Honda CB500X vs Himalayan 450: Pros & Cons after a long test ride

As the current 400+ singles did not meet the criteria, I started looking further up and ended up with NX500.

BHPian jlukose recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I have decided to bite the bullet and booked the Grand Prix Red color. Delivery ETA is by the first week of March.

Recently, I did a comprehensive test ride of the older CB500X and the new Himalayan 450. Here are my observations:

Himalayan 450:

Pros:

• Fantastic suspension; it handles all bad patches and big potholes effortlessly.
• Very decent brakes.
• Very smooth gear shifts.
• Great rider triangle and good ergonomics (my height is 5’7").
• Superb pillion comfort; there is enough space, and the ergonomics are great.
• Very nice-to-read console.
• The brilliant RE ecosystem, with service network, parts, and accessories availability.

Cons:

• Felt the clutch was hard
• Experienced terrible vibrations on footpegs/tank/handlebar at 4.5k rpm in 3rd and 4th gears. Also felt similar vibrations in the 5k rpm range in the 5th and 6th gears. In all other rpm ranges and gears, vibrations are present but tolerable.
• Regarding the Sherpa 450, the engine is capable, but you need to work the engine to be in the correct rpms/gears to get the power/torque out. Slow-speed maneuvering was difficult, as there was very little power and pull below 3.5k rpm.
• Felt a fair amount of heat overall in the ride. Still under tolerable limits only.
• 6-month service intervals.

CB500X:

Pros:

• Very decent ergonomics for both rider and pillion, but not as brilliant as the Himalayan 450.
• The engine is excellent. It has enough juice to pull from about 2k rpms without any strains. My wife and I were able to climb some hairpins in Kerala in 4th gear at around 2.5k rpm. The engine pulls very relaxed and linearly at low rpms.
• Superb weight management. Both the Himalayan 450 and CB500X have the same kerb weight, with maybe slight differences. Handling the CB500X was much easier compared to the Himalayan.
• Whether lifting the vehicle off the side stand or handling it in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the CB500X made it very easy.
• Very light clutch, a joy to use.
• Brakes are good, with more bite than the Himalayan 450. The new NX500 should have even better braking with the dual front discs.
• Comfortable suspension. The suspension setup was able to soak up all the bad undulations on the road. Where it fails is when landing in a deep pothole, and this is where the Himalayan 450's long-travel suspension helps. So, the CB500X has very good ride quality for road touring and mild off-roading but may not be the best choice for proper off-road trails or really bad patches of roads.
• No heat felt.
• Reasonable costs for regular service with 1-year service intervals.

Cons:

(I am not talking about the motorcycle price here as we all acknowledge the extra we are paying; I will only discuss the mechanical package.)

• Lesser pillion comfort compared to the Himalayan 450. The seat is comfortable, but overall it's less roomy and may not have all the luggage-carrying capability as the Himalayan 450.
• Very few electronic features for the prices offered (may not be a con, given how sophisticated motorcycles have become).
• No default accessories like bash plates, hand guards, crash bars, USB socket, and OEM accessories are going to be costly.
• Ownership costs post 5 years of warranty are concerning.

Decision-making:

My main purpose is road touring with a pillion, and I wanted something with upright ergonomics, minimal vibrations, very tractable, and should be able to accommodate both rider and pillion. As the current 400+ singles did not meet the criteria, I started looking further up and ended up with NX500. I did not want to invest in the higher segment premium ADVs as I always felt the ~50bhp ~50 nm range was good enough for my touring needs in India, nor am I interested in the careful handling and weight of the higher segment ADVs.

After test-riding the CB500X, I found value in the package it offers, though it costs twice as much as the available 400+cc singles. If you want a motorcycle with very decent tractable low-end torque, minimal vibrations, brilliant weight management, possibly decent service experience, high reliability, and good enough pillion support, the new NX500 is going to bring you a lot of smiles.

That said, it's a CBU unit and might have its own additional costs in the long run. One needs to plan on the logistics and time delays when it comes to spares, accessories, and service. But I believe the bike is a keeper and should hold its value, provided Honda decides to continue investing in the market. Maybe the bikes will come as CKD units later on, and that should help with some good price corrections, or Honda being Honda, maybe they will never drop the price. We need to wait and see

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