Honda CB500X, is refined and becomes more mature in look [ROAD TEST]

Honda CB500X – The CB500 family, born in 2013, is updated after a great sales success in these three years. We had tried the "F", while now, to tell you about MY2016 we went to Sardinia and drove the new Honda CB500X in a spectacular context. Crossover version that winks at the portion of adventure-loving motorcyclists, at least for the look of your two wheels. It is also the version that has achieved the greatest success, both in Europe and in Italy, of the three models, with the faired CB500F and the sporty CBR500R.

Change outside

The main changes concern the look, revisited and refined. It is now a more "mature" and pleasant to look at motorbike, which appears slimmer overall and more pleasant. The philosophy called “Feel the Adventure” is accentuated, the typical one of Honda's "X" models. As is now Honda's habit the headlights switch to LED technology both at the front and at the rear. At the front it is compact and more powerful, with slightly blued side lights. Behind the smaller headlight it allowed the designers to give the tail a more eye-catching detail. The more harmonious shapes are accompanied by attention to detail, such as the black finish for the engine side covers. Great news, in the true sense of the adjective, however the windshield, which grows in height by 10 cm, with the two adjustments gaining 4 mm both upwards and downwards. Now the protection is discreet and even in case of rain the improvement is significant. We then find many other new details and improvements that increase the perception of quality. For example the key becomes shorter and more compact, new gear selector improves gear engagement, the front brake caliper, also from Nissin, is larger and disperses heat better. Finally we mention the fuel cap, previously it remained "in the hand" when the lock was opened, now it is hinged. A set of innovations that are not sensational if taken individually, but which overall improve the look and use of the new Honda CB500R.

The engine is the same, only with some small modifications

The engine is the one we already knew, apart from a few changes on the intake side. In fact, the air passages have been improved, including the one in the filter, which gains a less dense mesh. The liquid-cooled inline twin-cylinder, double camshaft with 4 valves per cylinder, with a total displacement of 471 cubic centimeters capable of delivering 48 horsepower. A detail that they are keen to underline at Honda, it's about an engine designed to reach this value and which therefore expresses itself at its best, is not detuned to comply with the A2 license requirement, as in many other cases. Moreover, even in its small way, it has important affinities with sports engines, such as the CBR600RR with which it shares the bore value and the proportion of the triangulation between the crankshaft, primary transmission shaft and countershaft. It is an almost perfect supersquare in the stroke and bore ratio (67×66,8 mm), a detail which, if someone was undecided between the CB500X and the NC750X, on paper capable of similar power (55 horsepower), probably makes them the two most different engines from Honda. The long stroke 750 in fact revs low and expresses everything before the smaller "traditional" twin of the CB500 starts to give its best. The couple arrives in fact at 7.000 rpm, with 43 Nm, the maximum power speed is 8.500 rpm, but the game continues until almost double figures. However, what the two Honda motorcycles have in common is their very low consumption. The new CB500X even manages to achieve a 29,4 km/l in the WMTC average cycle. Increasing the tank capacity at 17,5 liters (+0,2), autonomy now reaches 500 km, really a lot, especially for a small displacement.

Frame and chassis also confirmed with refinements

The 41 mm front fork gains preload adjustment, while the 320 mm front wave disc and the 240 mm rear one are confirmed. Bosch 2-channel ABS is standard. The front brake lever gains adjustment. Good news also on the scales, with 196 kg in running order. Compared to the two sisters with which it shares the engine and platform, the fork travel increases to 140 mm, the wheelbase is 10 mm more and the height is 25, with the saddle 810 mm from the ground. It is an agile motorbike, comfortable to handle with the wide handlebars, with a generous ground clearance of 170 mm, which allows you to pass significant differences in height without hitting the lower part of the mechanics. At the rear, the monoshock with adjustable spring preload to 9 positions is confirmed, with progressive Pro-Link linkage. The 6 split-spoke rims are fitted with tires with purely road characteristics, measuring 120/70 17 and 160/60, also 17.

We get on the saddle to tell you how MY2016 is going

We have told you about the aesthetic innovations, which largely affect the satisfaction of taste, improving the look of the new CB500X. Once we got into the saddle, however, we noticed that it was digital instrumentation confirmed. It is controlled with the two buttons located just below and is quite complete. There is no lack of data on consumption, including the liters of petrol used, but unfortunately we must note that the absence of the indication of the inserted ratio is also confirmed, which we would have very much appreciated. With a rather short sixth gear (at 4.000 rpm we are at around 80 km/h), as we will see during our test we often end up looking for a higher gear, which isn't there. Despite those who believe that an expert driver can get bored with a motorcycle equipped with a small displacement engine with 48 horsepower, we must say instead that in the beautiful 210 km traveled on the roads of Sardinia around Chia (CA), we really enjoyed ourselves, without particularly feeling the absence of further power. Only when restarting from a standstill is the twin-cylinder 500 not a marvel, but as you move up in gear it starts to push well and meets the needs of even expert riders, especially on winding roads. It has a nice pull from around 4.000 rpm, which as mentioned translates into 80 km/h in sixth gear. This means that you don't even need to fuss too much with the gearbox, before a curve. The delivery is very fluid and without particular peaks to manage, a feature that makes this motorbike perfect even for those with little experience. Simple and handy, it doesn't even disdain a ride on a dirt road, where the low weight, excellently distributed and very centralized, makes things feasible that this tire would not accommodate at its best. We also tried a model with a set-up Travel Edition, with side bags mounted, noticing a pleasant change in structure, with approximately 20 kg of weight gain on the rear (supports included), which make it more stable, but obviously a little less manageable and ready for rapid changes of direction. It confirms itself as a motorbike with many strong points. The engine, among those in the range, is the one with the minimum displacement to make it a "real" motorbike, easy to ride, but also fun, agile and light. As we'll see the purchase price is low and the management costs even more so. While it would be natural to combine it with those who have just obtained their A2 licence, especially eighteen-year-olds, in reality it also appeals to expert riders, perhaps looking for an easy and low-cost motorbike. Returning motorcyclists and also motorists who prefer it to a scooter to save themselves traffic when moving around the city. It is not even linked to sex, because both men and women like it and are suitable for it. A bike that was born as an entry level, but everyone likes it a bit. Excellent news on the consumption front, where the declared data was not far from what we were able to detect in our test, on a tortuous route, tackled at a rather brisk pace. At the end of the test we reached a remarkable value of 27.5 km with one liter of petrol. We also looked around at the bikes of our colleagues, who were perhaps less fluent than us in riding, but in any case the values ​​were not very different.

Price and accessories

The new Honda CB500X MY 2016 is listed at 6.490 euros, while the Travel Edition costs 7.280, with a significant customer advantage on the purchase of the accessories present. The “X” is also the only one of the CB500s that can mount side bags. There is a long list of accessories to customize the motorbike to your liking: matching 29-litre side cases, set of shock-proof tubular bars, LED fog lights, rear luggage rack, matching 35-litre top box, hand guards, heated grips, central stand, 12V socket, Akrapovic exhaust muffler, U-shaped mechanical anti-theft device, tank-pad, motorcycle cover. For Italy you can choose it in four colours: Asteroid Black, Millennium Red, Pearl Horizon White (as in the photos of our test) e Matt Gunpowder Black, the only color that does not include matching stickers on the wheels. On sale since the beginning of the season, the CB500X confirms itself as one of the most valid alternatives for approaching the world of two wheels, without too many sacrifices, spending the right amount.

Test clothing:
Jacket: Dainese Carve Master Gore-Tex
Trousers: Dainese New Galvestone Gore-Tex
Gloves: Dainese Ergotour Gore-tex X-trafit
Boots: Dainese TRQ-Tour Gore-tex
Helmet: Caberg Stunt blade Black Orange