Updated 2024 Honda 500s Announced for the US
NX500, CBR500R and don’t-call-it-the-Hornet CB500F
It took a bit longer than we expected, but American Honda has officially announced the updated 500 models revealed at EICMA are coming to America for 2024. These include the NX500 (previously known as the CB500X) adventure bike, the CBR500R sportbike, and the CB500F, which most of the world calls the CB500 Hornet.
All three models received styling updates, new LED headlights, 5-inch TFT displays, new handlebar switches, ECU updates and the Honda Selectable Torque Control System (i.e. traction control). The NX500 receives updated suspension settings, but otherwise, each model is mechanically similar to the 2023 models, including the same 471cc Parallel-Twin engines.
All three models should be available at dealerships now. You can read more about each bike in detail at the links above, but here’s a quick run-down.
2024 Honda NX500
The CB500X gets rebranded as the NX500, drawing on the NX650 adventure bike Honda previously offered in 1988 and 1989. The new styling, meanwhile, draws from the Honda Transalp, creating a stronger visual lineage between the two.
The NX500 also received revised suspension settings plus new wheels that Honda claims is 3.3 pounds lighter than the previous wheels. Overall, Honda claims a 7-pound weight reduction compared to the CB300X, claiming a curb weight of 432 pounds.
The 2024 Honda NX500 is priced at $7,399, a $100 increase over the 2023 CB500X. For the U.S., the only color available is Matte Black Metallic.
2024 Honda CBR500R
The CBR500R receives new styling with aerodynamic winglets, with Honda claiming improved handling. The sportbike is also the only one of the three to come with color options for the U.S.: a choice of Grand Prix Red or Matte Black Metallic.
The 2024 CBR500R comes in at $7,399, compared to $7,299 for the 2023 model.
2024 Honda CB500F
In most markets around the world, the redesigned CB500F is known as the CB500 Hornet. Most of those markets also get the CB750 Hornet and, soon, the CB1000 Hornet, but since neither model appears to be coming to the U.S., American Honda decided to go with the existing CB500F name (potential trademarking issues with the Dodge Hornet may have been a sticking point as well).
It may not be called the Hornet, but it does share styling cues with the other models, in place of the previous model’s Neo Sports Cafe styling. Honda says the new bodywork and the side ducts on either side of the headlight, help to channel airflow better around the upper fuel tank.
The 2024 Honda CB500F will be offered in, you guessed it, Matte Black Metallic. Like its siblings, it gets a $100 price increase over the 2023 models, which puts it at $6,899.
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Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
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Honda must have some twisted research that shows Americans want matte black paint versus the stellar color ways offered around the world. The Transalp being the worst example.
"ECU updates". In this day and age that is a bad thing that reduces power or makes for a worse powerband in order to meet some new emissions crap.