2wheels
Community Manager
Believing in 'try before buy', I hired a 500X from Khun Lan at C&P Rentals near Thapae Gate (053273161) for a couple of days
to really see what it's like.
The bike was delivered that morning and had 31 kms on it.
Just for reference, I am just over 6 feet tall, heavy and own a CRF.
First Impressions. (19th April)
The seat is low (31.9 inches), so vertically challenged riders will find the 500X to their liking so far.
Taller folk will have some issues.
Easy formalities over with I rode around the Chiang Mai moat to test the bike's manoeuvrability in our dense traffic. No worries there.
The gear selector was way too low to accommodate a riding boot, so that was the first adjustment a bit later during the ride.
The turn indicators are not self-cancelling.
The 500X does not have a centre stand, although it is a Honda accessory.
But by far the most significant first impression is the silky smooth engine and its marriage to the 6 speed gear box.
(And that impression would be reinforced during the next two days). 471cc parallel twin with 4 valves per cylinder.
Out along the wretched Hang Dong road, which was jammed because a Honda Civic and a truck each decided to occupy the same bit of road.
The truck won. So this gave me a chance to weave in and around all the traffic that had accumulated for a kilometre to the accident scene.
Yes, easy peasy.
The next major impression was how this bike instils confidence right from the word go. Smooth and easy to ride.
I was already noting that the seat was beginning to feel firm!
More on that later, as I thought it would soften throughout the journey.
I filled the tank at 48 kms (91 Gasohol) then opened it up a bit heading out to Hot. My intention was to ride the Doi Inthanon route to Khun Yuam,
where I'd stay the night. The tank holds 17 litres, with a 2.6 litre reserve.
Wind noise from the inadequate screen at 90kph was intrusive. The screen was at its maximum height yet directed the blast right at my head
and it was too far down for me to crouch behind the screen. Khun Lan now tells me that after-market screens are already available.
But that was the first significant negative; easily remedied.
The road to Inthanon is where the 500X came into its own and truly impressed.
Keeping in mind that this is a tight, new engine I found that the smooth delivery of power made riding in those mountains an absolute joy.
What else impressed was the way the bike 'held on' in 6[SUP]th[/SUP] and 5[SUP]th[/SUP] gears, without the need for down-changing.
This is not only a smooth and quiet engine but also an extremely tractable one.
It would pull away in 6th at 50kph without any 'hiccups'.
At 90kph the engine was spinning at 4,100 rpm.
OK, past the friendly uniformed men and onto the road to Khun Yuam.
The riders' view.
Foot-pegs are vibration absorbent.
Not far into this mountainous stretch and smiling to myself and saying "Life is good", I turned into a sharp curve to discover the road was blocked by a scooter,
rider and pillion who had slid off an oil slick. Yes, the 500X has ABS and very good brakes (even though they hadn't yet 'bedded in' properly).
The fallen couple assured me they were OK so we went our own ways.
Front brakes are twin piston discs and the bike rides on 17 inch wheels.
Mine was shod with Pirelli Scorpion Trail tyres, which never felt 'nervous' on any surface.
This road is now badly pot-holed and rough in many places. (Obviously VIPs never travel this way.)
But it was a chance to test the suspension and tyres in the rough going.
The ground clearance was tested a few times and nothing scraped.
Its front suspension has 5.5 inches of travel and the rear Pro-link single shock has 9 settings to play around with.
This one was on 4.
The 500X has a solid and stable 'feel' on the road and I discovered that it wasn't phased by rough road conditions.
Many times I hit holes in the middle of a curve yet the bike was not upset, so neither was I.
To my surprise it also handled the dirt sections quite capably, so maybe it will handle the conditions in mainstream Laos.
The bike weighs 195 kgs ready for touring with a full tank.
The front forks have 26.5 degrees rake.
Would I ride it in Laos?
Yes!
We arrived in Khun Yuam just before sunset and I checked into the 'Ban Farang Guest House'
I wont give the co-ordinates because I can't recommend this place.
500 baht for a small room with a squeaky bed, crap Thai only TV and a recently added on-site KARAOKE LOUNGE!!!!!
But the room had a shower and that's really all I needed.
However, the room was worth only about 250-300 baht. There are other options in KY.
There's actually 2 rooms here at 500 baht each, separated by a thin wall!
So 'couthed up' we 'hit the town' then, later, did a bit of night riding.
The headlight on high beam was adequate without being wonderful (I have poor vision).
The instrument panel lighting is adequate without being interesting.
This was good day in the saddle and feeling impressed with the 500X so far.
Oh, the saddle 'grew on me', or I grew on it.
It's wide enough and has plenty of room for those minor enroute adjustments.
Can't wait for tomorrow; Mae Hong Son, Pai and back to Chiang Mai.
Tomorrow 20th April
No sleep; they also have dogs!
Awoke to the smell of smoke. That's always alarming.
Turned out there are massive fires and appalling smoke pollution in the Khun Yuam and Mae Hong Son area.
As I write this I have a splitting head-ache and bleary eyes from the damn smoke.
This area is really best avoided for a while.
Filled up the tank before departure.
The bike and I had covered a very pleasant 234 kms from Hang Dong Road and it took 8.09 litres to fill.
That's very close to 30 kms/litre and, remember, the ride was through mountains and the engine is still tight.
That should give a comfortable touring range of around 500 kms at moderate speeds.
It will be interesting to confirm this fuel economy with others who are touring on a 500X.
Seems very good to me!
I was taking it easy but absolutely nothing passed me from Khun Yuam to the Mae Rim road!
Yet I passed many.
That says more about the bike's capability than it does mine.
I hit 112 kph but backed off because the wind buffeting from the screen was too much and my back-pack was being lifted.
It was a smokey, incident-free and very curvaceous ride back to Khun Lan's shop, with the 500X showing 599 kms on the dial.
We checked under the seat for storage space.
Well, a rider could put some gloves and/or a plastic rain coat there but that's about all.
Khun Lan told me that, according to some Thai sites, the 500X will soon be available in red! (there ya go Colin!)
My verdict.
Brilliant engine.
Comfortable.
Competent on all surfaces it encountered.
Economical.
Inexpensive and cheap, obtainable parts.
Excellent touring bike.
Would I buy one?
YES!
Wonder what Phil G says.
to really see what it's like.
The bike was delivered that morning and had 31 kms on it.
Just for reference, I am just over 6 feet tall, heavy and own a CRF.
First Impressions. (19th April)
The seat is low (31.9 inches), so vertically challenged riders will find the 500X to their liking so far.
Taller folk will have some issues.
Easy formalities over with I rode around the Chiang Mai moat to test the bike's manoeuvrability in our dense traffic. No worries there.
The gear selector was way too low to accommodate a riding boot, so that was the first adjustment a bit later during the ride.
The turn indicators are not self-cancelling.
The 500X does not have a centre stand, although it is a Honda accessory.
But by far the most significant first impression is the silky smooth engine and its marriage to the 6 speed gear box.
(And that impression would be reinforced during the next two days). 471cc parallel twin with 4 valves per cylinder.
Out along the wretched Hang Dong road, which was jammed because a Honda Civic and a truck each decided to occupy the same bit of road.
The truck won. So this gave me a chance to weave in and around all the traffic that had accumulated for a kilometre to the accident scene.
Yes, easy peasy.
The next major impression was how this bike instils confidence right from the word go. Smooth and easy to ride.
I was already noting that the seat was beginning to feel firm!
More on that later, as I thought it would soften throughout the journey.
I filled the tank at 48 kms (91 Gasohol) then opened it up a bit heading out to Hot. My intention was to ride the Doi Inthanon route to Khun Yuam,
where I'd stay the night. The tank holds 17 litres, with a 2.6 litre reserve.
Wind noise from the inadequate screen at 90kph was intrusive. The screen was at its maximum height yet directed the blast right at my head
and it was too far down for me to crouch behind the screen. Khun Lan now tells me that after-market screens are already available.
But that was the first significant negative; easily remedied.
The road to Inthanon is where the 500X came into its own and truly impressed.
Keeping in mind that this is a tight, new engine I found that the smooth delivery of power made riding in those mountains an absolute joy.
What else impressed was the way the bike 'held on' in 6[SUP]th[/SUP] and 5[SUP]th[/SUP] gears, without the need for down-changing.
This is not only a smooth and quiet engine but also an extremely tractable one.
It would pull away in 6th at 50kph without any 'hiccups'.
At 90kph the engine was spinning at 4,100 rpm.
OK, past the friendly uniformed men and onto the road to Khun Yuam.
The riders' view.
Foot-pegs are vibration absorbent.
Not far into this mountainous stretch and smiling to myself and saying "Life is good", I turned into a sharp curve to discover the road was blocked by a scooter,
rider and pillion who had slid off an oil slick. Yes, the 500X has ABS and very good brakes (even though they hadn't yet 'bedded in' properly).
The fallen couple assured me they were OK so we went our own ways.
Front brakes are twin piston discs and the bike rides on 17 inch wheels.
Mine was shod with Pirelli Scorpion Trail tyres, which never felt 'nervous' on any surface.
This road is now badly pot-holed and rough in many places. (Obviously VIPs never travel this way.)
But it was a chance to test the suspension and tyres in the rough going.
The ground clearance was tested a few times and nothing scraped.
Its front suspension has 5.5 inches of travel and the rear Pro-link single shock has 9 settings to play around with.
This one was on 4.
The 500X has a solid and stable 'feel' on the road and I discovered that it wasn't phased by rough road conditions.
Many times I hit holes in the middle of a curve yet the bike was not upset, so neither was I.
To my surprise it also handled the dirt sections quite capably, so maybe it will handle the conditions in mainstream Laos.
The bike weighs 195 kgs ready for touring with a full tank.
The front forks have 26.5 degrees rake.
Would I ride it in Laos?
Yes!
We arrived in Khun Yuam just before sunset and I checked into the 'Ban Farang Guest House'
I wont give the co-ordinates because I can't recommend this place.
500 baht for a small room with a squeaky bed, crap Thai only TV and a recently added on-site KARAOKE LOUNGE!!!!!
But the room had a shower and that's really all I needed.
However, the room was worth only about 250-300 baht. There are other options in KY.
There's actually 2 rooms here at 500 baht each, separated by a thin wall!
So 'couthed up' we 'hit the town' then, later, did a bit of night riding.
The headlight on high beam was adequate without being wonderful (I have poor vision).
The instrument panel lighting is adequate without being interesting.
This was good day in the saddle and feeling impressed with the 500X so far.
Oh, the saddle 'grew on me', or I grew on it.
It's wide enough and has plenty of room for those minor enroute adjustments.
Can't wait for tomorrow; Mae Hong Son, Pai and back to Chiang Mai.
Tomorrow 20th April
No sleep; they also have dogs!
Awoke to the smell of smoke. That's always alarming.
Turned out there are massive fires and appalling smoke pollution in the Khun Yuam and Mae Hong Son area.
As I write this I have a splitting head-ache and bleary eyes from the damn smoke.
This area is really best avoided for a while.
Filled up the tank before departure.
The bike and I had covered a very pleasant 234 kms from Hang Dong Road and it took 8.09 litres to fill.
That's very close to 30 kms/litre and, remember, the ride was through mountains and the engine is still tight.
That should give a comfortable touring range of around 500 kms at moderate speeds.
It will be interesting to confirm this fuel economy with others who are touring on a 500X.
Seems very good to me!
I was taking it easy but absolutely nothing passed me from Khun Yuam to the Mae Rim road!
Yet I passed many.
That says more about the bike's capability than it does mine.
I hit 112 kph but backed off because the wind buffeting from the screen was too much and my back-pack was being lifted.
It was a smokey, incident-free and very curvaceous ride back to Khun Lan's shop, with the 500X showing 599 kms on the dial.
We checked under the seat for storage space.
Well, a rider could put some gloves and/or a plastic rain coat there but that's about all.
Khun Lan told me that, according to some Thai sites, the 500X will soon be available in red! (there ya go Colin!)
My verdict.
Brilliant engine.
Comfortable.
Competent on all surfaces it encountered.
Economical.
Inexpensive and cheap, obtainable parts.
Excellent touring bike.
Would I buy one?
YES!
Wonder what Phil G says.
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