Honda CL500

Compared to other motorcycles from Honda in the 500cc category, which belong to the conventional categories, the Honda CL500 carves a niche of its own with its unique design. With the blend of styling elements of a traditional scrambler and a naked roadster, the CL500 scores high on individuality. The overall design also has a hint of the design of its Rebel cruisers, further adding to its uniqueness.

The front profile of the Honda CL500 is dominated by a rounded headlamp, which serves as its entire front fascia and features an all-LED illumination, giving a modern appeal to the front profile of the motorcycle. This rounded LED headlamp, which sits within a blacked-out bezel, has a single-pod instrument console above it. The front forks of the Honda CL500 get traditional rubber gaiters, while the rounded turn indicators are mounted on the upper clamps of the front forks.

The side profile of the Honda CL500 is where things started becoming more interesting, as the motorcycle looks like a fusion of many types of motorcycles. The sloping and lean fuel tank of the Honda CL500 has rubber knee pads on either side and looks heavily inspired by that of the Rebel 500. The black-themed engine sits within a tubular trellis frame, while the alloy wheels here are black-themed and come with a multi-spoke pattern.

The prime element of the side profile of the Honda CL500 is its exhaust pipe, which emerges from the engine and flows upwards in a curved manner, with the end can placed beside the seat just like how it is in the case of an old-school scrambler. The wide and double-barrel exhaust pipe of this motorcycle has a silver-finished end garnish and shield over it. Like traditional scramblers, the Honda CL500 also gets a flat and long seat with a ribbed design.

The rear profile of the Honda CL500 looks minimalist, with the motorcycle getting a rounded rectangular LED tail lamp mounted atop the compact rear fender, with the rounded LED turn indicators flanking the tail lamp. The Honda CL500 also gets a scrambler-like handlebar with premium switches on the sides and a single-pod instrument console behind it. This single-pod rounded unit is an all-LCD screen with basic data on offer, including vehicle speed, clock, odometer, trip meters, gear indicator, and fuel gauge.

Adding more enthusiasm and character to the riding dynamics of the Honda CL500 is its overall chassis setup, which too has been derived from the other 500cc Honda motorcycles. However, the riding triangle of the CL500 is very different, with the motorcycle having an upright riding posture, making it belong to a middle ground between a naked roadster and a cruiser. The Honda CL500 has 41mm telescopic forks at the front and twin coil springs with 5-step pre-load adjustment and a round-pipe swing-arm at the back. Riding on 110/80 R19 front and 150/70 R17 rear tyres, the Honda CL500 has a 310mm disc at the front and a 240mm disc at the rear for braking.

The Honda CL500 has the familiar, tried-and-tested, four-stroke, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin, 471cc engine, which also powers other 500cc motorcycles from Honda, such as CBR500R, CB500R and CB500X (now sold as NX500 in global markets). This refined and reliable engine is paired with a 6-speed transmission and churns out 46.2 PS of maximum power and 43.3 Nm of maximum torque. For a motorcycle of its size and visual mass, the engine has an ample amount of performance on tap, making it feel vibrant and energetic to ride.

The Honda CL500 comes equipped with ABS, assist and slipper clutch and emergency stop signal technology as the only safety features on offer.

Banking heavily on the tried-and-tested 500cc platform from Honda, the new CL500 attracts riders more with its unique form of a scrambler-cum-roadster, which gives it a unique sporty but rugged stance. However, while it might not be an authentic roadster, the Honda CL500 comes across as a nice attempt and an easy-to-ride motorcycle for beginners in the middleweight motorcycle space.