2013–2016 · Sport Tourer · Buyer's Guide
Easy Miles, Zero Drama
Honda built the CB500X around a 471 cc liquid-cooled parallel twin making 48 hp at 8,500 rpm and 32 lb-ft at 7,000 rpm, then wrapped it in tall, weather-facing bodywork and a genuinely upright riding position. What matters just as much is what it is not. It runs 17-inch wheels at both ends, a 55.5 in wheelbase and 432 lb wet, so it steers like a street bike rather than a soft-roader. The 4.6 gal tank and six-speed gearbox point the whole package at distance. This is the small-displacement way into sport touring, built on consistency instead of output.
Ridden the way it wants to be ridden, it is a low-effort machine: light steering, a 31.9 in seat that suits a wide spread of riders, and controls that ask nothing of you. It ages well, and that is the real argument here. Reliability is bulletproof, running costs stay low, and parts and accessories are everywhere. The honest caveat is power. A class that normally starts near triple figures gets 48 hp here, and you feel that two-up, loaded, or climbing a long grade at highway speed. On a 2014 bike, confirm the starter relay recall was carried out.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 48 hp (35 kW) @ 8,500 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 32 lb-ft (43 Nm) @ 7,000 rpm |
| Displacement | 471 cc |
| Engine | Parallel twin |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 320 mm |
| Front tire | 120/70-17 |
| Rear tire | 160/60-17 |
| Wheelbase | 55.5 in (1410 mm) |
| Seat height | 31.9 in (810 mm) |
| Wet weight | 432 lb (196 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 4.6 gal (17.3 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Safety
This picture comes from years of listening: paddock conversations, owner chats on club nights, and the messages riders send me directly. For the first-generation CB500X the pattern is clear. Owners talk far more about what goes right than what goes wrong, and the gripes they raise come from individual riders rather than the wider community.
The strongest theme is how little goes wrong. Owners consistently report very few problems and modest bills to keep the bike on the road. Riders describe the twin as smooth and predictable, easy for a newer rider to manage and still fun on the road. Others single out the brakes for strong stopping and good feel. They also mention how light and nimble the bike feels at low speed and in the twisties, and an upright position and seat they happily sit on all day.
These complaints come from individual owners, and none of them comes up again and again. One reports the soft suspension bottoming out over bigger bumps, especially with a passenger or luggage aboard. Taller riders find standing on the pegs cramped once the pavement ends. Riders who know the CB500F or CBR500R say the X turns into corners a little less sharply than its road-focused siblings.
Starter relay safety recall (2014)
Honda recalled certain 2014 CB500X motorcycles because an interruption of electrical system battery voltage could cause the engine to stall or not start, increasing the risk of a crash.
Water pump coolant leak
Some owners report coolant leaking from the water pump weep hole, often occurring around 7,500–12,000 mi (12,000–20,000 km). Usually minor and sometimes self-sealing.
Where this Honda CB500X 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 CB500X is actually built for.
This is your day-ride bike when the road matters more than the speed on it. Comfort, range and easy handling are all there for 200 to 400 mile days; two-up over mountain passes is where it starts working hard.
Made for Black Hills · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
Range and comfort will do the miles for you, but be straight about pace and load. Packed heavy, two-up, at highway speed into a headwind, 48 hp is working near its limit for hours at a time.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
Light, honest and never intimidating, which is exactly what you want when you ride the same technical road every weekend and care about your lines rather than outright speed.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
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 CB500X. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Successor · 2017–2018
Easy Miles, Penny Pincher
Successor · 2019–2021
The Reliable First Adventure
Competitor · 2023
Stable Miles, Minimal Spend
Competitor · 2007–2009
The Supermoto You Can Tour
Competitor · 2004–2006
The SV Heart That Roams
Same Platform · 2013–2015
Accessible Miles, Zero Drama
About the same used price as this bike at 13 yr
Similar Character · 2017–2021
The Twin That Costs Nothing
Similar Character · 2015–2016
Reliable Miles, Low Drama
Roughly $2,400 pricier used than this bike at 10 yr