Honda has confirmed its practical half-litre models are returning to Canada for 2024, with the CB500F, CB5R500R and NX500 all appearing on the Canadian website now.
We’ve seen all these machines before; they’re basically unchanged since they first appeared in 2013, although they had different names then. But a host of incremental updates have certainly improved the 500s over the years, and the latest changes have bring them nicely into the 2020s.
Honda CBR500R
The basic beginner-friendly sportbike in Honda’s lineup, now that the CBR300 is kaput. The 500 sees its MSRP rise all the way up to $9,316 in 2024 (incl. freight, PDI and other fees but not taxes). For that money, you’re getting a new TFT screen this season, and a set of aerodynamic winglets—although the usefulness of those winglets seems a bit questionable on a bike with 47 horsepower and 32 pound-feet of torque. The new machine has ECU updates that help it build power more quickly, but the 471 cc liquid-cooled parallel twin is basically the same as before.
The bodywork gets a makeover this year, and the switchgear is illuminated to make it easier to see the buttons at night. See more photos of the new bike here.
Honda CB500F
The F is the naked version of the CBR, so basically all the changes apply here, minus the winglets. The 5-inch TFT not only looks good, it syncs to your mobile device so you can have turn-by-turn navigation handy. A good update. Asking price for this bike is $8,758 in 2024, including fees, which is a nice chunk of money staying in your pocket if you don’t need the CBR’s full fairing. Historically, the naked CB has always been a much better buy, and more comfortable to ride as well. See Honda’s webpage for the bike here.
Honda NX500
This is the renamed version of the CB500X. New bodywork for 2024, the same new TFT as the other 500 models, the same engine re-tuning so you hit max power more quickly.
Honda put new wheels on the NX this year, lighter units that should improve steering. Combined with other changes, Honda cut about 4 kg off the ’23 CB500X model, and updated the front fork’s settings to match the bike’s reduced weight. While the NX500 is definitely street-oriented, it works as a bad-road bike and can do some gravel forestry roads too. You might want to update to spoked rims if you really want to flog it off-road, though. MSRP for 2024 is $9,416, including fees but not taxes. More info and photos here.
