The 2015 American International Motorcycle Expo is fast approaching and Honda->ke291 has prepared a few surprises for the show. One of the most eagerly anticipated debuts in the show is the 2016 Honda CBR500R and like any motorcycle company that’s worth it’s salt, Honda has dropped a few teaser photos of the new CBR500R ahead of its world debut.

The two teaser photos, one featuring the side profile of the bike and the other featuring the redesigned headlight, don’t show a whole lot of the nifty new components Honda is promising on the bike. That said, the teaser still shows enough new details that help piece the puzzle a little bit. The bodywork, for instance, has been updated. The fairing design is different from the 2015 CBR500R, extending all the way to the seat and covering different sections of the bike’s engine. The other noticeable difference is the stylised exhaust canister that looks thicker and shorter than the canister on the 2015 model. Up front, Honda bares a new dual LED headlight setup that admittedly looks sharper than the old unit.

That’s as far as I got in discerning the updates on the 2016 CBR500R. The full spate of details, including the engine and the chassis, will be revealed at the AIMExpo, which kicks off on October 15, 2015.

Continue reading to read more about Honda's updates on the 2016 CBR500R.

Why it matters

No one will ever mistake the Honda CBR500R as being one of Honda’s most fearsome sports bikes. It’s actually the opposite of that since the bike prides itself on being the company’s resident budget-friendly street bike. Therein lies the bikes appeal. Riders looking for an affordable sports bike with the looks of a world beater have gravitated towards the CBR500R to the point that it has pulled its own weight in terms of its sales volume.

The 2016 CBR500R hopes to follow in that tradition and from the looks of things, the fresh design should be able to attract a new wave of buyers looking for their initiation into the world of sports bikes. I’m still curious on how Honda addressed some of the bike’s notable shortcomings, particularly the lack of a storage unit. If the new CBR500R is more rounded than its predecessor, then the sportsbike has the capacity to become an even more popular option for consumers.

I sure hope that the changes in the bike are more than just the cosmetic variety. It would be a shame if the new CBR500R looks different, but still has the same beating heart running it.

Fortunately, we're not going to have to wait too long to find the answer. I even expect more teaser photos of the bike to be released ahead of its debut in a week's time.