Honda Replaces the CB500X With Its NX500 Adventure Bike

During this year’s EICMA show in Milan, Italy, Honda took the wraps off its new NX500, a midsize adventure motorcycle poised to take the place of the CB500X in European markets in 2024. There’s no word on price or availability and it’s likely that folks Stateside will have to wait until 2025 at the earliest to get their hands on one of these new motorcycles.

Editor’s note: We reviewed the outgoing CB500X during the 2020 Honda CB500X MC Commute Review article and video.

The CB500X has been evolving into a more capable adventure machine in recent years in the States, with the most recent update in 2022 yielding more robust Showa suspension, weight savings, and improved braking kit.

The NX500 takes these refinements and moves the bar even higher, rolling on lighter five-spoke cast aluminum wheels (19-inch front, 17-inch rear). The 41mm Showa SFF-BP fork gets revised spring rates and damping while acceleration is improved over the CB platform thanks to new fuel-injection settings. It retains the same 471cc parallel twin that powered the CB, but the tweaks along with additional weight savings (down 6.6 pounds in total) promise a bit more pep with the NX500.

The NX500 will also feature Honda traction control and come with a new 5-inch TFT screen. It will also be compatible with Honda RoadSync smartphone connectivity. Riders will also appreciate a new headlight and revised bodywork aimed to make the bike more at home in the adventure category.