Honda CL500 Scrambler

The CL500 is the fifth motorcycle built on the  blueprints of Honda’s middleweight, 500cc platform that incudes a range of motorcycles.

It’s styled like the iconic CLs of the 60s and 70s while packing sufficiently modernity for this day and age. It features a round all-LED headlight, muscular fuel tank and minimal body work for that scrambler look. But elements like the ribbed single-piece seat, fender mounted taillight and high-set side slung exhaust are what give it that proper scrambler stance.  

The CL500 is powered by Honda’s proven 471cc, twin-cylinder, liquid-cooled motor which makes 46. 6PS and 43. 4Nm. It’s the same engine we’ve seen on the CB500X, CB500F, CBR500R and Rebel 500. The motor is mated to a six-speed gearbox and gets a slip and assist clutch.

Underpinnings include a 41mm telescopic fork and a preload-only adjustable twin shocks at the rear. Braking is handled by a 310mm floating disc with a two-piston calliper at the front, and a 240mm disc with a single-piston calliper at the back. Dual channel ABS is offered as standard, which Honda claims is optimised for both on- and off-road riding. It rolls on a 19/17 inch alloy wheels front and back, and comes shod in dual-sport-ish tyres. The seat height is an accessible 790mm but the ground clearance of 155mm is a bit disappointing.  In India the CL500 will it rival the Benelli Leoncino 500.