2020 · Cruiser · Buyer's Guide
Bobber Soul, Beginner Budget
Honda built this one around a 471 cc liquid-cooled parallel twin taken from its CB500 family, and that decision defines the bike. You get 46 hp at 8,500 rpm and 32 lb-ft at 6,000 rpm through a 6-speed box with a slipper clutch behind it. Around that engine sits a real bobber silhouette: fat 16-inch rubber at both ends, a 58.7 in wheelbase, blacked-out metal everywhere, and a seat 27.2 in off the ground. ABS and an LED headlight are standard. At 421 lb wet it carries the mass low enough that the number stops mattering.
On the road it behaves the way a Honda usually does: nothing dramatic, nothing that wears you down over time. The low seat and short reach to the ground mean you stop thinking about weight within a block, and the twin pulls cleanly from town speeds without demanding a downshift. It suits the rider who wants the stance and the attitude of a cruiser without the bulk that normally comes attached, and it rewards owners who like changing things. The honest limit is distance. Top speed is 99 mph, the tank holds 3.0 gal, and there is no cruise control, so long interstate days become work.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 46 hp (34 kW) @ 8,500 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 32 lb-ft (43 Nm) @ 6,000 rpm |
| Displacement | 471 cc |
| Engine | Parallel twin |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 296 mm |
| Front tire | 130/90-16 |
| Rear tire | 150/80-16 |
| Wheelbase | 58.7 in (1490 mm) |
| Seat height | 27.2 in (690 mm) |
| Wet weight | 421 lb (191 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 3.0 gal (11.2 L) |
| Top speed | 99 mph (160 km/h) |
| Fuel economy | 62 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Lighting
Safety
Swing a leg over and the first thing that registers is how little effort any of it takes. Feet land flat, the bars come to you, and the machine feels smaller than the spec sheet reads. Fired up, the twin has a low, even beat at idle with a trace of mechanical clatter up top that I happen to like. Roll on and a light buzz arrives through the pegs and grips as the revs climb past the middle of the range, present enough to remind you an engine is doing the work, never enough to numb your hands. The seat puts you low and set back, so you read the road surface through your hips more than your wrists. At a steady 60 to 70 mph the wind sits square on your chest and quietly sets the pace of the day.
This isn't my test ride. It's the pattern I've picked up over years of listening to riders: paddock talk, club nights, and the messages that land in my inbox after someone has put a season on one. On the Rebel, the chatter is unusually consistent.
The engine draws the steadiest praise. Owners describe power that builds in a straight line with real substance in the middle of the rev range, and they use the word refined more than you'd expect in this class. Handling comes up nearly as often. Riders say it holds a line through twisty roads with a lightness the raked-out shape doesn't promise, the wide tires give secure grip, and the suspension takes the edge off broken pavement.
Two complaints recur, and both come from a smaller group. The front brake gets named first: on its own it feels vague and short of bite as speed rises, though with the rear brought in it does the job. The second comes from taller riders. Anyone much over six feet reports the forward pegs fold the knees more than they'd like on a longer ride, and the advice passed around is to sit on one first.
Handlebar lock screw may loosen (safety recall)
The handlebar lock screw can loosen and fall between the frame and stem, potentially interfering with steering. Affects 2023–2025 CMX500, CMX300, and CL500 models. Recall: dealers replace the screw and apply thread-locking agent.
Where this Honda CMX500 Rebel pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the CMX500 Rebel is actually built for.
You get the stance and the ritual, and it is genuinely easy to live with across a long rally week. What you don't get is the big-inch sound and physical presence that scene runs on.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
Small towns, two-lane roads, an unhurried rhythm: this is where the Rebel makes the most sense. Build the day around 3.0 gal of fuel and keep the interstate legs short.
Made for Acadia National Park · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
Honest answer: no. Three gallons, a 99 mph ceiling, no cruise control and no factory luggage system. Loaded two-up across a national park circuit is not this bike's job.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2017–2019
The Bobber That Behaves
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Honda CMX500 Rebel. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
