Honda’s GB500 was an homage to classic British singles but there was a twist – it was reliable! The average American rider shopping for a Japanese bike at the time was more interested in the bigger supersport replicas, but the Tourist Trophy has become a cult classic. Here’s another twist: a California-based company called the White Brothers made a 601cc kit to, as Cycle World put it, transform “the sleepy, stock engine into one that’s powerful, responsive, and fun.”
In addition to the bump in displacement, the White Bros. kit also came with a10.5:1 Wiseco forged piston, upgraded camshaft, hardened valve springs, 41mm Mikuni flat-slide carb, smog equipment delete, gearing change, and a Supertrapp exhaust. This shaved a second and a half from the quarter mile time and bumped top speed to 117 miles per hour. Cycle World summed up the White Brothers-improved bike by saying it “that pays homage to the classic British singles, yet has the best of Japanese technology and a healthy dose of American hot-rodding know-how.” You can check out a scan of the article here, and the first page has a pretty impressive GB500 wheelie shot!
Per the seller, this bike was originally built for the owner of Mallet’s Honda in Northern California. It’s got 2,402 miles and is “immaculate.” It’s also one of the more expensive GB500s I’ve seen for sale, but with the rarity of these mods I have no idea if it’s a reasonable asking price or not.
Find this GB for sale in Oxnard, California for $11,500 here on Facebook Marketplace.