10 Reasons The 2024 Honda NX500 Is Better Than The CB500X
07/05/2024
The Honda CB500X was one of the most balanced adventure bikes you could buy. It was quick on its feet while being unintimidating, it handled beautifully on all kinds of terrain, and it was as versatile as an ADV can get. It took a while to get there, though, as its earlier iterations weren’t so perfect. Still, the ADV managed to carve a niche for itself. Some bikers even ditched their full-size ADVs for this one!
When you have such a perfect formula at hand, things are bound to get tricky. After all, how do you make it better? As tricky as this may seem, Honda shows us how with its new-for-2024 NX500. The NX500 takes over from the CB500X as the company’s new mid-capacity adventure option, with a series of updates. This new bike still retains the charm of the CB, but the subtle changes culminate into a much better motorcycle on the road. Here’s how the NX500 manages to outperform the CB500X.
In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Suzuki and other authoritative sources, including Motorcyclenews.com and Motorcycle.com.
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The Name Lives Up To The Bike, Finally
Many bike enthusiasts believe that the Honda CB tag stands for ‘city bike.’ If that’s the case, the CB500X name could never live up to the middleweight adventure bike. Yes, the bike handles beautifully in the city, but it’s much more than that. It’s always been a versatile motorcycle that can handle everything from city blocks to highways and trails to twisties.
Fortunately, Honda has changed its name to NX500 now. Here, NX stands for New X-over (crossover), which perfectly describes the bike. It’s a crossover that can handle almost all kinds of terrain. Don’t mistake it for an off-road focussed bike, though; this one is an all-rounder, best suited for touring.
Same Simplicity With More Flair
The CB500X was already a gorgeous motorcycle; its design was inviting and simple while still having an imposing stance. The NX500 carries the same simplicity, directed by the Daily Crossover theme, with a few subtle improvements. These new additions include new wheels, sleeker front fairing, and new generation headlights. The NX500 looks more adventure-ready while maintaining the friendly appeal of its predecessor.
Design Highlights
Tighter chin up front gives the bike a seemingly taller stance
In true Honda fashion, the headers look awesome
New Y-shape 5-spoke wheels look sleek
Minimal rear end adds just the right amount of balance
Parallel-twin engine is put on a gorgeous display
New TFT Thats Bright Enough Now
One of our biggest gripes with the CB500X was its instrument fluster. The negative LCD was tiny and illegible in bright sunlight. It didn’t display a lot of information, either. It was honestly a hassle to use. Honda has fixed that issue with a new 5-inch full-color TFT display borrowed from the XL750 Transalp.
The new TFT display uses optical boning, which improves visibility under harsh sunlight — this was much needed on the motorcycle. Additionally, the coverglass and TFT screen gap are sealed with resin, reducing glare and improving backlight transmittance. The screen is also customizable with three patterns–Simple, Circle, and Bar–to suit your mood.
Honda XL750_Transalp 7
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Addition Of Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC)
Considering the bike’s performance, it’s no surprise that a lot of new riders will be hopping on the NX500. And some of these riders may not be so experienced at throttle control, especially on dirt roads, where the rear might come loose. Here, traction control can come in handy.
This is why the NX500 comes with HSTC. This system automatically reduces torque output when it senses loss of rear wheel traction. You won’t have to worry about the rear wheel washing out from under you. And when you want to get frisky, you can always turn it off and channel your inner Tokyo Drift fan.
Better Visibility At Night Thanks To New LED Lights
The NX500 also gets new LED headlights, which produce a wider light distribution while maintaining beam penetration. So, during night rides, the revised headlights will allow you to see afar as well as the sides of the road. This is an excellent addition to an ADV, making dusk to dawn rides every so safe. The headlights are complemented by LED taillight and indicators, too.
Wheels Not Only Look Better But Are Lighter, Too
One of the significant updates on the NX500 over the CB500X is the wheels. The latter had Y-shaped 7-spoke wheels whereas the NX gets Y-shaped 5-spoke wheels. According to Big Red, these new cast-aluminum wheels are lighter by 28.2 ounces front and 24.7 ounces rear. Overall, they save around 3.3 pounds of unsprung mass.
While it may not look like much, even a pound of unsprung mass weight saving can make a massive difference on the road. This subtle change alone improves suspension behavior and handling characteristics, adding to the overall control of the bike. It may also make the rear wheel less bouncy on rough roads.
A Strict Diet Brings 7 Pounds of Weight Loss
Curb Weight: 432 lbs
Speaking of weight savings, the NX500 is also lighter than its predecessor. The bike weighs 432 pounds, 7 pounds lighter than the CB500X. Honda isn’t clear on what contributes to this weight loss, except for new wheels. We can guess it would be the new bodywork since most underpinnings (chassis, suspension, and engine) remain unchanged. These changes make the middleweight adventure bike even more approachable for beginners!
Chassis and Dimensions Specifications
Chassis Type
Steel diamond
Rake
27 degrees
Trail
4.3 in
Length
85.2 in
Width
32.7 in
Height
56.8 in
Ground Clearance
7.1 in
Seat Height
32.8 in
Wheelbase
56.8 in
Fuel Capacity
4.7 gal
(Specs sourced from Honda)
2024 Honda NX500
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Re-tuned Rear Suspension For Better Road Manners
The CB500X was a well-mannered motorcycle on the road; it felt confident. The suspension handled everything with composure, courtesy of the high-quality Showa suspension. But the rear shock was not up to the task. On bad roads, the monoshock felt a bit bouncy, taking away from the overall panted feel of the motorcycle.
To fix this issue, Honda has updated the rear monoshock with retuned settings, bringing it on par with those of the front forks. This, along with lighter wheels, will make the rear wheel feel less bouncy and more planted. Everything else, including suspension travel and steering geometry, remains unchanged on the NX500.
Suspension and Brakes Specifications
Front Suspension
41mm Showa Separate Function Fork Big Piston (SFF-BP) USD forks
Front Suspension Travel
5.2 in
Rear Suspension
Pro-Link single shock with nine-position spring preload adjustability
Rear Suspension Travel
5.3 in
Front Brakes
Dual axial-mounted Nissin two-piston calipers with 296mm petal discs
Rear Brakes
Single one-piston caliper with 240mm petal disc
Front Tires
110/80-19
Rear Tires
160-60-17
(Specs sourced from Honda)
Same Powerplant But Briskier Performance
Power Output: 46.93 HP @ 8,600 RPM
Our favorite aspect of this motorcycle is the peach of an engine — the parallel-twin engine offers a balanced performance that’s lacking in its rivals. For instance, the engine is tractable with a linear power delivery between 3,000 and 7,000 RPM, and the top end is zippy. Whether you are stuck in traffic, cruising on the highway, or cornering, the engine feels at ease and smooth.
For the NX500, Honda hasn’t fiddled around much, except retuning the ECU for better throttle response. That’s not a significant change, but when you consider the overall lighter weight of the bike, the real-world difference should be noticeable.
Punya Sharma, Junior Editor at TopSpeed.com, says
The CB500X’s 471cc engine is an utterly tractable powerhouse in a sea of peaky singles. No matter what the gear or RPM, you’ll always have enough juice to chug along and kick that rear on command!
Engine Highlights
Relatively straight shot of airflow feeds the PGM-FI for responsive throttle
Crankshaft pins are phased at 180 degrees
Primary couple-balancer sits behind the cylinders, closer to the bikes center of gravity
Crank counterweight is shaped for couple-balance, reducing inertial and allowing the engine to rev freely
Head uses roller rocker arms, and shim-type valve adjustment allows them to be light for lower friction and valve-spring load
SV silent cam chains surface is treated with vanadium, reducing friction and wear
Crankcases use centrifugally cast thin-walled sleeves that reduce pumping losses
Deep oil sump reduces fluid movement under hard braking and cornering
Slip and assist clutch reduces rear-wheel hop under hard downshifts
Performance Specifications
Engine Type
Liquid-cooled parallel-twin, DOHC, 180-degree firing order
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All These Improvements For A Small Price Worth It!
Starting MSRP: $7,399
For many bikers (including us), the Honda CB500X was already a perfect motorcycle. Its demerits never came in the way of enjoying the bike. Honda has taken this already awesome motorcycle and improved it in the NX500 avatar. Apart from the sharper styling, you also get other niceties that were missing from its predecessor. You get a lighter bike with better-tuned suspension and more features. Take it to the twisties, get stuck in traffic with it, or jump it over rocks on trails — the NX500 will do it happily, without complaints. It’s honestly hard to fault this bike (our only gripe being the single black color option, even though Europe gets white and red ones shown above).
But the best part of this package? All these improvements come at a marginal cost of $100 over the $7,299 CB500X! That’s a small and well-justified price to pay, right on par with its smaller rivals, like the KTM 390 Adventure ($7,399). Meanwhile, its bigger 650cc rivals cost significantly more — Kawasaki Versys 650 LT ABS at $10,099 and Suzuki V-Strom 650 at $9,199. It’s the most reliable bang for your buck in this segment.
