[surjaonwheelz]

This Sunday, media ride reports would be out. Seems they had an outing in Gurgaon off-road environment. Hope the same bikes are sent to showrooms for test rides. They were still not registered for the media event.

I don't want to buy it but want to test ride it for the hype!

Cheers,
surjaonwheelz

[neil.jericho]

The media embargo gets lifted on the 27th of March, it will be interesting to see how the Indian media judges the CB500X and its pricing in our market.

If anyone is interested in the CB500X but feels that it is a little too soft for offroading use, do look up the Rally Raid kits that are available for the bike. They certainly strengthen the bike's capabilities when the going gets tough. It may not be cheap though.

Here are some pictures of the media test rides from Honda's social media page.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Demand isn't high - maybe production is low, or just an artificial waiting period to show a lot of demand!

Over the last twelve months - KTM just sold an average of just 557 units of the 390 range (Duke, RC and ADV combined - breakup not revealed). Considering even 50% of those sales being only 390 ADVs - that's just about 275 bikes per month for the last one year.

Kerala is an orange state but even here, the Adv 390 has sold miserably. If I had to guess, I would say less than 10% of KTMs 390 sales pan India are from the Adv platform. I wont be surprised if it is well below 5%.

Originally Posted by aargee

Last Saturday, I went to a showroom near my home, the large showroom was empty with just 2 Dukes & one bloke (ofcourse meddling with mobile). Asking about 390 Adv, he said, no showroom in Chennai has the bike & it's only available on booking. We smiled & walked away.

Its a similar situation here. No test ride bikes and dealers are least interested. I had gone a few months ago and asked for a test ride of the Adv 250. Till today nobody has contacted me.

[drt_rdr]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

If anyone is interested in the CB500X but feels that it is a little too soft for offroading use, do look up the Rally Raid kits that are available for the bike. They certainly strengthen the bike's capabilities when the going gets tough. It may not be cheap though.

I hope people aren't expecting to do any kind of serious offroading with this bike, Rally Raid kit on or not.

The actual concern for rougher offroad use is the 200 kgs of metal between your legs and how well you can avoid that heft from taking it's pound of flesh from you.

BUT

The bike should be able to handle basic offroading with adequate class on the stock suspension. That supposedly mellow twin and the slipper clutch should likely help keep things fairly easy too.

[Sebring]

So I had a chance meeting with the 500X today. I was passing by UB City and the bike was on display. Lovely bike, such a shame about its price. Smitten by its looks, the engine note and the soft off road capabilities (TD to start from next week). The first two pieces have been snapped up I believe. Rest of the deliveries are against orders. Tyres are Dunlop

[Venkatesh]

Honda CB500X first ride reviews

https://youtu.be/1CPi4tevWvI

https://youtu.be/k-Uy2YvhYO0

https://youtu.be/7hEk2ZXc7xk

https://youtu.be/vmovpuwOyVM

[Funny]

Edit: Few more of the reviews..

ZigWheels:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz7hAxdUECU

Gaadiwaadi:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD7v_iPi70I

MotorOctane:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On-SoroJ4s0

BikeWale:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYy4kgtBswQ

MotorBeam:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m35hq2wdto0

Motown India:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHJC4toHJxw

[drt_rdr]

Summary of the reviews: "Bike good, does everything* you want, buy it if you have enough kidneys to afford it."

*Terms and conditions apply. Read the spec sheet carefully before investing.

---

The 500X being within the same ballpark of capability as the Adv390, I'm surprised this thing didn't get railed on as hard as the Adv390 did by our journos.

I mean I was expecting comments like:

"This thing has no adjustable suspension and no spoke wheels. Can this thing even stand still on dirt?"

"Only adjustable thing on this is the buyer's wallet."

"CB 500X? More like CB unicorn on stilts and steroids."

"At this price point, this bike is a stupid man's Himalayan."

[Kashi053]

I genuinely waited for almost 2 years for this bike. Almost saw every damn CB500X video in YouTube. I admire Honda's engine and hoping this will be a good upgrade. The price is so high that I can't even afford this now. Feels so disappointed and getting angry at Honda's ruthless decision. Indians admire and respect Honda a lot but looks like Honda is not reciprocating 5% of how we treat them. No more waiting for any Honda bikes. I'll rather wait and pay 1.5L extra for V Strom instead of this.

[imranstael]

Mainstream Media outlet Auto/Moto reviews in India are basically a complete sham.

Every Manufacturer spends bucketloads of money to buy reviews, and every review is a brainless regurgitation of the spec sheet with nothing but praise for every vehicle.

They're all just extended marketing wings of the automobile brands at this point. A few independent channels exist but they are very few and far in between. In fact I would rather lean towards vehicles that are irrationally reviewed poorly by these puppets as a sign that the manufacturer isn't interested in playing these games.

The KTM 390 ADV is a classic example of bad reviews by Indian outlets and nothing but praise from reviewers in Europe, Australia and the USA.
What's further amusing is that half the reviewers here look like they don't ride ADVs/dirt bikes at all, yet are reviewing this segment.

Originally Posted by Funny

Edit: Few more of the reviews..

Just look at what the "experts" are wearing! Excuse me if I am skeptical taking advice from a bunch of people in denims and sneakers about the offroad (or even on road for that matter) capabilities of a motorcycle.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by drt_rdr

I hope people aren't expecting to do any kind of serious offroading with this bike, Rally Raid kit on or not.

The actual concern for rougher offroad use is the 200 kgs of metal between your legs and how well you can avoid that heft from taking it's pound of flesh from you.

BUT

The bike should be able to handle basic offroading with adequate class on the stock suspension. That supposedly mellow twin and the slipper clutch should likely help keep things fairly easy too.

I agree. The Rally Raid kit wont turn it into a Honda CRF250 or a Suzuki DR-Z400. But for those who plan to deal with a bit of rough stuff, the Rally Raid kit can help.

Originally Posted by drt_rdr

Honda's kickbacks must've been sweet. The 500X being within the same ballpark of capability as the Adv390, I'm surprised this thing didn't get railed on as hard as the Adv390 did by our journos.

But Honda isnt advertising this as something to take on the dirt. Yes, they did arrange for some very light rough roading (at least that is what I could gather from the 2 - 3 videos that I watched) but it looked like it was more to show the all round capabilities of the motorcycle. If I had been in Honda, I wouldnt have even bothered with setting up that part of the test ride.

The first sentence under the bikes Feature's section on its official web page is "Whether you want to take a brief trip through the rough city streets, or explore the endless vistas of the open road, the CB500X is ready." If this doesnt clearly state how Honda has positioned it, I dont know what will.

As a bike that can do your weekday commute, weekend breakfast rides and the quarterly week long tours, this bike excels. And the reviews which I saw, all highlighted this.

And yes, all the reviews that I saw also hammered Honda for its ridiculous pricing, which we all agree is a massive mistake on their part. I hope Honda has taken into consideration the feedback from biking enthusiasts and the media and "corrects" the pricing.

Originally Posted by imranstael

The KTM 390 ADV is a classic example of bad reviews by Indian outlets and nothing but praise from reviewers in Europe, Australia and the USA.
What's further amusing is that half the reviewers here look like they don't ride ADVs/dirt bikes at all, yet are reviewing this segment.

If you do go back and check, you will see that KTM erred greatly in providing an extremely technical offroad track to be the venue for the launch of the Adv 390. This did nothing to highlight the real capabilities of the bike and it may have been too much for all the invited media to handle, even on bikes purpose built for pure offroading.

If you look at people in the US for example, riding the same Adv 390 on fire roads and other back roads, the bike is able to hold its own really well because those conditions are better suited to the KTMs strengths. KTMs event launch mistake would be akin to an Indian cricket ground curator providing seaming wickets that would not give the home team the advantage in a test match against a seam heavy visiting opposition.

But from what I can see of Honda's press event, the rough riding parts were fairly simple and highlighted the bikes capabilities without taxing the reviewers.

Even if we keep apart the Indian media and its potential biases, perceived or not, the CB500X has been on sale for years and its been reviewed and ridden by everyone worth their salt and its capabilities are very well known.

[Nilesh5417]

Supposedly this is Honda's entry level and affordable big bike globally that is to attract new riders to motorcycle riding. Yet for India, Honda has simply retained the entry level character while pricing it at a premium based on what considerations is what beats me? Is Honda's thinking that simple / reliable / no-nonsense should command a premium here and not be the most basic expectation?

[drt_rdr]

I'm just poking fun at the moodswings of our pros.

But to get a bit serious...

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

But Honda isnt advertising this as something to take on the dirt.

I wouldn't say they're not. It is an adventure bike after all and some amount of dirt capability is inherently expected and advertised.

But you're right in the fact that they're not being as stupid about it as KTM was. It was KTM's own fault for leading our impressionable journos on with teases that just riding a adv390 could turn them into heroes on the dirt.

The fact that these journo opinions are dependant on what marketing drivel the companies feed them is an indicator of the kind of journalism here. Such vastly different opinions on such similarly specced bikes.

I mean we know how crazy some of those journo opinions in the past have been, like putting down the adv390 as barely an adventure bike and not much more than a duke. And yet, this 500X is somehow night and day different to them.

The first sentence under the bikes Feature's section on its official web page is "Whether you want to take a brief trip through the rough city streets, or explore the endless vistas of the open road, the CB500X is ready." If this doesnt clearly state how Honda has positioned it, I dont know what will.

Sorry, Neil, I can't buy into this. If we're gonna go by Honda's marketing junk, the first thing you see when you open the 500X's page is a picture of it parked over a rocky area beside a lake.

If that picture doesn't speak a thousand words about offroadability to you, here's a couple of quotes from the website that kind of contradict the image your quote evokes:

"The CB500X has a tough look that exudes adventure. Inspired by the legendary Africa Twin..."

"This is a bike designed to handle any kind of terrain."

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

But Honda isnt advertising this as something to take on the dirt.

Excerpts from the Honda Press release -

Mr. Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Director – Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd., said, “Driven by the passion of fun riders in India and further strengthening our offerings in the mid-size premium motorcycle segment, CB500X will entice adventure enthusiasts who believe in exploring unconventional trails. This machine serves as a companion for city rides and is beast on unraveled paths.

[Sebring]

That's some dangerous ground you're treading on, by suggesting kickbacks. Why cant you digest a 'pure riding machine'? And if Honda has decided to price it a certain way, then it is really their look out. Did you take a test ride? Pricing apart (We're not going to buy it, anyways), whats your feedback on the riding dynamics? How is the machine! Does it give you a sense of freedom! That's what I want to know (Please don't take it otherwise)

Originally Posted by drt_rdr

Honda's kickbacks must've been sweet. The 500X being within the same ballpark of capability as the Adv390, I'm surprised this thing didn't get railed on as hard as the Adv390 did by our journos.

[010101]

Other than this bike being a Honda, with decent ground clearance ( 181 mm - About the same as a TVS Apache 2004V ) and it having a 500 cc engine, I do not think this bike has any stand-out feature. It looks like we are paying for the Honda badge more than anything. It would be fun to see Royal Enfield come up with a Himalayan 650 and price it lower than this.