2017–2019 · Cruiser · Buyer's Guide
The Bobber That Behaves
Honda built the Rebel around a 471 cc liquid-cooled parallel twin from its CB500 family, retuned to do its best work low in the rev range. You get 46 hp at 8,500 rpm and 33 lb-ft at 6,000, running through a 6-speed box and a chain. The chassis is what really sells the bike: a 58.7 in wheelbase, 16-inch wheels at both ends on fat rubber, a 27.2 in seat, and 419 lb wet carried very close to the ground. That reads as a proper bobber silhouette rather than a small motorcycle dressed up in cruiser costume jewelry.
It behaves the way Honda usually builds things, which means nothing about it surprises you badly. The twin pulls cleanly from town speeds and 99 mph is there on the rare day you want it. Ownership stays cheap: 61 mpg, a simple engine and a chain to look after, and a deep parts scene if you want to change the look. It fits the rider who wants cruiser stance and attitude without 700 lb of motorcycle underneath it. The honest catch is the 2.9 gal tank, which decides how long your riding day is well before your body does.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 46 hp (34 kW) @ 8,500 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 33 lb-ft (45 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 | 419 lb (190 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 2.9 gal (11 L) |
| Top speed | 99 mph (160 km/h) |
| Fuel economy | 61 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Safety
Swing a leg over and the first thing you notice is how little the bike asks of you. Both feet go flat on the pavement, the bars fall close to your hands, and the weight vanishes the moment it comes off the sidestand. Parking lot turns need no planning at all. The twin sounds businesslike rather than theatrical, a firm even beat with some intake noise when you crack the throttle open, and it puts a light buzz through the pegs and grips as the tach climbs. Nothing rattles, nothing clatters. At 55 to 65 mph it sits quiet underneath you and your chest does the work against the air, because there is nothing up front to hide behind. The cockpit is roomier than the bike's size suggests, though tall riders will feel the knee bend after an hour.
Nothing here comes from my own test miles. It comes from riders instead: years of pit lane and parking lot conversations, plus an inbox that never quite empties. Across all of it the Rebel gets talked about in remarkably consistent terms, with wide praise and complaints that stay narrow.
Handling and the engine carry most of the conversation. Owners describe a bike that goes where they point it without effort and holds a line once a corner opens up, and long term riders say the twin has never given them anything to report. Styling is the other constant: the blacked out custom look reads as its own thing next to other small cruisers. Newer riders and those with shorter inseams bring up the low seat unprompted. Running costs draw no complaints, and owners who start changing parts rarely stop at one.
Suspension draws the loudest criticism. Owners describe a firm ride the moment the surface breaks up, with no adjustment worth chasing. Ground clearance is next: ride with any urgency and the pegs start touching down. A few mention a notchy shift action until things warm through, always as a quirk rather than a worry.
No widely-reported issues on record.
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
Top speed
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 looks right parked in a row. Just know that 46 hp and a 2.9 gal tank make long rally-week days work rather than pleasure.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
This is the Rebel's natural habitat. Backroad speeds, frequent stops, 61 mpg, and a shape that fits right in outside a small-town diner.
Made for Acadia National Park · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
Be straight with yourself here. No wind protection, under 3 gal of fuel, and no luggage system means big multi-state days loaded up are the wrong job for this bike.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
