Honda Files Trademark for "CBR500R Four"

The new filing was submitted on Nov. 5, to Japan’s intellectual property office, following the CBR400R Four filing submitted in late August. The list of intended uses on the new application was fairly generic for Honda motorcycles, but given past model nomenclature, it’s clear the CBR500R Four trademark is intended to be used on a four-cylinder sportbike and not the two-cylinder model currently in production.

While it might seem odd to file for two names for both a 400 and 500, it’s important to remember that Japan and some other markets offer a licensing class for 400cc and smaller motorcycles. This has led Honda to produce a 500 for the global market and a 400 in Japan, as was the case with the existing two-cylinder CBR500R/CBR400R. The two recent filings suggest this will again be the case with the four-cylinder models.

There may be other reasons for Honda to release a 500 version. The new Honda Fours would be in direct competition to the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R and ZX-4RR, as well as the 450RR from Chinese brand Kove. Notoriously, the Ninja is detuned for North America to meet engine noise limits, resulting in a peak output of 56 hp compared to the 70+ hp claimed in other markets. It’s possible that the CBR500R Four would be able to get around this limitation with a larger displacement to compensate for running a lower engine speed and reducing noise levels while offering more power.

We haven’t seen a small-displacement four-cylinder from Honda in the U.S. for several decades, but in Japan, Honda offered a naked CB400 Super Four and a partially-faired CB400 Super Bol d’Or up until production ended in October 2022. The two CB400 models shared a 399cc Inline-Four with a 11.3:1 compression ratio claimed a peak output of 55 hp at 11,000 rpm and 29 lb-ft. at 9,500 rpm. A new engine with a compression ratio closer to the Ninja’s 12.3:1 should produce higher numbers, as would a larger displacement closer to 500.

As is usually the case, a trademark filing only confirms that a model is in development, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it will progress to being a full production model. The fact that two similar trademarks were filed so close to each other suggests at the very least that development is ongoing and that Honda is preparing it for both domestic and international markets.

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