Honda NX500 Review: The Ultimate Premium Adventure Motorcycle Explained

Honda NX500: This is the new Honda nx500 and it’s the successor to the CB 500x now if you look at its positioning in terms of pricing it sits in the middle of of entry-level Adventure motorcycles like the KTM 390 adventure and the bigger ones like the Kawasaki versus 650 so it cost rupes 5.90 lak X showroom but if you look at its uh engine displacement and

performance numbers it sits very close to the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 which starts at rupe 2.98 lakh X showroom so why is the nx500 so expensive now in theory two of the biggest reasons are obviously the presence of an extra cylinder in the engine and uh the fact that it comes to India via the CBU route but are these the only reasons that it’s so expensive or does it have some more tricks up its sleeve to justify that price tack let’s find out in this article

What’s New in the Honda NX500?

Before we move ahead let me get the updates out of the way so as compared to the cb500x the nx500 is revised or improved on many any fronts first up you get these showa separate function big piston USD Folks at the front unlike the previous model which used to get conventional telescopic folks and the spring rates and damping characteristics of this suspension setup has also been revised for slightly more comfortable uh riding experience and uh the alloy wheels are also slightly lighter than before

Features and Technology

On the feature front you get a new 5 in TFT instrument cluster uh which gets Bluetooth connectivity and has a lot of information on offer now you also get traction control system which can be switched off then of course you get this new design which of course looks uh larger and sportier which by the way is inspired by Honda’s rally motorcycles while I like the design you let us know in the comments whether you like it or not

Engine Performance and Riding Experience

Last but not least the 471cc parallel twin engine has been revised in terms of fueling slightly to give you better acceleration but if you look at the power and talk output numbers they are more or less the same as before at 47 BP and 43 new M of peak talk but the thing that is worth noting here is this is a peach of an engine the engine of the nx500 is smooth refined and has usable torque across the Rev range

The acceleration is not exciting and you don’t feel a sudden surge of acceleration anywhere across the Rev band however the T delivery is strong and flat which means you almost never fall short of the needed drive it has great mid-range and tractability thereby being friendly and relaxed in the city at the same time even 130 kmph on the highway when it sits close to 7,000 RPM feels unstrained

You do feel slight buzz on The Handlebar Beyond 7,000 RPM but you’ll seldom find yourself Crossing that Mark another highlight is clutch operation which feels super light in fact this is one of the lightest clutches I’ve come across so far adding to that is a Sleek gearbox and a precise throttle response all of which concertedly deliver a creamy smooth experience

Exhaust Note

Besides the impressive engine performance the nx500 also greets you with a very nice Bassy exhaust sound which is accompanied by mild pops and crackles let’s give it a listen did you like it let us know in the comment section

Braking and Handling

When it’s time to stop or slow down the Dual Nissen calipers up front offer a a strong bite thereby inspiring a lot of confidence it could do with a better lever feel which feels slightly spongy but that never acts as a serious Downer for a bike that weighs 196 kg and gets a 19in front wheel

The nx500 handles impressively beat switching lanes spiritedly in the city or taking on Corners the bike turns with minimal effort and Carries On with good composure it’s only when you come across undulations around corners that the bike feels wobbly and unset and that’s down to the unforgiving suspension setup

Comfort and Ergonomics

Comfort is the strongest suit of the Honda nx500 now the seat height of 830 mm may look slightly taller on paper but it’s actually very easy to hop on the motorcycle and place both your feet on the ground uh and I’m 5′ 11 in in case you’re curious even if you’re on the shorter side um it’s easily manageable

Now once you’re on the bike you are sitting in a very nice upright and neutral riding position the foot pegs are Center Set uh The Handlebar is very easy to reach it it is wide and the seat especially has a lot of real estate so if you are much larger than me as well uh you won’t find any issues in terms of space or accommodation

Even the cushioning is uh very dense and I rode the motorcycle for close to 3 hours in one go without stopping and I didn’t find any issues with the seed Cushing

Wind Protection and Off-road Capability

Now the wind screen in particular this is an aftermarket wind screen by the way it’s an accessory in Honda big wings catalog doesn’t do a great job of deflecting wind for my height it doesn’t really work uh really well on the highway I have to tuck down a little to wreak any benefits real benefits of this windscreen but if you’re on the shorter side maybe it will work better for you

Now if you want to stand up and ride you can do that as well but uh I must say only on good wide open roads to give some uh relief to your backside off-road is a completely different story uh the motorcycle feels quite topheavy and the suspension doesn’t do a great job of soaking things up

Ride Quality and Suspension Issues

The only thing that disappointed me about the nx500 is the suspension over insignificant undulations like Minor Road joints or manhole covers the bike feels absorbent however give it anything more serious and the NX delivers a jarring ride quality

It lands violently in potholes and bounces off speed Breakers thereby sending a jolt to the rider unless you slow down to crawling speeds even on the highway the ride feels busy almost all the time especially on largely imperfect Mumbai roads

Instrument Cluster and Switchgear

On the feature front the motorcycle has come a long way from from it predecessor the most noteworthy addition is that of a TFT screen which is easy to read on the go in terms of brightness and positioning there is plethora of information on offer along with Bluetooth connectivity and turn BYT navigation

For navigating through different options there’s a cute little joystick on the left side switch gear the overall user interface is complicated to operate the first few times but things get easier over time moreover traction control system can be switched off easily on the Fly via a dedicated button

And in typical Honda fashion the position of turn indicators and hor switches have been interchanged this felt obnoxious during my stint with the bike because I could never reach the hor switch in time

Build Quality and Design

On the brighter side the nx500 is high class in terms of overall quality the paint finish quality of plastic panels and switch gear and the fitment of components feel pretty premium and sturdy almost as good Hondas much bigger bikes

On the design front the nx500 looks different from the CB 500 x in a good way it looks bigger as it has more muscle around the headlamp and fuel tank area despite the headlamp being a smaller unit even the new upside down front folks add to the visual mass of the motorcycle

Final Verdict: Is the Honda NX500 Worth the Price?

When I first hopped on the nx500 and rode it I found it a little vanilla but as I kept on riding it the motorcycle eventually grew on me to be very honest it’s actually quite difficult to find any real fault in this overall package

The highlights for me have been the engine performance the refinement and the overall seating air go although the acceleration is not outright thrilling but uh it’s potent enough to enjoy highspeed cruising and pull off easy overtakes on the highway

But uh what I wish it had better is uh ability to soak up bumps and undulations the ride quality to could have been better uh and that acts as a slight in the overall uh nice package

What is a bigger issue for me is the price tag of the motorcycle at 5.90 lakh X showroom it comes across as quite steep uh while that is understandable because this is a CBU unit but a motorcycle as good as this should have been more accessible

Having said that if you want something that feels more premium and more special than the lights of the 390 adventure and the Himalayan 450 but don’t want to spend as much as 7.7 lakh X Showroom on the Kawasaki versus 650 the Honda nx500 is a no-brainer