Honda CB500X Coming Soon

RECENT REPORTS SUGGEST THAT HONDA MOTORCYCLE AND SCOOTER INDIA (HMSI) are set to introduce the much talked about CB500X in the market pretty soon. This will be the company’s début middleweight adventure tourer which will be sold exclusively through its Honda BigWing network.

Initially, the CB500X will not be manufactured in India, so expect it to demand a premium over its competitors such as the Benelli TRK 502, which is priced at Rs 4.8 lakh onwards. We reckon that the Honda middleweight could cost around Rs 6 lakh, bringing it closer to the 650-cc territory.

This Honda is powered by a 471-cc parallel-twin that makes 47.5 hp and 43 Nm of torque and comes with a six-speed gearbox equipped with a slipper clutch. What makes the bike an able adventurer is its long-travel 41-mm telescopic fork and the five-step preload-adjustable linked monoshock suspension set-up, not to forget the 19-inch front and 17-inch rear alloy wheels shod with tubeless block-pattern tyres. It will be interesting to see how Indian buyers react to the bike’s 830-millimetre saddle height and 197 kilograms of weight.

Before that, however, you will get to see the latest CBR650R roll out of Honda BigWing across India. The bike gets slight cosmetic updates, new fairing panels, LED lighting, and 2021 body decals to make it stand apart from the outgoing model. The highlight is the premium Showa 41-mm USD big piston fork which surely will improve the new bike’s riding dynamics. Its ECU has also been tweaked to extract more from the engine. The 649-cc in-line four is now BS6-compliant and produces 95 hp and 63 Nm, which is seven hp and three Nm more than before. Expect the 2021 CBR650R to be priced above Rs 8 lakh, thus making it about a lakh of rupees more expensive than before.