Honda Cb500x

HONDA CB500X

IGNITION

FIRST RIDE

The adventurous X completes the 471cc Twin trilogy

John Burns

WE WERE PREPARED to be under-whelmed by Honda's new 500 Twins. But riding the nimble new CB500F for a few weeks actually was a blast; it's a motorcycle that grows on you. And the CB500X is more of the same: What the counterbalanced Twin lacks in outright power (our F put out 45 horsepower on the CW dyno), it more than makes up for in enthusiasm, and the six-speed box works well, a good complement to the smooth engine. Obviously, the X gets that adventure-bike look all the kids crave, along with a bigger, 4.5-gallon tank that should give it more than 200 miles of range at the 53-mpg burn rate we observed.

Underneath the extra plastic and windshield, the X is the same willing, surprisingly spunky bike as the F, for $500 more—$5999. Mechanically, the X gets a longer fork with 1.2 inches more travel than the F, which also serves to raise the seat an inch higher. That gives the X more legroom and provides a bike that’s more comfortable for taller riders: Executive Editor Andy Bornhop, at 6-foot4, likes the X and its windshield; at 5-foot8,1 prefer the F and find the X shield blustery. Both bikes have 41mm fork tubes and the same nine-way-preloadadjustable shock offering 4.7 inches of wheel travel.

Beyond that, they’re both light, easy-riding machines with that certain something that just makes you eager to hop on and go. For the X, there’s only one problem. Honda’s NC700X, at $7499, is tantalizingly near in price and has a little more of everything, including that most excellent front storage compartment. FIR

JUST LIKE ITS "F" SIBLING, THE NEW CB500X SEEMS TO THRIVE ON ABUSE, AND MAKES RIDING MORE ADDICTIVE THAN AN "ENTRYLEVEL" BIKE REALLY SHOULD.

ENGINE TYPE

dohc parallel-Twin

DISPLACEMENT

471cc

SEAT HEIGHT

32.1 in.

FUEL CAPACITY

4.5 gal.

DRY WEIGHT

402 lb.

PRICE

$5999

OTHER BARGAIN HONDA 500s

$2898 in 1984

$1848 in 1979

$1898 in 1978