Why I sold my Honda CB500X.

This is a video explaining why I sold my Honda CB500X.

If you follow the channel you already know I used my CB500X in demanding off road tracks.
Much more than I probably should with an Honda CB500X. But yeah it’s an amazing bike!
But I decided to sell my CB500X after a ride last March.
I went on a ride with some friends and being completely out of shape because of lockdown, I immediately started to struggle.
Was a sandy track and although I had been riding sand for a few months now, when you’re on deep sand in a 200 kilo bike you’re always in a bit of surviving mode.

Don’t really want to crash mode.

And if you add that the Honda CB500X it’s not a full fledged off road motorcycle and has an 19″ front wheel that struggles to roll over big obstacles like this deep sand rut walls… yeah, I needed to be physically fit to control and hold the bike.
Because riding any 200 kilo motorcycle in rough terrain it’s a bit challenging and tiring.
On such a big bike I need to constantly reposition my body to make use of my weight, I needed to stand on the foot rests and balance my weight, need to hold the handlebar firmly but keep my shoulders dancing at the rhythm of the trail.
Off course with the right techniques you save yourself a lot of trouble but you still need to do the work. Actually to ride off road on any bike you need to be fit, let along a 200 kilo monster.
And by any means I’m saying the CB500X it’s an heavy bike, because the truth is… it’s actually the lightest of the modern adventure bikes that hold a twin engine if you disregard the kawasaki versys 300.
At 195KG wet, it’s lighter than the Yamaha T7, KTM 790 Adventure R, Honda Africa Twin, BMW GS 750, 850, etc, etc.
But no matter how fatter the competition is, it’s still an heavy bike for this type of terrain… and my riding level.

Yeah riding level.

Because none of this applies to off road gods like Pol Tarres, Chris Birch or Toni Bou.
Gravity doesn’t apply to them but surely applies to you, me and all common mortals.
And like Miranda Lambert beautifully sings… gravity it’s a b**ch.
So yeah, completely out of form and with the heaviest bike in the group I kept struggling but with João’s help I manage to kept progressing on the track.
The CB500X is in my opinion the best adventure bike you can buy. It’s cheap, has a low seat height, which is perfect to learn off road, holds it’s weight low, has low running costs and a bullet proof engine, that makes it one of the most reliable motorcycles in the world.
And on top of that Rally Raid Products has a series of upgrades that can turn this bike into an amazing adventure motorcycle.
oh and has the air filter easily accessible under the seat… not bad for a road bike.
yeah because it’s a road bike, but most adventure motorcycles are road bikes, and that it’s actually a good thing as we all spend more time on tarmac roads than riding this beautiful trails. Unfortunately.
but back to the ride…
We ended up on a big steep deep sand climb, the Meco climb.

I have ridden thousands of kilometers off road on my CB500X and never found anything on the trails we ride that she couldn’t manage.
But this was something else. A massive steep deep sand climb. An absolute monster for any adventure bike. It’s much steeper than GoPro can show.

The 250 Rally did a few tries and eventually manage to climb halfway and the guys push it the other half.
Filipe on he’s 690 Rally climbed it easy.
João on his Husqvarna 701 Enduro LR called it peanuts.
It was my time to try. But No chance at all, not even close. And each try I fail I loose energy turning the bike around, so after several failed attempts it was time to face reality: the CB500X couldn’t climb it!
So I’ve decided to say goodbye to the guys. and João climb up.
And I’ve decided to sell the bike.
Not because she couldn’t climb it, but pushing almost 45 years old I need a lighter bike that I can pick up on my own several times.
Because the CB500X Rally Raid… can climb anything!

You see, when manufacturers combine a 21″ front and a powerful engine together, bikes tend to be unstable at high speeds… so what they do? They increase wheelbase.
my favorite thing about the CB500X is it’s short wheelbase that makes it one of the most agile, flickable middleweight adventure bikes.

Riders on this video:
Rui, Honda CB500X – @maxcielle
João, Husqvarna 701 Enduro LR – @ptoffroad
Filipe, KTM 690 Rally – @_terrapirata
Gonçalo, Honda CRF250 Rally – @sbrugens

(on the introduction clip:)
Adriano, KTM 790 Adventure R – @godoyadriano
Sérgio, Honda CRf250L – @twina.dventures
Hugo “Tracks”, Honda CRf250L

Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/ben-johnson/cant-stop-chasing-you
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