Honda CB500X-Rivalling Voge 500DS Launched In Europe

Is the Chinese adventure tourer as good as the Honda?

As much as we loved the Honda CB500X for its versatile engine and great build quality, the Rs 6.87 lakh price tag felt a bit hard to justify. But if there was a more affordable alternative to the CB that was built on a similar platform, you’d certainly consider buying that, wouldn’t you?

Welcome the Voge 500DS. You’ll be forgiven if you don’t know the brand, for it is a company under the Chinese two-wheeler giant Loncin Motors.

Before you dismiss it as another Chinese rip-off, the Voge 500DS seems to be as capable as the Honda CB500X, if not better, at least on paper. The 500DS uses a 471cc, liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine producing 46PS at 8500rpm and 42.5Nm at 7000rpm, only 1.3PS and 0.7Nm less than the Honda.

We may mock Chinese brands for their blatant imitations, but there’s no denying that these bikes are decently equipped. The Voge 500DS brags of an adjustable windshield, full-LED illumination, extensive crash protection, full-colour TFT instrument console with Bluetooth connectivity, and even a tyre pressure monitor!

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The 500DS is sprung on 41mm KYB USD and a preload-adjustable monoshock, which may not sound impressive, especially with Honda offering preload-adjustable forks. Braking is handled by dual discs up front (the Honda gets a single disc) paired with Nissin callipers. However, unlike the 19/17-inch wheel setup on the Honda, Voge has gone with 17-inch wheels at both ends. While it may look bulkier, the Voge 500DS is actually 11kg lighter than the Honda CB500X.

At EUR 5,995 (roughly Rs 5.3 lakh), the Voge 500DS is fairly economical than the CB500X, despite offering similar performance and more features. This bike is unlikely to come to our shores. But if it did, would you pick this over the CB500X or even the Benelli TRK 502? Let us know in the comments.