HONDA CB500X (2019 - 2021) Review - MCN

Overall rating

Next up: Ride & brakes 4 out of 5 (4/5) Author:Michael Neeves Published: 16 August 2021 Updated: 02 August 2023

The 2019 Honda CB500X is an adventure motorbike packed with a host of seemingly small engine, chassis and styling upgrades, but they actually add up to a lot, making it more capable than ever. It replaced the 2013-2018 Honda CB500X and was superseded by the 2022 Honda CB500X.

That will be music to the ears of the newer riders amongst us - this bike is A2 licence compliant - but it’s a machine that oozes so much class in just about every situation, it’ll impress the experienced, too. Power feels so much fatter than its 47bhp would suggest and just like a big capacity adventure bike it’s spacious, agile, plush, characterful and handles superbly both on tarmac and dusty off-road trails.

Finished and detailed like a bike costing twice the price, the CB500X is an exceptional machine. Its main competition comes in the form of the Chinese-built Benelli TRK 502.

Its go-anywhere capability also lends itself perfectly to adventure bike duties.

In 2020 the Honda CB500X won the Best Sub-500cc Bike gong in the MCN Awards. It can regularly be found in lists of the UK's best-selling motorcycles, too.

Build quality is extremely high considering the price and most examples are holding up well, but the fork legs are prone to corrosion. Although servicing can be on the pricey side, intervals are long (every 8000 miles), and the engine is super economical.

The CB500X is exceptional value as new, but it’s possible to pick one up for £3200 with around 12,000 miles on the clock and a couple of owners on the logbook. Or you can get a zero-mile 2018 model for £4995.

Watch: 2019 Honda CB500X video review

In this film Neevesy takes you through all you need to know about this adventure-styled new rider-friendly motorcycle, direct from the world launch.