2026 · Naked Bike · A variant of the CB500 Hornet
Differences between the standard CB500 Hornet and the E-Clutch
Clutchless Confidence, Zero Fuss
The CB500 Hornet in E-Clutch form takes Honda's 471 cc parallel twin, 48 hp and 32 lb-ft, and wraps it in a steel diamond frame with a Showa upside-down fork and a genuine dual-disc front end. The E-Clutch is the reason this trim exists: clutch-by-wire that lets you pull away, stop and change gears without touching the lever, while leaving the lever in place for when you want it. Stall risk disappears and traffic stops taxing your left hand. Around that sits a 5-inch TFT, Honda RoadSync, traction control, ABS and a slipper clutch. That is a lot of hardware for this displacement bracket.
On the road it behaves the way the best Hondas do. Predictable, light in your hands, unbothered by bad pavement, and finished to a standard you notice the moment you grip the bars. It fits the rider who wants one bike for Monday traffic and Saturday's good road and doesn't want either one to be a project. The honest caveat is the engine's temper: the interesting part of the powerband sits high, and stock gearing keeps you under it more often than you'd like. The rear shock is tuned for comfort, so a hard pace over broken asphalt runs it out of answers. One quirk worth knowing is that a loose battery terminal can knock the E-Clutch offline. Tighten it and nothing is harmed.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 48 hp (35 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 32 lb-ft (43 Nm) |
| Displacement | 471 cc |
| Engine | Parallel twin |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 296 mm |
| Front tire | 120/70-17 |
| Rear tire | 160/60-17 |
| Wheelbase | 55.5 in (1410 mm) |
| Seat height | 30.9 in (785 mm) |
| Wet weight | 419 lb (190 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 4.5 gal (17.1 L) |
Equipment check
Connectivity
Drivetrain
Lighting
Safety
The CB500 Hornet E-Clutch (MY2024-E_Clutch) builds on the standard CB500 Hornet: the upgraded hardware, the key spec changes and where its character shifts. The full ride, specs, scoring and verdict are all right here on this page.
None of this comes from a press launch. It is what riders have told me over the years: paddock conversations, owners talking at club nights, and the messages and emails that land in my inbox. Pooled across this bike, the pattern is steady. The chassis and the controls collect more praise than the engine does, and most of the gripes are about where the bike runs out rather than what it does badly.
Riders come back to the front end more than to anything else. The Showa upside-down fork gets credit for a level of control and feel the previous budget setup never delivered, and owners describe it holding its shape when the road surface turns mixed. The brakes land in the same place in the conversation. Twin discs with radial-mount calipers give an initial bite and a range of modulation that owners stepping off the older single-disc machine call a different class of stopping power, and they read it as generous for a bike of this size. The chassis ties it together. Light in the hands, quick to change direction, honest about what the tires are doing, and easy to place through city traffic and corners alike.
The second thing riders volunteer is how little the bike asks of them. Upright seating, a low seat and a slim middle mean shorter riders get their boots down and newcomers stop dreading the first mile. Owners running the E-Clutch talk about how rarely they stall it, and how light the lever feels on the occasions they use it themselves. Then there is the way it looks. Gold fork tubes, full LED lighting and the sharp family styling get mentioned constantly by people who expected an entry-priced bike to announce itself as one. The cockpit feeds the same impression. The color TFT with phone pairing for navigation prompts, music and calls is the piece owners point at first when someone asks about the bike.
The complaints are just as consistent, and they start with the engine once the road opens up. Solo commuting and back roads sit well within what riders expect. Add a passenger and luggage, or hold a sustained pace on the interstate, and owners say it feels stretched. The fork draws the other recurring gripe. It is a clear step up in quality, but there is no damping or preload adjustment, so heavier riders and anyone pushing hard on a smooth road run out of setup options, and some describe it turning harsh over bumps. Past that, a few themes repeat. E-Clutch owners note the weight and the price the system adds. Riders who want clutchless upshifts find nothing offered. And a handful say the soft seat starts working against them after about an hour.
E-Clutch disabled by loose battery terminal
A loose battery connection can cause the E-Clutch system to stop working; the bike may need terminal tightening. No permanent damage.
Front brake judder
One owner reported severe front brake judder at a moderate speed on a 2024 model with only 1,900 miles. The issue is suspected to originate from the brake discs and occurred under warranty.
Where this Honda CB500 Hornet 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 CB500 Hornet is actually built for.
City traffic Monday and a Skyline run Saturday are exactly this bike's two jobs. Clutchless stop-and-go takes the grind out of the commute, and the TFT with RoadSync keeps your phone in your pocket.
Made for Bay Area Ridge Roads · San Francisco / Bay Area · Skyline Boulevard / Alice's Restaurant
If you are there to sharpen your lines rather than chase speed, this fits: clean power, immediate turn-in, brakes you can lean on. Just know the pegs touch down before the tires give up.
Made for Tail of the Dragon · Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway
It will handle 200-mile scenic days and the tank range backs that up. There is no cruise control and nothing between you and the wind, so it shines on the twisty parts and thins out on long interstate slogs.
Made for Highway 1 / Big Sur · Black Hills · Blue Ridge Parkway
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
