Honda CMX 500 Rebel S motorcycle test

Menus

• Little rebellious bobber
• In-line twin, 471 cm3, 45 hp at 8,500 rpm, 44.6 Nm at 6,000 rpm, 190 kilos, € 6,299
• Discovery
• In the saddle
• Contact
• In the city
• On the highway
• On small roads
• Braking
• Comfort / Duo
• Consumption
• Revisions
• Video test of the Rebel 500
• Conclusion

Little rebellious bobber

In-line twin, 471 cm3, 45 hp at 8,500 rpm, 44.6 Nm at 6,000 rpm, 190 kilos, € 6,299

Rather bi or 4? It’s that the couple is important and you have to know what you want to do with it! And the question that arises for some before starting a new adventure for two (A2) is what will provide the most pleasure ! Of course, it is first of all the exterior forms that will count, as if married at first sight. And then, we will lean to go a little more in depth. But suddenly, the choice is important and in particular of the engine. In this little game between friends, motorcycle manufacturers have finally worked on motorcycle platforms, making it possible to offer almost infinite variations, including for A2 licenses. And that’s exactly what Honda did with its 500 platform with twin cylinders but also 650 with its four cylinders..

Rebel, to put in a cage ?

This is how in the 500 family, I ask for the custom in the middle of the roadster F, the trail X and the sport R. Because there is better than to start the bike with a small displacement, but with a little original gniac and without bridle ?

The CB 500 was the first motorcycle of many generations of bikers and today it comes back to Rebel the way I make myself look. And it’s a hell of a challenge in the custom category, a category that the Japanese have never managed to conquer, unlike other segments, as if custom were a field reserved for Americans. But there, Honda returns with arguments and even more in 2020, with a more modern evolution of its custom 500 at a price "flush with the daisies", the ideal for a young license? Daily test…

Discovery

High handlebars, low saddle, tight ass, big tires … the Rebel takes up the keys of the genre, with a low, compact, narrow model, all in matt black and without ostentatious chrome where the 16-inch wheels seem monstrous to the eye. from the rest of the machine.

S for style … a successful all-black look

The original Rebel had a slightly cheap headlight and tail light, replaced this year by qualitative LED lighting both front and rear, with these four LED bulbs in the front optics and this nice line rear light that looks like it came out of a quality accessories catalog. Ditto for the indicators which are now in line with the machine. As much, there were reproaches to make to the first of the name, Honda has really reworked its vintage now in terms of these details that were previously difficult..

LED lighting

For 2020, the Rebel takes over Honda’s 471cc inline-twin, now Euro5 compliant and with the same power and torque values ​​of 34 kW and 43.3 Nm as the initial version from 2017.

It should be noted that the Rebel has seen major modifications made to its cycle part to improve comfort via the suspensions, with new springs and a different amount of oil for the front fork and combined shock absorbers now charged with nitrogen and equipped with springs with modified stiffness coefficient, as well as new rubber bumpers for the rear.

471cc inline twin

The custom changes little except for a few aesthetic improvements, especially in the S version of this test, with very vintage fork gaiters, LED lighting and a black windscreen, a backlit counter which adopts the gear engaged, a new saddle of the most beautiful effect with stitching for the S version and especially the possibility of removing the saddle and the footrests to make a Bobber version. It’s a bit of a two-in-one motorcycle in a way.

Anecdotal passenger seat

In the saddle

Easy ! Obviously, with a saddle at 690 mm, practically all riders will be able to have their feet flat on the ground. And for a young driver, having his feet firmly on the ground is a guarantee of serenity, especially in small maneuvers at low speed. The problem with the low saddle on many customs is that you then have to raise your legs and throw them far onto the platforms in front, just like the arms. And concerning me, this quickly leads to sciatica. Nothing like this here and the position remains – almost – straight, similar to the previous vintage. And if the legs are raised, the arms do not need to be extended, nor the legs. We feel picked up on the machine but not dismantled and I already push a sigh of relief by stepping over the machine.

It is just the right foot which is hampered by the crankcase which comes out in comparison with the left foot and obliges not to have the two feet positioned in a balanced way. It takes a little time to get used to it.

And as with the majority of customs, tightening the tank with the legs is not natural. But after a few days, we get there more, or even we manage to tighten the tank more than many customs. Like what, you always have to do a daily test over several days to get a real idea of ​​a model.

Dual combined-shock absorber adjustable in preload in 2 positions

Once, seated, we find our marks, except for the switch on the left. At least, we can’t see the key in our field of vision and we can admire the minimalist but digital round counter with all the essential information, except the tachometer. On the other hand, there is the indication of the engaged gear, a clearly legible fuel gauge and the meter itself, not to mention the clock and the partial double trip. Again, the meter has been completely revised compared to the previous version and frankly, as the old was not worthy of Honda, this one is. The Rebel does less to the economy in its 2020 version.

Minimalist counter but with gear indicator engaged

Contact

The bi snorts gently with a nice sound of the "Shotgun" exhaust without making its vibrations felt and with a very light "potato". The gearbox is easy and even more so in this version where Honda claims to have facilitated the shifting of gears by 30%. In short, you forget the gearbox and the gears go easily … which we see from the first kilometers and it’s very pleasant.

The first turns of the wheel are done naturally with the feeling of shaving the asphalt. Those who do not like trails with vertigo will be delighted by this custom which is naturally taken in hand immediately. We don’t have a lot of room but we feel on easy ground. The Rebel is not rebellious and adopts you immediately.

Shotgun exhaust with a soft and deep sound

In the city

With a small size, an easy driving position, feet flat when stationary, driving is natural. If the first report can be pulled up to 50 km / h, it howls quickly and we quickly pass the gears to wind on the couple without going to seek high speeds. The engine is also really flexible, able to resume in sixth and last gear at 50 km / h. Here, we wind, more than we go looking for high speeds, where noise and vibrations are felt. We get into the custom spirit and forget the technical characteristics. On the other hand, the 45 horses are largely sufficient in town, to be released quickly on some fast tracks and without feeling the vibrations of the engine. We roll up, I tell you and we let ourselves go on condition of not wanting to squeeze you between the lines. The turning radius is indeed enormous and you will not do a gymkhana between the lines. On the other hand, the weight is low, like the feet and the handlebars offer an excellent leverage. We can therefore manage to make a U-turn in a street … but not an alley without dismounting.

Ease of handling

On the highway

You almost shift gears on the fly to upshift and engage dynamically on the highway. The twin purrs then legally and 130 km / h could very well take you much further relatively quietly if it is not the position and the absence of protection which make you take all the wind and transform you into a sail.

45 hp (33.5 kW) at 8,500 rpm

On small roads

Custom encourages cruising and the Rebel is exactly made for that. She does not like the roaring 40th of gears passed too high and much prefers to wind on the couple. At this rate, you can string together the virolos and the kilometers in a pleasant way, with a healthy cycle part … and when you have to, accelerate noticeably, because the 500 is quite playful. The Rebel is manoeuvrable and is easy and light in the virolos, not requiring any particular support to take the angle.

Dark look

And above all, the Rebel has a little ground clearance and more than the majority of customs, which means that you can take an angle without scraping in the first corner..

44.6 Nm at 6,000 rpm

Braking

The braking is smooth and requires a little anticipation, little helped by a single disc at the front and a single disc at the rear. In fact, we will help each other with the engine braking, even if it means going down one or two gears when braking and even if it means being a little afraid by blocking the rear with a start to slip, especially since the ABS does not is not really intrusive.

Single hydraulic disc ш 320 mm with 2 piston caliper, ABS anti-lock

Comfort / Duo

The suspensions are firm and the saddle thin. Suddenly, it’s fine if the road is perfect, but as soon as the road deteriorates, we take everything in the lower back. On the other hand, unless you go up in displacement, we have rarely seen a comfortable custom, especially because of being already close to the ground and generally offering little suspension travel. And the passenger has a very small beanbag without a real handle to hang on, which favors a machine for a lonely rebel rather than for a romantic getaway..

Pretty saddle with firm comfort at 690 mm

Consumption

At 120 kilometers, we are at half the gauge, which is reinforced at the pump, with a full at the end of 200 kilometers, which therefore gives a consumption just under 5 liters per hundred with the 11.2 liters of the tank. … even who is able to go down to 4.1 liters / 100 in very smooth and smooth driving, which then gives more than 250 km of autonomy before reserve.

11.2 liter tank

Revisions

After the first 1,000 km service, there is a service every 12,000 km (oil change), with valve clearance and the oil filter and air filter every 24,000 km. Otherwise, Honda recommends a battery, oil inspection every year..

A motorcycle easy to access for women and small builds

Video test of the Rebel 500

Conclusion

Sandrine had not taken the handlebars for some time and is not too custom. She hated the first few hours of driving. And then, after a day, the smile started to reach the banana the following days. The Rebel has everything of the easy motorcycle, already tamed, ideal for a small rider, as well for a young license as for someone who has not ridden for a long time and just wants to go for nice rides..

It clearly has charm and the coconut look, which will make it happy to go for a ride with friends and enjoy the ride. And lastly, it has the price advantage in the face of competition that is not very present in this segment or much more expensive but with Honda reliability, even if it took 300 euros, to 6,699 euros in its standard version and 6,999 euros in this version. S.

Strong points

• small templates
• look
• grip

Weak points

• large templates
• braking
• tires

Honda 500 Rebel technical sheet

Test conditions

• Itinerary: small varied roads + interurban highways with a bit of town
• Motorcycle mileage: 300 km

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