Honda only recently launched the CB350 RS and now, with a total of three motorcycles in their BigWing dealerships, the Japanese auto giant seems geared up to launch the CB500X as well.
Honda seems to be considering the launch of the CB500X Adventure Touring motorcycle in India, sometime in April. This will be very close on the heels of the CB350 RS, especially when the Honda President, MD and CEO Atsushi Ogata said that they were still evaluating the Indian market. He did also mention that they he would personally prefer a 500cc motorcycle, but nothing more was said.
The Honda CB500X is available internationally and if the same model makes its way to India, you could see a 471cc parallel-twin capable of producing 47 PS of power and 42 Nm of torque. Suspension is handled by a 41mm telescopic fork up front and a rear monoshock with nine-position preload adjustability. It gets a 19/17-inch front/rear alloy wheel set-up.
Design-wise, the bike looks like an Adventure tourer with its big tank, tall adjustable windscreen and staggered wheel set up. Features include full-LED lighting, dual-channel ABS and LCD instrument cluster.
As for pricing, we could see a sub-Rs 6 lakh figure. If the CB500X does launch in India, it will only face competition from the Benelli TRK 502 in its specific segment. However at the lower end of that band, you have the likes of the Royal Enfield Himalayan, KTM 390 Adventure and the BMW G 310 GS while just slightly higher, there is the Kawasaki Versys 650 and the Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT.