing (though it's not that competitive without major surgery) and many tuning parts are still available (Omega and Wiseco pistons, Kent cams, and almost anything from the likes of White Brothers in the States).
My own bike was fitted (unknown to me, though the drilled drain plugs should have been a giveaway) with an ex-track engine that was a real stonker but turned out to have a shagged conrod, gearbox bearing, etc. It was replaced free of charge by the importer with an engine from an allegedly low mileage bike, which needed a top end rebuild 13000 miles later, exhibiting the classic malaise of a high mileage and/or oil-starved unit: wear to the centre cam "bearing" (i.e. the head surface!) and cam lobe, and a badly worn rocker and exhaust valve. It has to be said that some of this may be down to my somewhat cavalier exhaust changes and approximate rejettings. (It also has to be said that if you bought a very low mileage burgundy GB from a dealer in London this year, you may have the frame this engine came from, with my old engine rebuilt into it; which may not be a bad thing if they've done it properly.) A standard, well-maintained engine should not give such problems; the XBR I owned previously was a paragon of reliability. Get a good one, use good oil (change at 1500 miles maximum, filter every other change), warm up before setting off, don't thrash for first 5 miles. Owing to the dry sump arrangement, the motor needs to be run for 3 minutes from cold before checking the level in the oil tank.
My motor is now properly repaired and very mildly tuned, with longer duration cam, drilled carb slide, snorkel removed from airbox and 165 main jet (properly set up on a dyno this time). It still only makes 35 horses at the wheel, but remember that this bike is physically smaller than a Superdream, so is light for a 500. More than 40 bhp is attainable with more radical work; anything more and you need to overbore. I know of a severely overbored race bike that makes 62 bhp at the wheel and breaks crankpins at 8500 revs.
Other mods to mine include a US-made after-market dual seat (very expensive - get something from an autojumble instead and make it fit), pillion pegs (replace left hand bracket with the longer one from an XBR; grind off the peg attachment and use the hole meant for the XBR exhaust), black shrouded Hagon shocks (for XBR), and Laser 2-1 downpipes (for XBR) with an extension pipe and a slightly baffled megaphone on the end. This loses the cumbersome collector box and heavy OE silencer, and sounds much better!
In 18 months the bike has consumed one speedo cable and no bulbs. A rear Metzeler gives about 8000 miles before it becomes worrying. The heavy-duty chain that came with the bike lasted for 15000 miles of thrashing around solo and thumping up hills with passengers, so it's worth buying good stuff. Finish is up to Honda's usual high standard. The starter clutch shares the XBR's disintegrating nylon gear: prolong its life indefinitely (if it still works) by using the kickstart (automatic decompressor, so it's a doddle), and save the electric boot for junction stalling emergencies.
Out on the road it's a nimble, bouncy crashy sort of bike in a restrained old-fashioned kind of way. The frame is rigid enough; good shocks out back help, and I'd go for some progressive fork springs and a fork brace if I had any money left. The brakes are, to put it politely, crap, but you can always jump off. I remember the front brake on my XBR being a lot better: that had a Goodridge hose, which may account for it, as I'd be surprised if the rest of the kit was different.
Happy cruising speed when warm is about 85, top around 100, though I'm about to fit a nose fairing for improved aerodynamics, to get nearer the red line in top. On a standard motor, power increases at 5500 revs and peaks at 7000, whence the curve flattens to the 7800 red line. Or you can stonk around town at 2500-3000 revs pretending it's a Velo. Don't expect any acceleration at these revs. You can also do this on twisty, up and down, sheep-infested single track moorland roads, which feels a bit odd, like a trail bike with clip-ons. If I did this all the time I'd definitely fit higher bars. The standard riding position works fine for me, but if you do most of your riding two-up I'd recommend the bars off a CBX550 (wouldn't swear to this one) or one of those handlebar raising kits. You'll need longer cables, especially the choke cable, which is barely long enough anyway.
This bike will do anything you ask of it, unless you want ton- up cruising or high-speed transcontinental luxury touring. Or to overtake cars... I can't fathom why we got the XBR instead of the GB in this country, much as Honda gave us the NTV/Revere rather than the Hawk.

................ The above was written nearly four years ago, since when the bike became a 650, was bought by your editor, became a 500 again, and was sold back to me. It now sports XS650 bars and XBR wheels, and is spoiling for another 650 conversion, but that's another story.