#Rebel

Apparently a cult classic among enthusiasts (I had no idea), you can help save this 1987 Honda Rebel 450 from the unfathomable fate of... its current owner. Found on our sister site, the Honda Rebel Forum, This person is tempted to chop the bike up and do irreversible harm to it in the name of customization, but he's relying on you to save this otherwise mostly-in-tact Rebel 450 and keep it in its current state. The modest $2000 he's asking would then go towards buying something else. Presumably something he or she won't feel so bad chopping up.

Honda has filed two patent applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that suggest a Rebel with the Africa Twin‘s DCT engine may be close to production.

Honda‘s entry-level Rebel cruisers are getting updates for 2020, including a new assist-and-slipper clutch, updated suspension and LED lighting. Both 500 and 300 versions of the Rebel are getting the same updates, while Honda is also introducing an S version of the Rebel 500 for Europe which comes standard with several factory-fitted accessories.

There are a variety of options to choose from when you think of beginner bikes, many of them centered around sport-type models or standards. This is often because manufacturers spend more of their marketing dollars hyping their beginner sportbikes or standards. But fear not, cruiser rider – there are great entry-level models for those craving the feet-forward stance. Here, we’ve gathered eight of those great choices for your viewing pleasure.

Before you begin wondering if you’ve taken your medication this morning, let me preface this review of the new 2017 Honda Rebel 300 with the fact that it will share a lot of thoughts and observations with last week’s review of the Rebel 500 that was introduced simultaneously. These two bikes share everything in common, except for the sewing machine some little old lady left inside the chassis of the 300.

Honda’s Rebel has never been aimed at highly experienced riders, and the same holds true for the latest generation of Rebels arriving at dealerships this month. The new Rebel 300 is motivated by the 286cc single-cylinder from the CB300F and CBR300R, and a review of that manageable $4,399 cruiser will soon be seen on these digital pages. The new Rebel 500 is pretty much identical to the 300 except for the 471cc parallel-Twin engine (from Honda’s CB500 series) residing in the bike’s trellis frame. It retails for $5,999. Adding ABS to each is an extra $300.

I’m not sure if it’s my naturally rebellious nature, being a man who microwaves his food still in the tupperware and even known to occasionally fill water cups up with soda (that’s right, bitch), that got me the chance to head up to Venice Beach, California, for the launch of the new Honda Rebel 500, but I think it might be because the rest of the Motorcycle.com staff (except Troy) is in the tin-foil reusing, cabbage-scented stage of life.

At a special engagement in the speakeasy basement of the Federal Bar gastropub in downtown Long Beach, CA, Honda surprised attendees with the reintroduction of a classic. The Honda Rebel can trace its roots back to 1985, but these new-model Rebels are far removed from their predecessors.

Kymco may be best known for its scooter lineup, but the Taiwanese company has had a small displacement motorcycles come and go from its model choices through the years. One example is this, the 2005 Kymco Venox, as reviewed by former staffer and current MO columnist, Gabe Ets-Hokin. In a beginner motorcycle field littered with sporty bikes, cruisers for the newbie set were hard to come by. Honda’s Rebel, Yamaha’s Virago 250 and Suzuki’s GZ250 were your main options. Then there was Venox. Unlike the Japanese bikes, the Taiwanese beginner cruiser was a better fit for larger riders, or those simply desiring a motorcycle with a bit more heft. As for its actual riding dynamics, here’s Gabe to fill you in. As always, for more pics of the Venox, be sure to visit the photo gallery. 

There’s no reason not to be outside, behind the handlebars if you’re a female motorcycle enthusiast. It’s estimated that more than 12 percent of motorcycle riders are female – and this number is going up. For some, riding a bike is a high-adrenaline alternative that saves on gas, but for others, it’s a way of life and a passion that brings them inner peace, freedom and empowerment.

If the test of time is what determines a great motorcycle, then the Rebel wins. When Honda built the first one in 1985, David Bowie’s Rebel Rebel was only 11 years old, Bill Clinton was in his second year being Boy Governor of Arkansas, and it was, sniff, “Morning in America” as Ronald Reagan’s second term was beginning. Yamaha’s newly re-introduced SR400 is about seven years older, but when you’re talking continuous production, no other motorcycle for sale in the U.S. has outlasted the Rebel.

Less than a decade ago, the motorcycle market was experiencing unbridled success. Manufacturers were updating their sportbikes every two years, and the cruiser market was blazing hot with riders who sought personal freedom via riffs on the V-Twin archetype. Motorcycles sold at unprecedented levels, especially to a baby boomer demographic that was absolutely flush with cash, credit, and/or home equity.