[nasirkaka]

I absolutely hate this strategy of overpricing the product to test the market and shortly cutting the price down like what Honda is done here. I have gone through one such experience with buying the first lot BMW 310GS where the price was slashed by 1+L within a year. On top, the new under-priced bikes were updated with better features. Its a range of emotions with feeling of sadness, anger, helplessness etc. I have lost all respect for BMW motorrad India and most likely will never ever buy their product, even if i could afford.

Big auto giants such as these should do their market analysis, positioning etc and price their products accordingly. And not play around with customers emotions and their hard earned money.

Coming back to CB500X, i was very excited when i heard the CB500X was being launched in India. Spend some time on net and the bike did come across to suit my requirements very well. I was looking at upgrading from the 310GS to a bike which is relatively powerful, smoother, not very heavy and still has the comfortable suspension the baby GS offers, and 500X seemed to fit the bill very well.

All my excitements died at the price point it was launched at, so much that i did not even go to test ride the bike. With this revised pricing (7.2L OTR Bangalore) its still feels overpriced for a 500cc twin making under 50bhp and having limited off-roading capability. I would have traded my 310GS if it was priced at around 6L which to me is sweet price spot for what the bike brings to the table.

Going by the way new bikes are being introduced in our market, and ADV segment picking up, am sure soon i will have some other choice in the market in similar segment. Maybe a KTM 490 adv with parallel twin?

[ranjitnair77]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

I absolutely hate this strategy of overpricing the product to test the market and shortly cutting the price down like what Honda is done here.

I would have traded my 310GS if it was priced at around 6L which to me is sweet price spot for what the bike brings to the table.

It's frustrating when OEMs do that. Sometimes I wonder if you should rush in and buy a newly launched product without allowing things to settle down for a bit. But then again, there are instances of arbitrary price hikes. I got the BS4 V-Strom, the year it was launched and then they hiked the price by 1.5L just for BS6.

It's almost like bikes are too pricey when you want to buy one and cheap when you are looking to sell. We never win

The 500x may still be expensive after the price cut but it might be the perfect bike for you. If that's indeed the case, a stretch of 1.2L isn't that bad for the right motorcycle. You might have noticed that almost all premium ADVs are very expensive now and the prices seem to be headed only in one direction.

[nasirkaka]

The 500x may still be expensive after the price cut but it might be the perfect bike for you. If that's indeed the case, a stretch of 1.2L isn't that bad for the right motorcycle. You might have noticed that almost all premium ADVs are very expensive now and the prices seem to be headed only in one direction.

Ideally it would have been, but my interest in the 500x is further killed by the fact that overtime, i have modified the interceptor on the scrambler line. I dont see CB500X offering much over the interceptor which is now very upright, with improved suspension on front, can easily handle mild offroad, standing on the pegs comfortably. With some of the recent changes, i have been really enjoying the bike of late, some more mods are in pipeline. So a new bike itch is not strong. Will pass this one and hoping RE surprises us with all new 45BHP himalayan 450 or Ktm with 490 adv.

[neil.jericho]

Congratulations to the still unnamed TBHPian who has taken delivery of his CB500X. Im waiting for him to officially spill the beans and update us on his awesome acquisition.

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

Really happy to see people buying this bike. I for some reason want this bike to succeed and sell in India.

I think as more people buy the bike and share their experiences with it, we will find more buyers ready to swallow the price pill to buy the CB500X. An ownership thread on the forum will be a massive boon to the community and open the eyes of a lot of motorcyclists to the all round capabilities of the fun little Honda. There is more to life than just a spec sheet!

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

As of now, I am not quite sure of how much I will be able to use my 2nd bike. All the touring I have done in the last 10 years has been in my dreams.

Haha, you and me both!

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

PS: To be clear - these guys are not picking up the bike because of this discount. Their plans started much earlier.

Thanks for pointing that out Dr CD. Everyone thought that CB500X would not move off the showroom floors but here we have 7 buyers who book the bikes even before the price correction.

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

I absolutely hate this strategy of overpricing the product to test the market and shortly cutting the price down like what Honda is done here.

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

Big auto giants such as these should do their market analysis, positioning etc and price their products accordingly. And not play around with customers emotions and their hard earned money.

nasirkaka, no company has a strategy to deliberately launch a car / bike at a high price and then lower it after some time for no reason(unless they moved from CBU to CKD etc). Sometimes, companies just get their decision making wrong and realize the error of their ways. Both BMW and Honda thought that they could succeed at a particular price point and the market responded with disfavour. Had the bikes sold well, then the prices would have logically gone up after a few years!

More affordable pricing means more enthusiasts can buy more bikes. For our motorcycling community, that is a win.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Congratulations to the still unnamed TBHPian who has taken delivery of his CB500X. Im waiting for him to officially spill the beans and update us on his awesome acquisition.

Seeing the quality of his other threads, we sure are in for a treat.

That said good move by Honda, and this is needed across the range, some beautiful competent bikes ruined by pricing. I hope this goes on to be a smashing hit, and then maybe Yamaha might also wake up from it’s slumber.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Thanks for pointing that out Dr CD. Everyone thought that CB500X would not move off the showroom floors but here we have 7 buyers who book the bikes even before the price correction.

That number should have been more, exactly two more as a matter of fact. I hear two BHPians who are known to be ardent supporters of the CB500X - backed out.

I hope both of them do consider the bike at the discounted prices.

[nasirkaka]

nasirkaka, no company has a strategy to deliberately launch a car / bike at a high price and then lower it after some time for no reason(unless they moved from CBU to CKD etc). Sometimes, companies just get their decision making wrong and realize the error of their ways

That decision making is what i am questioning. It should not be like one or two person deciding between themselves over an evening drink on what price to launch a product. There are so many systems and tools to gauge the market. A simple thread on team bhp will given them good feel of the market and product positioning and pricing. Going wrong by such huge margins, by such big companies, having all systems and procedures in place, is what bothers. Imagine the feeling of a handful of people who would have shown trust in Honda and bought the 500x at 8+L. On humanitarian ground, Honda should return back the difference to their early customers, or compensate them in someway through service/spares deals etc.

On the 310GS, the initial owners got together and made some effort in showing displeasure on the huge price cut within a year of launch, but all that fell on deaf ears and died with time. The product value dropping by great margins is another issue the initial owners have to cope with.

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

Imagine the feeling of a handful of people who would have shown trust in Honda and bought the 500x at 8+L. On humanitarian ground, Honda should return back the difference to their early customers, or compensate them in someway through service/spares deals etc.

On the 310GS, the initial owners got together and made some effort in showing displeasure on the huge price cut within a year of launch, but all that fell on deaf ears and died with time. The product value dropping by great margins is another issue the initial owners have to cope with.

I remember Suzuki honoured initial adopters of Inazuma 250 by returning the difference amount after a similar price-cut. But post that never heard anybody else showing such gestures.

[KK_HakunaMatata]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

I remember Suzuki honoured initial adopters of Inazuma 250 by returning the difference amount after a similar price-cut. But post that never heard anybody else showing such gestures.

Maruti did it with S Cross 1.6, not so long ago, they refunded 90k to the early owners along with an additional year of extended warranty.

KK

[Snehal Sekhar]

Shibumi Comes Home

After having sold my HD Street 750 (Red Baron) for an RE Interceptor (Lady Marmalade) 3 years ago, I felt the urge for a change in bikes. Reason being, constant niggles almost on all my rides made me feel that the bike was jinxed. My wife refused to let me ride Lady Marmalade after my last ride to Goa in November.

The hunt for my next bike began in Jan end. The bikes I considered are listed below:

1. Gixxer 250 SF. I currently own a 2017 Gixxer 155 and that’s a gem of a bike. Hasn’t let me down once in all these years.

2. TVS RR 310 – After having read neil.jericho's review of the RR310, I was keen on test riding one. TVS refused to offer a test ride even after booking for a test ride from their official site. The Bangalore TVS showroom said that they do not have test ride bikes and I will have to book the bike without test riding one.

3. Ninja 300, Ninja 650, Z650 and Vulcan 650 – Rideventure Bangalore didn’t seem like they wanted to sell a bike to me. They were the least bit interested when I went in there for a test ride. I only could test ride the Ninja 300 and I didn’t like it one bit. I asked if I could test ride of the Z650 but they refused stating that all the 650 cc bikes are similar and if I test rode the Ninja 650 that would give me an idea of how the bike performs. Since I didn’t like the Ninja 300, I felt test riding the Ninja 650 would not make sense since it would feel similar in terms of handling. Since they didn’t offer me a test ride on the Z650 or the Vulcan, I left it at that and went to the Honda Bigwing showroom on Vittal Mallya road.


That's me on the Ninja 300

4. Honda 300 – My intention of going to the Honda Bigwing showroom was to test ride the Honda 300. I did get suggestions from my riding group to test ride the CB500X as well. I wasn’t too keen since the seat height was at 830 mm. Once I reached the showroom, the sales advisor insisted I test ride the CB500X. After a lot of reluctance, I eventually rode it. That was all it took for me to fall in love with the bike. It was love at first ride. The seat’s tall for someone who is just 5.5 ft. I couldn’t even tiptoe. It was only one leg on the ground at any given time. The weight of the bike and the ease of riding it made the seat height issue non-existent. I could flick the bike in and out of traffic as easy as I could on my Gixxer and riding through Bangalore’s traffic was a breeze.

Came back to the showroom and paid the booking amount of 25K and the remaining amount I paid on the 13th of Feb. Got the bike on the 20th.

This is me taking delivery of Shibumi on the 20th. I had Aditya to share in my joy when taking delivery.








The goodies that Honda BigWing gave.

Below is the On Road Price I paid including additional warranty and RSA.



The accessories I got installed.



The accessories I need to get installed.



Now to start clocking in miles on Shibumi.

[abhi_tjet]

Originally Posted by Snehal Sekhar

[
This is me taking delivery of Shibumi on the 20th.

Congratulations on the bike Snehal.
A very lovely bike and felt like a mini Tiger 850 to me at a very high level when I test rode it.
Below is the price quote shared by the only Honda Big Wing dealer in Pune.

Insurance and Extended warranty price is inflated.

[Sebring]

Red is sold out at BigWing, Bengaluru. Only black is available. Post this lot, only the new Model shall be available. How's Pune doing! Is the bike selling well?

Originally Posted by abhi_tjet

Below is the price quote shared by the only Honda Big Wing dealer in Pune.

[abhi_tjet]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Red is sold out at BigWing, Bengaluru. Only black is available. Post this lot, only the new Model shall be available. How's Pune doing! Is the bike selling well?

Wow, that’s some response.

In Pune, frankly speaking, Honda guys are very busy selling the 350’s. Though the test ride offered from their side was prompt and genuine, it felt like I was eating/wasting their time and visited them at wrong time. All executives were very busy so I didn’t inquired much and left after taking a test ride.

Showroom space is quite small with no parking in front of showroom.

[vijay_jambu]

Snehal- Many congratulations on the bike!
I’m in search of a replacement for my Ninja 250R and CB500X is on top of the list. In usual dilemma of spending 7 big ones- topic for another day.
Happy and safe riding!

Originally Posted by abhi_tjet

Congratulations on the bike Snehal.
A very lovely bike and felt like a mini Tiger 850 to me at a very high level when I test rode it.
Below is the price quote shared by the only Honda Big Wing dealer in Pune.

Insurance and Extended warranty price is inflated.
Attachment 2276190

abhi_tjet - Thanks for sharing the price, looks like RSA is also inflated. Did they allow you to take a solo test ride? And any restrictions on distance? I’ll be taking some time during a weekday to test the bike out, hope it’s not sold out in Pune.

Thanks,
VJ

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by Snehal Sekhar

Once I reached the showroom, the sales advisor insisted I test ride the CB500X. After a lot of reluctance, I eventually rode it. That was all it took for me to fall in love with the bike. It was love at first ride. The seat’s tall for someone who is just 5.5 ft. I couldn’t even tiptoe. It was only one leg on the ground at any given time. The weight of the bike and the ease of riding it made the seat height issue non-existent. I could flick the bike in and out of traffic as easy as I could on my Gixxer and riding through Bangalore’s traffic was a breeze.

Congratulations once again Snehal! If I was in Bangalore, I certainly would have joined you for the delivery of Shibumi. Hopefully we can ride together on a weekend, whenever I visit Bangalore next.

The CB500X is such an effortless motorcycle to ride and the fact that you are comparing its flickability in traffic with that of your Gixxer 155 speaks volumes for how user friendly and usable the CB500X is. And yet, it can do highway duties effortlessly. I have a feeling that a few years from now, you wont be hunting for an upgrade from the Honda.

For everyone who is understandably in two minds about the CB500X, especially with regards to the now reduced price, ask your local Big Wing dealer for a long test ride and see for yourself just how good the motorcycle is, or isnt.

Meanwhile, we are all anxiously waiting for the update from the other TBHPian who took delivery of his motorcycle last week but is keeping the rest of the forum in suspense over his secret identity!