CB500X (PC 59)

Honda built this one around a 471 cc liquid-cooled parallel twin making 48 hp and 32 lb-ft, then wrapped it in adventure clothing. Look past the tall screen and the upright stance and you find a road bike underneath: 17-inch wheels at both ends, 5.5 inches of fork travel, a 55.9-inch wheelbase. What it does have is a 4.6-gallon tank, 69 mpg, ABS, an LED headlight, and preload adjustment front and rear. That combination lands it in a narrow but genuinely useful slot, a real distance machine that costs almost nothing to feed.

It ages the way you hope a Honda ages. This engine simply runs, running costs stay low, and the aftermarket will sell you almost anything you want to bolt on. The 31.8-inch seat and 432 lb wet weight keep it manageable at gas stops and in traffic, which matters more on a long trip than any spec sheet suggests. The honest caveat is capacity. With 48 hp, a passenger, and full luggage, long interstate grades ask everything the twin has. And the suspension travel means graded dirt roads, not backcountry.