[speedandstyle]

Looking at some Thai webpages it seems the Rebel is already on sale there. I assume from this that they are built there? Anyway there are some very interesting and some strange mods already done.

The facebook page shows the most - https://www.facebook.com/Honda-Rebel-500-club-Thailand-635474489988425/

Since this bike is sold there, many afternarket parts will start showing up for the Rebel. If you are unaware modding motorcycles is huge in Thailand and there are many local companies that make parts. Getting them here is the hard part.

 

[st.rebel]

Thai owners never fail to impress. Seen what they did to Honda Grom's and now someone turned a 500 into a cafe racer:

 

[Saint]

Those guys are seriously creative. I do love the amount of work gone into them but I feel they're just not what it should be. Need to retain that sweeping body line.

 

[st.rebel]

Those guys are seriously creative. I do love the amount of work gone into them but I feel they're just not what it should be. Need to retain that sweeping body line.

Well that's all perception and depending on how you look at it, and what your goals are in customizing a bike, will dictate what's right to you.

Me personally I like that whole hybrid of a cafe look with modern lines which this Rebel 500 is a prime example of. Oddly enough a cafe that looks too classic is not a good thing for me.

 

[speedandstyle]

Some of the Thai mods are cool and others are just plain weird. But one thing I do like is that many have a raised seat. My #1 dislike with the new rebel is how low the seat is. My prefered seat height is 29-30 inches. According to Honda the Rebel's seat is 27.2 inches, so all I need is an extra 2 inches. A slight lift to the rear suspension and/or a thicker/higher mounted seat and it should fit me just right.

On the appearance side the Rebel looks very off in the space between the engine and the front wheel. Crash bars would help and several of the customs I have seen have small fairings that also fill that empty. I am not a big fan of the total removal of the rear fender that seems very popular with these modded Rebels however.

One thing about Thailand is that there are several aftermarket parts companies over there. So many parts will be available for the Rebel. Getting them into the states may be a problem though.

 

[Rebellion]

Out of the three rendering, the Cafe Racer looks the best and the rear seems to be lifted a bit or it could be due to the missing rear fender. Oddly enough, it reminds me of a Beemer.

What would be interesting is for someone to just remove the rear fender from the stock bike. The seat would look like it's floating and that reminds me of Bobbers.

 

[speedandstyle]

Here are some more customs from Thailand. Those guys over there have been busy.

Cara Honda Mempromosikan Honda Rebel 500 dengan Ide Custom

 

[st.rebel]

Some more finds.

I just hope these inspire owners elsewhere in the world to take on a similar route. But very often when American owners get their hands on these, they stay relatively stock.

 

[Saint]

Darn.... now these are definitely giving me something to really look at. There are certain aspects from each that I really would like to put together and create my ultimate rebel. That orange one reminds me of the Repsol color scheme though and I really don't like it.

 

[Djdavies]

Thai customs

Having bought tons of parts and pieces for my PCX, much of it comes from Thailand. Hardly notice the difference except a little extra time. Lots of free shipping as well. Perfect for modern day eBay.

 

[Saint]

Are there any specific sites you commonly check for parts from Thailand?

 

[shortyg83]

Having bought tons of parts and pieces for my PCX, much of it comes from Thailand. Hardly notice the difference except a little extra time. Lots of free shipping as well. Perfect for modern day eBay.

Are there any specific sites you commonly check for parts from Thailand?

There are almost no Thailand websites that ship to USA, and the ones that do are incredibly hard to get in contact with. I have been emailing different ones for 2 months, without really any headway. Ebay is likely giong to be the only way to get anything from Thailand but the only thing currently listed is a screen protector for the Rebel.

I talked to a few people on youtube who got the bike. I saw I cushioned seat which I really liked. The guy said the shop there in thailand did it custom for $70 dollars. They took his old seat, added padding and put a new nicer leather wrap on it.... For $70.00...... In USA it is hard enough to find someone to do the work, and it would likely cost several hundred dollars. I would be a little careful ordering some things from thailand, a lot of the parts actually seem to be chinese clones of other parts. This isn't really a bad thing but the Thailand company then prints their name on the item and charges more for the product. I would more likely just buy the chinese one.

 

[Djdavies]

Are there any specific sites you commonly check for parts from Thailand?

In addition to eBay, 2 others I have ordered from directly:

https://bikerzbits.com/

PCX gear:
Honda PCX 125 / 150 v1 v2 v3 : OEM Original Spare Parts and Accessories PowerbyPCX - PowerbyPCX

 

[Saint]

Cool thanks! Unfortunately it seems they don't have anything listed for the Rebel as of yet but at least they have the Rebel listed so I'm sure we can expect parts to show up there on the bikerzBits site.

 

[Djdavies]

If the new rebel becomes as popular as I am suspecting it might, they'll be no end to the aftermarket bling.

 

[Saint]

I have a feeling it will and your hunch is right. This is an amazing, not only, entry level cruiser style of bike that appeals to seasoned and new riders in all. It's affordable, looks darn good, both the 300 and 500 are the same size so parts are interchangeable for both.