[GoBlue]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Honda's premium pricing has backfired royally in this instance, as was previously seen from the dispatch figures.

No point flogging a dead horse in every post, IMHO.

They have reduced the price.

Those who were previously disappointed with the price can now get those chequebooks out and book one.

I see a lot of keyboard clacking on the internet, but not as much genuine intent to ride this motorcycle.

[handsofsteel]

I fail to understand why does this pricing fiasco happen with almost every Honda model. First it was the jazz, now the cb500x. Market opinions, once made, are rarely changed. And the moment a model sells well, Honda hikes the price by an obscene amount (cbr650, I am looking at you).
Yes, other companies too have made an odd error here and there (S-cross), but Honda seems to have honed this to a fine art. What a pity for what otherwise, is a decent product, with best in class service costs. Hope Honda does a Maruti and refunds the extra amount in some way to the ‘poor’ customers.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by GoBlue

I see a lot of keyboard clacking on the internet, but not as much genuine intent to ride this motorcycle.

Ah! Problem with the Internet. Anyone can try to become a hero by ridiculing others.

Anyways, back story for my answer -

1. Two of my close friends are buying, so I would have no trouble riding this motorcycle.

2. One of those friends, upgrading from a Pulsar 220, wanted to buy the Versys 650 for the sole reason that my bike was the only big bike he has seen up close. He had never even heard of the CB500X till I sent him that way - purely because I believe it suits a beginner better than the heavy Versys. I truly wish he had upgraded his (self-imposed) budget to consider the Tiger Sport 660 though!

3. Due to the same reason - I'm aware of the discussion with the dealership. And had the answer to your question. Will be able to post the bike pictures in the coming days.

[ebonho]

Government should look into some sort of legislation to disincentivize/clamp down on such blatant repeat price ceiling fishing at the cost of one cohort of disgruntled first buyers. There is something very wrong with this approach even though it's not really breaking any existing law. At least if it was purely Honda Japan there could be some sort of anti dumping whip cracked.

This should definitely be invoked in the absence of any change in laws, duties, cost of goods, etc. which could obviously be external uncontrollable factors impacting price.

My personal opinion. Please do not bite my head off. I'm not clacking here. Just vigorously thumbing a small screen, still sitting in my sweaty cycling tights.

Cheers, Doc

P.S. And no plans of ever doing a Honda. Soulless machines. Once again, my personal opinion.

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Clarified.

2022 manufactured bikes, but not the facelifted ones. No clarity yet if / when the facelift comes to our shores. Honda has a good number of excess kits to assemble and dispose of before that happens!

Honda's premium pricing has backfired royally in this instance, as was previously seen from the dispatch figures. The good news is that this discount seems to have generated some interest in the showrooms.

Well, I was waiting for this new desperately since the last 2 months. I had shared earlier, I absolutely loved this bike, but it was out if my reach for what I was ready to spend on a 2nd bike. I ended booking a G310GS.

This price definitely makes it a better value proposition, but again this is not the facelifted one which kinda makes me sad. I did think for a minute but once you have seen a better version of a bike with better suspension, I am finding it hard to go for this one at 6.7ish on road.

Will stick with the GS for now. If the newer facelifted one would have been launched at this price, then I would have been in trouble. It would have been harder for me to convince to ignore this bike. I had already bought some accessories for the GS while waiting for the delivery. That would have gone waiste.


Rachit

[Snehal Sekhar]

I was looking for a change in bikes after having decided to sell my Interceptor 650. The choices I had narrowed down to were the Vulcan 650, Z650 and Ninja 300. Rideventure Bangalore never offered me a test ride of the Z650 and so I test rode the Ninja 300, which I didn't like one bit. Frankly speaking I never heard of the Honda CB500X until friends from my riding group suggested giving that a try. Got to know that the seat height of the 500X was at 830 mm and that was a big no-no from me. I was only keen on looking at bikes with a seat height of 800 mm or below that.
On the same day I completed my test ride of the Ninja, I went to the BigWing Showroom on Lavelle Road to check on the CB300R and the 500X. One ride was all it took to make me fall in love with the bike. Paid them the 25k booking amount and went home a happy man. This was when the on road price was originally at Rs. 8,52,402.00. I was to go on the 13th to pay them the remaining amount and on Saturday evening, I got to know from buddies from my riding group that the prices were slashed.

Went to the BigWing showroom on Sunday and asked my sales advisor about the discount. He promptly made a few calls and then got back to me with the new discounted price, which I paid immediately. So now, the wait begins for the registration process to complete and my new bike to come home.

I've listed the price of the bike before and after the discount.

[Sebring]

After seeing your bike even I wanted a Versys. Maybe one day, once I settle down In Bangalore . Having never owned a RE/KTM, maybe I don't know what the 'soul' of a bike is but I love my CB 350 to bits, just that I desire more power. I don't think I'll sell it, after I upgrade to a higher class machine. Coming to the 500X, it does make a compelling proposition right now since the new model (2022) is basically a colour change

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

One of those friends, upgrading from a Pulsar 220, wanted to buy the Versys 650 for the sole reason that my bike was the only big bike he has seen up close. He had never even heard of the CB500X till I sent him that way

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

The new price is officially updated on the website now -

Originally Posted by Snehal Sekhar

Got to know that the seat height of the 500X was at 830 mm and that was a big no-no from me. I was only keen on looking at bikes with a seat height of 800 mm or below that.

Congrats Snehal.

Had heard of your purchase decision from the riding groups. Initially I was surprised because I remember you were concerned about seat height when changing from the Harley to the Interceptor itself, and the Honda being an ADV. But then - Honda knows the art of making the weight disappear, have experienced that with the Africa Twin.

My friend too, being new to big bikes, found himself the most comfortable on the CB500X, even more so than naked bikes like the CB650R, Trident 660 and Z900.

Originally Posted by Sebring

After seeing your bike even I wanted a Versys. Maybe one day, once I settle down In Bangalore .

Versys doesn't make sense anymore, new. The current bike is exactly the same as my 2016 model - except for some console and sticker changes. Facelifted version should have been launched in the market, like yesterday.

But before you pick up the Versys - I'll be picking up something from your stable, hopefully in the same colour shade too - if that company finally manages to get their act together and start deliveries.

Originally Posted by Sebring

Coming to the 500X, it does make a compelling proposition right now since the new model (2022) is basically a colour change

Not at all! 2022 version gets significant upgrades, especially with the addition of Showa SFF suspension and dual disc brakes. Most reviews say the new bike is much improved than the version we have in the market.

https://youtu.be/ABbzT51sqTQ

[shancz]

Welcome the price decrease for future owners but also unfair for existing ones in equal measures.
I would've expected Honda to have done their homework before the launch not an year after that and then they'll cry that the market isn't mature enough for big bikes

Still 6 lakhs on road is the max I would go but 5.5 is reasonable for all it has to offer considering the 390Adv retails at 4.2 lakhs on road.
Not to forget stuff like this has already happened : Topline Issues (Honda reduces sales and service coverage for 500+ cc motorcycles. Options for existing owners?).

[Nilesh5417]

Is this an exercise in clearing the kits of the 2021 model before the refresh comes in. I mean not just those sitting here locally but also from other markets (Thailand is it?)?

"Prices are subject to change without prior notice" - this line in the above post from Crazy_Driver is not the fine print it usually is. Pretty large font - like they want to ensure it gets the attention.

What ever it be - for those who liked the current version of CB500X and have been sitting on the fence, the deal won't get any better than this probably.

Congrats Snehal! Please do share your ownership experience.

Also, the 2022 bike comes with decent upgrades I read - USD forks, both forks with pre-load adjustments, dual discs upfront. Some tweaks to swingarm as well thrown in I think. In all probability, the prices will go back up unless Honda decides to surprise us.

[Cyborg]

Honda will do what they want, they don’t seem to bother too much about what customers think about their pricing. This price drop scenario could also be, not only to push this bike (2021 model) along but mainly to generate some extra cash flow in these tight Covid times.

Great for the people, especially ones like Snehal Sekhar who were buying the bike and ended up saving 1.xx lacs due to their timing and bad for someone who’s just taken delivery at the higher price point. Congratulations Snehal, look forward to your delivery pictures and an ownership review.

Cheers

[neil.jericho]

First off, congratulations to my buddy Snehal on his upcoming CB500X. Having ridden with him for many years, I certainly feel that this is the perfect motorcycle for his usage and I know that he will clock tens of thousands of kilometers with a big smile on his face.

Also, let me be the first to offer my advance congratulations to another TBHPian who will also be getting delivery of his CB500X very soon. Sorry folks, I cant offer any clues to who it is but again, this is yet another rider who is picking up the perfect motorcycle for his usage.

Which brings me to the CB500X. Not pointing out anyone specifically here but there will be someone on this forum who will find it overpriced and give the following feedback, even if Honda sells it at
- Rs 6.87 L (lol terribly overpriced, what was Honda smoking lol)
- Rs 5.79 L (lol still overpriced by Rs 1.3 L lol)
- Rs 4.57 L (lol Honda realized their mistake, still KTM Adv 390 makes this look extremely overpriced lol)
- Rs 3.45 L (lol Interceptor is also a twin and is cheaper, overpriced Hondas wont sell even one 1 bike lol)

Right or wrong, everyone has an opinion and each of us has a different perception of value and what we are looking for in a bike. My suggestion is to test ride the bike with an open mind and weigh the CB500X on its actual merits and demerits. Sitting and reading specifications and comparing BHP to rupee does seem rather sacrilegious on a forum that is filled with enthusiasts. If this was www.HeroHondaCD100fans.com/forum/ then its a different story but last I checked, this was Team BHP!

Meanwhile, the uncle next door thinks to himself, "Lol, I cant believe Neil paid more than Rs 2 L for a Royal Enfield motorcycle when my Splendor cost less than 1/3rd of it, gives 2.5x the mileage and is more comfortable. Lol overpriced Royal Enfield bikes lol".

[ebonho]

Not pointing at anyone particular here either, but when you talk about objectivity and value perception and then defend a 45 ish bhp bike costing 7-8 lacs, that does not sound objective at all.

Let's call a spade a spade. By test riding a spade it's not going to become Thor's hammer. It's still going to be a very overpriced spade. And any uncle who buys it is still not going to have lightning shoot out of his eyes.

Value propositions differ from person to person. Beyond a point, it's not about fiscal affordability at all, but mental reluctance to be made a fool out of even if you like what you see.

Cheers, Doc

[bf1983]

Originally Posted by Nilesh5417

Also, the 2022 bike comes with decent upgrades I read - USD forks, both forks with pre-load adjustments, dual discs upfront. Some tweaks to swingarm as well thrown in I think. In all probability, the prices will go back up unless Honda decides to surprise us.

The new upgrades are definitely decent. The USD forks should improve the handling and the double discs will definitely improve the braking performance. However the front forks are not adjustable given that even the 650cc bikes lack adjustable front forks. I think Honda has ordered a huge quantity of 41mm Showa BFF forks as they are installing them in all sorts of bikes from the CB300 series to even the 650cc series. Good for customers as Showa know how to make good quality suspensions.

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

What I meant was that as a given, our Indian market doesn’t usually get the global top cream with all the bells and whistles (quality wise as well as feature wise) when it comes to automobiles in general. I’m talking about the CKDs and not the CBUs. The case of the 500X could be different of course (I’m positive that it’s a CKD), but I was addressing a generality.

So true! Even Kawasaki sells the heavily outdated Ninja 300 in India which is not sold anywhere else in the world.

And worse off they still do a decent 150+ numbers per month given the limited reach of Kawasaki in India. So people are fine spending so much on a heavily outdated bike.

Originally Posted by ebonho

Not pointing at anyone particular here either, but when you talk about objectivity and value perception and then defend a 45 ish bhp bike costing 7-8 lacs, that does not sound objective at all.

Very true doc. At the end of the day there is no getting around that the CB500x is an A2 class motorcycle like the KTM Adventure 390 that is meant for beginner riders who want a transition bike till they can get a bigger more powerful motorcycle.

I am most curious to see what Triumph price their Tiger 660 at as if it's close to the Honda's pricing then it's going to be even more difficult for Honda to sell the new 2022 version given the almost 40 bhp deficit between the Tiger and the CB500x.

[GoBlue]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Right or wrong, everyone has an opinion and each of us has a different perception of value and what we are looking for in a bike. My suggestion is to test ride the bike with an open mind and weigh the CB500X on its actual merits and demerits. Sitting and reading specifications and comparing BHP to rupee does seem rather sacrilegious on a forum that is filled with enthusiasts. If this was www.HeroHondaCD100fans.com/forum/ then its a different story but last I checked, this was Team BHP!

Completely agree with every word of the quoted paragraph. Hoping to see more of such balanced views shared more often on this forum, rather than mere morsels of entertainment. It's easy to ridicule in isolation, difficult to understand another's perspective and even more challenging to have an open enough mind to have the guts to respect it.

Originally Posted by Snehal Sekhar

One ride was all it took to make me fall in love with the bike.

Congratulations!

Do let us know what was it that made you fall in love with the bike.