Honda’s 2015 and 2016 CB500X and NC700X Models Compared

This week, Honda announced that the VFR1200X was coming to America, a version of the Crosstourer found in Europe apparently given a clean passport to the colonies. Lost in that shuffle are some updates to the other X-members, the CB500X and the NC700X.

It’s a little hard to tell at a glance, so we’ve built these GIFs showing the current and updated bikes together. Check out the NC700X above. Although it’s mechanical unchanged, the styling has undergone a number of tweaks, with the general idea of sharpening the hyper-miler’s appearance and increasing utility with a quarter-gallon increase in the size of the “frunk.” (Front trunk, or the compartment between the rider’s knees, where a fuel tank would normally be.) The frunk top has a utility rail to make fitting a tank bag easier.

Honda has altered the NC’s exhaust pipe and cleaned up the tailsection, moving to an under-seat tail light in place of the trailing “pod” seen before. The front fairing gets a thorough refresh, too, with more angular flanks, a slightly altered “beak,” and a taller stock windscreen.

We don’t yet have prices or know if the Dual Clutch Transmission will be bundled with ABS, meaning that, as it is now, if you want a conventional six-speed trans you’ll go without ABS.

On the CB500X, Honda has similarly tidied up styling, giving the plastic beneath the tank some texture, as opposed to the expanse of matte plastic it has now. The front fairing is all new, with a revised surround, taller windscreen, and slightly longer beak. (Ignore the differences in the license plate holder; the 2015 image is of a European model.)

Honda has released pricing on the CB500X, which is $6,499 without ABS and $6,799 with ABS; that’s a $200 bump on the non-ABS version but no change for the ABS bike.

[REVEALED: Honda's CB500X and NC700X Adventure Bikes for 2016]: Honda's CB500X and NC700X ADV Adventure Bikes for 2016