The Honda CB500X - Honda's budget priced adventure
bike that is a hoot on the road and easy dirt roads too.
I own one.
I've also trawled piles of vids,
reviews and forum posts to explore, the good, the bad and ugly points.
Lets start with the good.
The CB500X is so cheap!
Like most Japanese bikes it's not made in Japan.
It's actually made in Thailand, but it still
features Honda's reliability at a bargain basement price.
The Honda 250 Rally and Kawasaki 300 Versys are cheaper,
but you get way more engine with the CB500X.
It's great for road and easy dirt roads.
Essentially the Honda CB500X is a road bike with a few mods to make it an adventure bike... just.
The models up to 2018 probably slot in around here.
The 2019 Honda CB500X models and on got the larger front wheel and
a bit more suspension so slots in around here.
It loves twisty mountain roads.
Commuting.
And smooth dirt roads.
Into serious adventure riding though?
Look elsewhere...
unless you deal with that exposed sump and radiator, low ground clearance,
plus road oriented suspension and ergonomics.
A seat height of 81cm (32 in) for the Honda CB500X makes it brilliant for short riders.
Remember the 2019 did get a bit taller due to that bigger
front wheel though. 2019+ models 830mm (32.7 in).
Beginner rider, or new to adventure riding?
The power delivery on the Honda CB500X is perfect:
very linear and no surprises.
Experienced riders enjoy it too, except for those expecting top end performance.
This won't be your style of bike.
It's extremely economical, and will get either one or two people around with a minumum of fuss...
but you'll need more gear changing than a 650 of course.
Remember too, this is only a 470cc engine.
It seems Honda have started that stupid stupid European
tradition of exaggerating their engine capacity.
Sigh.
The 2019 Honda CB500X picked up a bit more midrange power.
The little Honda has good service intervals at
12000km for oil changes and 24,000km for major services.
Okay, what's not good about the Honda CB500X?
Generally Honda CB500X reviews indicate it is super reliable.
The only obvious known issue is a small number of coolant leaks reported over the years.
Causes mainly seemed to be various bolts not tightened correctly,
and a few water pump failures.
It's hard to find very recent cases so may all be fixed now.
The Honda CB500X is cramped for taller riders.
I'm well over six feet tall and had to fold myself into the bike.
Easily fixed though.
I installed the lower Knight Design footpegs, repadded the seat for $15
with some vinyl and furniture foam, then put in some Rox handlebar risers.
The riding position on the Honda CB500X is very road bike oriented.
Fine if that's your thing.
But try standing to ride over rough ground and it's all set up wrong.
Traditional adventure riders will find the footpegs are too far back,
too high and the bars are too far forward.
The Knight Design footpegs are further
forward as well as lower so can alleviate this to some extent.
And the Rox pivoting risers bring the bars back for an upright riding position.
The Honda CB500X gearbox can be clunky when changing lower gears, especially on new bikes.
It's made worse by quite low gearing too.
Sports oriented riders will like the acceleration,
but many adventure riders go one tooth higher on the front.
Some even go two teeth up but you'll need to trim things a bit to fit a 17 tooth sprocket.
The clunky changes from first to second are a lot better then.
Some Honda CB500X riders have said their
valves tightened up before the recommended 24,000km service.
If you bike starts running rough keep this in mind.
Most riders don't hit this issue though.
Doing a lot of dirt with the Honda CB500X?
The road oriented front fender is way too short.
Buy a front fender extension to keep muck off the engine.
The sump is very exposed, consider some form of protection there too.
Doing a lot of dirt?
You may want to install an extra flap to stop mud and dirt being sprayed over your rear shock.
Our Honda CB500X review found the suspension is very ordinary,
as you would expect on a budget priced bike.
Any spirited riding on bitumen or dirt roads will find the limits very quickly.
Get it modified, or just keep the speed down and it does an acceptably adequate job.
If you do a lot of dirt roads there's a good chance you won't like the small
17 inch front wheel on the Honda CB500X 2018 and earlier models.
But there is an easy fix.
Many are buying the high profile Shinko 705 which
brings the rolling diameter much closer to the 19" front.
You will need to drill new holes to mount your front fender higher.
And the extra weight of the tyre may slow your steering down a bit,
although of course some prefer this.
Short riders will find the bike sits higher, or course.
Riders with small hands may find the Honda CB500X clutch lever is too far out,
this can be fixed with aftermarket levers.
Some riders and pillion passengers report the seat is too hard for extended rides.
I find it fine for a morning ride, but yes you may want an aftermarket seat if doing all day rides.
Finally a very stupid design flaw on the Honda CB500X.
If you replace the countershaft seal,
it has a built in flange so it can only be installed from the inside...
requiring a complete engine strip down.
Dumb dumb dumb.
Most riders get around this by filing the flange
down and just fitting it the way you fit most countershaft seals.
So that's it guys.
Don't be deterred by this list of Honda CB500X issues.
The vast majority of owners love their bikes and
never hit any issues, but I like to dig deep for any known issues.
Check out everyone else's reviews too.
And ride safe.