Honda CL500

Honda 2023 CL500, What is good & not so good – I've now had my bike since October 23, and ridden it 2,000 KM to date, so I have a good idea of this bike. As a prelude, I have a lot of experience with new bikes, and with several of the Honda 500 series, both the 2022 X and the 2023 Y, I own. The CL is a so called Scrambler type, but it is a very 'smooth road' type of light use Scrambler. It certainly is not for any serious off road adventuring along rough or hilly trails. But, I does handle slower speed dirt roads and predictable low speed walking trail type of gravel paths. Jumping over logs and grunting out of creek beds is not what Honda had in mind for the CL500.

I use the CL as a road bike, pure and simple. The same duty I asked of the 500X and my 500F variants. Actually, I bought the CL without a test ride. Much thought by me, on how soft the suspension would be. I bought the 500F a few weeks before the CL and found it was not a comfortable bike in regards to ergonomics. I did not not road ride it first before buying (no demo), and quickly found it was a full on Sports, not so comfortable over a longer time.

I wanted from the the 500X Adventure bike, a good handling bike, good suspension and it delivered in spades, but the windscreen buffeting was a minus for me. So when the CL came into our Market, it seemed to fill the compromise of a Naked 500X and a more comfortable 500F in the one package. But, it is not so in parts - it has it's own character.

The CL, is a comfortable bike to spend several hours riding if kept to 80 to 90 KPH. It's flat slab seat, the high handlebars, and lower peg placement, make it a 'wind sock' at the speeds above 90 KPH. If you are skinny and no so tall, you won't have so much surface area to catch the wind than me. I find the seat is comfortable for several hours of riding too. About 3 hours is my limit in one stretch.

Comfort is a relative term. To me it means a good suspension that can absorb ruts, small potholes without transferring a large jolt up my spine. In stock settings, the front is harder than the rear two shock absorbers. The front end of the bike is basically from the Rebel/CMX500 and the rear end shocks are new, but could have come from a scooter.

Those rear shocks are the biggest problem for the CL. Honda fitted a junk suspension from the get go. The stock settings at the rear and the non adjustable front forks, provide a ride that is too soft. Honda chose a spring rate is far too soft for our bumpy roads and pot holed surfaces and there is little of any damping to compensate for hard thumps that come along unexpectedly.

But it's not incurable. The stock setting of position two can be easily raised up. I used position four, and on the highest of five, while more comfortable on rough roads, oversteered the rear tyre in 90 degree traffic lights turn's. More preload on the front and less on the back DO provide a reasonable ride however.

I modified the forks a few days ago with 10mm of more preload, raised the forks 10mm to re level the bike, and used position 3 on the rear to give a much better ride comfort, but that is another story.

Aftermarket rear shocks when they eventually are produced will transform this very budget bike into a better bike. It's a pity Honda did not make the CL500 from the 500X as it's a much better base to start from, but the CL would be a thousand Dollars or so more.

Price reduction was first of mind with the CL. It has no immobliser (HISS) fitted, no adjustable clutch or brake levers fitted as standard. The headlight and speedo instrument is a straight off lift from the Rebel with the front and rear wheels from the 500X. The CL is a parts bin special, which is no bad thing in some ways as it keeps the $$$ cost down.

The speedo cluster is a disappointment. At its brightest illumination setting of 5, it's a bright as glow worms in a cave, but IF the Sun is behind either shoulder, the numerals appear in bright gold. If the sun is overhead or in front of the bike, you lucky to see the actual speed. Time, and other info is very hard to discern. Honda could have used the better speedo head from the Rebel 1100 and it would have been a better outcome. Of course, in the dark it works fine.

In Video Reviews, the volume of the petrol tank comes up as a minus point. I get a bit over 300 KM range which is 9 Litres of 91 grade. Reserve is 2.2 L.

Unfortunately, Honda chose not to fit a yellow warning light when on reserve - you have to watch for the flashing of the first segment of the fuel gauge. But, the display just counts UP from 0.0 in Litre's used once it's begun flashing. IF you don't know reserve is 2.2L to dry, you could well run out out fuel. The fuel tank did not come off the Rebel, the CL has slightly larger capacity of fuel.

The motor is said to be the same as the other 500's. This is probably true, but Honda do not provide in the Owners Handbook or web site, the gear ratio's used, but the CL has the same rear sprockets as the X & F, being 41 tooth. The Rebel has 40 for a higher speed.

I find the CL motor is rather soft in comparison to the X and F. The other two have much better torque than the CL, yet Honda say the CL has been retuned for 1 Newton/Metre more torque and 1 less KW than the X, F and CBR500's. The other two (X/F) will leave the CL in the dust if they had a drag race.

I put that down to the CL having been gifted the Rebels tiny air box to breathe in the air from. I find the CL, once up to speed, does pull more strongly than lower down in the gears, so it's fuel injection mapping is not the same as my other two too.

In conclusion, I think the CL will be better in it's next Generation. Worldwide, it's not been a good seller for Honda, and Honda have a record of discontinuing poor sellers. It should have been given better kit to start with, but remember it was designed in the peak of Covid-19 times of part & chip shortages, so I will cut Honda some slack as they needed some incoming profits in a hurry.

So, do I regret buying this bike ? Yes and no. It fulfills a need in basic transport like commuting, lane splitting is good too. It's just the Honda 500X and the 500F do it better for not so much more.

Bob.

EDIT 12/12/23 I've now clocked up 3, 200km in 59 days with the CL500, and now it is a better bike than when new. The motor has finally freed up a lot just recently and pulls stronger down low than before. The 500F is still more torquey I feel however.

I've experimented with the fork preload to match the rear on position 4 setting. This needed 6 mm added under the fork cap (3 by 35mm OD washers) each fork leg, and now it feels really comfortable over my rutted tarred roads that should have be ripped up and remade 50 years ago ! The distance from the top of the fork cap to the top handlebar yoke has been reduced from 12 to 6 mm. Fuel economy ranged from 2.8 to 3 L/100KM, but you can add 0.5L as the gauge reads optimistically.

The question I asked of myself: So, do I regret buying this bike ? No regret's now, BUT a CL800 with the Honda Transalp motor would be a terrific bike if Honda chose to make it for us.