2020 Honda CB500X

The 2020 Honda CB500X is a midsized adventure motorcycle ready to hit the backcountry fire roads or carve the daily commute. It is based around the same 471cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine that powers the Rebel 500, CBR500R, and CB500F, but is built for adventure at an economical price point.

In 2019, Honda updated the CB500X with a dirt-minded 19-inch front wheel, longer-travel suspension, taller windscreen, and other bits to increase its off-road focus, while still encompassing worthy on-road merits. Thumbs-up, Honda.

Our testers had the chance to ride the Honda CB500X in comparison to the Kawasaki Versys-X 300 and found that the Honda is “happy to lug along in the dirt with plenty of low-end torque or trot along the highway at a few thousand rpm, all the while netting at least 50 mpg. If you intend to stack miles on your mini ADV, the Honda is a more suitable touring partner.” Growing in popularity for its do-it-all capabilities, the ADV category’s competition is quite stiff and now the smaller and middleweight subcategories have grown in recent years as well. Competition includes the new KTM 390 Adventure, Kawasaki Versys-X 300, BMW G 310 GS, and Suzuki V-Strom 650/650 XT.

There are no significant updates to the CB500X for the 2020 model year. Along with the standard model ($6,699), Honda does offer a CB500X ABS model ($6,999). They are both available in Grand Prix Red.