Honda CB500X

I don't have a problem with the first part of that quote (in my experience it is largely true); however, from my perspective I think the second part is more warranty liability avoidance oriented than marketing oriented.

I bet most dealers won't even do the check, but will charge it.

My dealer just got their first CB500X on the floor.

Mine is almost ready to go...

After babying the X on my 55 mile, round-about ride home from the dealer on Thursday, I opted to employ a bit of the "MotoMan" method of engine break in on yesterday's ride. I spent 90% of my 65 mile ride on winding back roads, while keeping the RPMS down in the 4 -5.5k range for the majority of the time. After a good engine warm up, I progressively worked my way into the 6, 7, 8, and 9k RPM range during quick accelerations up hills, on the straights, out of turns etc. I also went out of my way to do a bit of extra engine braking on the downhills & into turns.

The bottom line: I came away from yesterday's ride feeling like the bike has all of the power I could possibly need. Accelerations in 3rd and 4th gear put me well into the "you crash/you die" zone. As a 37 year old new father, I won't be spending much time there in the future, so this bike has all of the get-up-and go I need, and then some.

Cruising on the highway: 5th & 6th gears were more than sufficient yesterday. 6th had me comfortably cruising @ 65 - 75 mph while humming along in the 5k - 6k RPM range. I was a bit concerned that the engine seemed to be working a little harder than I wanted at those speeds during ride #1, but not at all during yesterday's ride.

Other Impressions: Once again, I found the bike incredibly easy to ride. Super stable, GREAT ergos and just great all around. I'm VERY, VERY happy that I chose this bike over the much more expensive "adventure" machines such as the Triumph Tiger 800 and BMW F700gs. The bike does EVERYTHING I need it to with PLENTY of room to spare.

Leo Vince exhaust: I know that a slip on is not supposed to add HP, but call me crazy - the bike just seemed more responsive with it on (and looks a lot better too!). As per Sensei SandMantis's (from the CBR500 forum) advice, I left the baffel out of the exhaust. It's got a deeper, slightly louder tone but is still very acceptable from an overall DB standpoint. I wouldn't call it overly loud in the slightest - it's simply more "audibly" noticeable and a lot more aggressive than the stock exhaust. I think it'll be a bit safer out on the roads too simply because it will help *a bit* to raise awareness of your presence.

Next mods: Center stand is on the way (thanks for the help with the part # Rob-Houston!) along with 12 volt power outlet.

GREAT bike!!!!!

Pic from yesterday, post ride:

Some aftermarket pipes can yield more HP on the top end of the rev scale, but more importantly they flow better and thus the engine can release those exhaust gasses faster and thus revs quicker. How much? Tough to say as a new exhaust makes and bike "feel" faster as it sounds better.

most importantly for me, what is your fuel economy? actual? not what the gauge says..

There's a thread here:

http://www.cbr500riders.com/forum/cbr500-general-discussion-forum/

Some of them are reporting the computer mileage and also some are in Imperial gallons. It seems that the computer average mileage is pessimistic compared to the actual.

Local mag just had a side by side comparison of the CB500X and NC700X,
riding like sane people at or just above speed limits on the open roads, not
using too much revs, so, like most people would ride and they got:

500 - 65.7024 MPG
700 - 66.8223 MPG

Yeah, I know.

They commented how they feel the 700 can do even better,
and figured the 500 can't unless ridden at very low revs where
it lacks power to keep up (I got 75MPG on the NC700 taking it easy).

They commented how the 500 pulls away slightly (is faster to accelerate
from stoplights to stoplights) but concluded that the 700 is a better bike
in every way and well worth the extra cash.

As I mentioned before in the NC700 thread, they were blown away with
how agile the 700 is and how light it feels, like the weights are reversed.

Next big thing was the massive torque on the 700.

And third main difference in their opinion was the build quality (finishing
touches, how the panels feel and fit together etc.) I had the same exact
conclusion when I saw both next to each other at a local dealership.

500 felt built to a budget, the 700 didn't.

They DID mention that the 500 is a better beginner's bike because of the
lower torque and a friendlier power delivery (the 700 comes on in one big
lump when you roll on) but that they'd recommend saving money and going
for the 500F.

All good, as long as you don't mind the extra "heft" of the 700. I most certainly did/do. The 700 is a much bigger bike. I love how easy the X is to handle, whether that be while pushing it in and out of my garage or tooling around at very low speeds.

The 500x is much smaller, more nimble, and, after lots of inspection of the two models at the dealership (and now ownership of the 500x) I would not say that the 700 is built that much better than the 500.

I could care less about the MPG differential; 60 - 70 mpg is more than enough for me given all the X has to offer. If I cared about ridiculously good MPGs, I'd just keep riding my T-Dub (85 mph) or better yet, buy a scooter

At the end of the day, to each his own, however. To date, I have been VERY, VERY happy with the CB500X and simply do not feel that I need any more bike (size, speed, HP, etc.) than it has to offer. It's the perfect commuter and day tripper for my needs. Would I want to spend all day on the highway on it? No. Back road cruising & <100 mile rides on the highway: Perfect!

Did you try pushing the 700 around?

It's lower center of gravity makes it feel lighter then the 500 from my
experience and the magazine review makes a big point about that, even
while riding they mentioned how the weights felt as if they were reversed.

The 700X feels considerably lighter then my FZ6 pushing it around the garage
or while riding, it feels like a Duke 690, and yet the FZ6 is actually over 50
lbs lighter then the 700X.

Physical size?
I didn't notice a difference in the showroom, they felt pretty much the
same to me. It's one of those "in yer head" things where you know that
the 500 has to be smaller then a 700 so you exaggerate it. It might be,
but they're both huge compared to my FZ6 and blind folded I don't think
you could tell the difference.

Just sitting on them and trying to rock them left to right the 700 instantly
feels lighter because of the way the engine is mounted.

The same dealership where I tried this is selling the 700 by the bucket loads
and are considering removing the 500 from the floor since people who come
to buy the 500 end up on the 700 when they try them side by side and there's
very little of them that go with the 500.

I'm really surprised the 500 is getting so much attention after seeing it in person.
(I've done 4 test rides on the 700 btw, i'm not just surfing the dealerships.)

Like I said, to each his own.

No one can keep the 500x, especially the ABS version, in stock here in the US. Not the case with the 700x (plenty of those on the floor).

Glad you like your 700x and that it works for you man. I love my 500x and it works for me. Could have purchased either (money is not an issue) but liked the 500x a lot more and it fit me better (seat height is higher on the 700x too).

Have fun with your bike.

thanks for the info guys. i was originally going to buy a 500x but settled on a DL650 and to date i'm glad i did. I was just wondering fuel mileage for my own sake.

i need to find a someplace that would let me test ride one though. oh well.

Actual would be nice, a lot of owners are saying the gauge is reading 10 to 20 percent lower than what they are getting when they do the math themselves.

AMCN mag over here just tested the 500X and found that the on board computer said the average consumption was 4.4L/100km when the actual figure was 3.9L/100km. Computer also said the bike had used 16.6L when in fact it had only used 14.6L. My sons 500R is much the same as these figures.

Have you seen the review of the cb500x on youtube by the nc700x owner, all he talks about is how much lighter the cb500x is compared to his nc700x, both riding and when it's parked, he has them sitting side by side and even moves them around. While riding he coments on how the 500x feels more like a 125cc bike.(I think that's in part 1 of the review, it is a very detailed review in 2 parts that is about 40 minutes long) At the end of part 2 I thought he was going to cum so hard that somebody was going to have to put a bucket under him when going over the build quality of the 500x.
I have sat on both a few times at a motorcycle show, one after another, and no way does the 700x feel lighter. Take a look at the end of the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS0QU2b0FcQ

I would like to see the nc500x guys track their mileage on Fuelly! C'mon guys!!
It may help someone make a decision in the future. I think the NC700X will have better numbers though. 94.6 mpg will be hard to beat!
http://www.fuelly.com/driver/670cc/nc700x

We don't have the 700X here but do have the 700 naked model and the 500X. Test ridden both and moved them around and been all over them, plus ridden sons 500R numerous times now. I agree with what loop said above about both bikes and what the reviewer on you tube said. The 500 feels like a 250 on the road and pushing around a garage, while the 700 feels a lot heavier than my 600 Transalp, though the cog does feel a little lower on the 700.

Even the AMCN mag mentioned the build quality of the 500X and 500R when they did a comparison test with other Lams bikes for sale here.

It makes me wonder whether some markets get slightly different bikes of the same model?

I don't own the 700, check my sig line, that's why it's there, but I have
access to it and have ridden it a lot.

Thnx for the video.

I thought that the 700 was easier to move around the garage
because of the lower weight, like my scooter, which is also rather
heavy but is A LOT easier to move around then the FZ6 which carries
it's weight up high.

I just wish they did the 270 crank on the 500 too and tilted the engine
forward.

Thanks for the video, I'll check it out!