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Originally Posted by night_eagle ...
I am reaching out to Bhpians who own a CB500X seeking answers to the following queries: |
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1. What is the max speed before vibrations start to creep in and become bothersome?
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By and large, the bike is vibe-free upto say 6000rpm and will feel butter smooth till there. Start pushing more than that and there will be a mild buzz felt on the footpegs and the handlebar, some owners who have installed barkbusters work around this by using aftermarket bar-end weights. Do test ride one and check for yourself if the nvh level is acceptable for you.
Once again, relative to other single cylinder adventure bikes in this (power output) segment, the 500X will feel way more refined for sure. Refinement levels are comparable to something like a Versys 650, both being parallel twins.
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2. Does the windshield provide ample protection at highway speeds?
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The stock one was producing a lot of buffeting effect at highway speeds. I had to change to a Puig extended touring visor which looks a bit awkward (quite tall) but that solved the problem completely for my height (I am 6'1"). Some owners are using the stock windshield with clip on wind deflectors and some others have explored other aftermarket windshields like Givi too. In short, the stock one may NOT be good enough for tall riders.
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3. Any additional issues/shortcomings that you would like to highlight for prospective buyers of NX500?
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Some negatives on the 500X from my 2 years of ownership experience:
- Stock headlight is pathetic. Highway touring at unearthly hours will need a mandatory investment in good aux lights and maybe even a stock LED replacement to powerful ones (considering one cannot switch on bright Aux lights for city usage blinding other road users)
- If you are someone who regularly saddles the bike and does offroad trails, the footpegs on this bike are more street-bike-styled rather than what one would expect on an adventure bike with more width, having metal teeth and removable rubber pads (refer Himalayan for eg). That makes standing on the pegs a bit intimidating until one can get used to it when using the bike offroad. I have made peace with it since I don't do too many trails offroad and can manage with the stock ones for one-off occasions. Other owners have replaced the stock footpegs with more adventure oriented ones from sw motech or similar.
- Stock windshield being inadequate for windblast (which you asked and I have already highlighted above)
- The rear suspension is quite softly set, oriented more towards comfort and cushy ride rather than towards outright cornering stability. At high speeds, if we start pushing aggressively, cornering is not very confidence-inspiring because of the soft rear. I might be a bit harsh here because my other tourer for reference is a sportbike in the Ninja 1000, so take this feedback with a pinch of salt
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. At high speeds on expressways, undulations such as flyover expansion joints cause a bit of bounce before settling down, again due to the soft rear suspension. At lower speeds (say under <80) and on bad roads, the same thing can be helpful because the soft rear soaks in all the bumps and insulates the rider and pillion from the undulations. In my case I prefer the soft ride quality which helps when touring on bad roads and I am okay with that tradeoff because I don't ride this bike very spiritedly anyway (I use my N1000 for that) - would gladly take the cushioned ride and use it in remote places instead of cornering pleasure on this bike - that's just me though.
The engine and powertrain, clutch and gear shifts are butter smooth and fuss-free, braking is no-nonsense, low-end tractability is brilliant, ergonomics are sorted and I have no complaints with anything mechanical on this bike apart from the soft rear suspension, which I have made peace with considering my pattern of usage.
The NX500 adds some more gizmos and a better brake setup at almost the same old price as the outgoing 500X in 2022. Do take a long test ride and check out these aspects on the bike for yourself, and also check out the upcoming KTM Adv 390 facelift and the H450 too
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