Retro Ride: Honda CL500

Steve reports back on a long-term relationship with Honda’s modern street scrambler. Tally-ho!

WORDS: STEVE COOPER PICS: GARY CHAPMAN, STEVE COOPER

This satin green and matte black Honda is one of the latest machines from the industrial colossus Honda to run their 471c parallel-twin motor.
By modern standards it’s a simple, proven device that has featured in various CB500-type machines. The power unit has been around since 2013 in various formats when it was first utilised when the CB500F and CBR500R were released, and latterly the CB500X. Honda subsequently delivered the CMX500 Rebel – a cruiser-style machine – from which the CL iteration is developed. Taking the main chassis from the CMX, grafting on a new sub-frame, swingarm and intake system, The Big Aitch delivered the ‘all-new’ CL street scrambler for 2023. Perhaps, quite reasonably, you might ask, why add another bike to what looks to be an already rather full, mid-capacity, basket of A2-compliant machines?

Well, according to project leader Hiroshi Furuse: “We developed the CL500 as a machine that truly allows its owners to stand out from the crowd, and as a form of self-expression. It can be used and enjoyed casually – without hesitation – by the young generation in their daily lives and is designed to become a joyful and integral part of a lifestyle. In standard form, the off-road street style has a visual charm unlike any other model in the Honda range and can really inspire owners to take it further in any direction they wish.”

So, is that simply marketing spin or is there an element of truth to this typically corporate statement? Well, apparently the design teams involved with the CL’s birth were all youngsters so perhaps there’s something substantive in those words. Yes, most emphatically the bike is borrowing on Honda’s past but those engineers and designers weren’t dipping into their own collective memories – oh no. Even the ‘newest’ of those original, now classic, CLs is almost half-a-century old so that talented team had to do some digging for inspiration. And good on ’em – the new bike is genuinely something of a stunner.

Yes, it’s a reworking of one or more existing models but, hey, so were the original CLs – a reality check there for naysayers and haters of the modern retro. From 100cc through to 450cc, Honda’s engineers of the 60s and 70s effectively glammed, hammed and camped up the then current road going models to deliver something different yet reassuringly predictable. Hey, guess what, they’ve done it again for an entirely new generation who haven’t a scooby doo what a Honda CL should even look like!

There will always be a few cynical anoraks out there who will take issue with the new bike’s exhaust routing. Such pedants will doubtless be nit picking to the effect that the CL twins of old had two pipes down one side at just below the seat level. The same critics will also be pointing out it was generally the SLs that often had the down along-and-up pipes. Well, another reality check time fellas – getting a modern motorcycle through heaven knows what emissions and noise, Euro this, EPA that, and other test requirements is now a major task.

That the matte black unit on the CL carries a catalytic converter and all the associated gubbins is a work of art in itself. Some reviews of the new 500 have critiqued the unit, commenting it’s likely to be vulnerable when used off-road, but really? Just like the original CLs, this bike is styled like an off roader but not meant to actually be one – that’s reality check number three in case you were counting by the way. The CL is most emphatically a road bike. If you want to take a big-bore Honda twin on to the dirt we’d suggest the Transalp which will cost you an extra £4200 or so for the privilege.

So, what’s the bike’s purpose? Arguably to compete with the middle ground; middleweights that are now taking the market by storm. Whether Honda were actually moved to offer a marketplace equivalent to the proliferation of Scrambler this and that is debatable. However, what’s not up for discussion is the CL500’s visual impact – it’s both visually dramatic and understated at the same time, which is no mean trick.

Our test bike in Laurel Green (and possibly the Gunpowder Black option) might get overlooked at first glance, but the Pearl Dask Yellow stands out. Oscar Wilde never got involved in motorcycles as far as we’re aware but his famous phrase “… there’s only one thing worse than being talked about and that’s not be talked about”, certainly applies to the yellow one and some of the previous years’ offerings.

Somewhere in a sales brochure on the net there’s probably some flippant phrase referring to the studious application of a strong black palette being used for much of the bike – the rest of us are more likely to remark ‘cost-effective’. Black of various hues and finishes doubtless keeps the cost down but pretty much all of it looks to be done at a decent enough level.

And while we’re looking at the styling, it’s worth noting that despite being made to a fairly tight budget, Honda have also thought ahead here. There’s a decent array of optional extras such as a deeper seat; hand guards; number boards; shock covers; panniers with frames; power socket; heated grips; headlight cowl; serrated foot-rests; and a truly whacky BMW-sequence beak of a front guard. Potential owners can really personalise their bikes which is, if not unique in the market segment, certainly not the norm on machines in this price bracket.

Depending on what blurb you read, the CL is either the same power as its brothers and sisters or very slightly down by a couple of horses. Not that this actually matters in daily use because that eight-valve, double-overhead cam, motor delivers what you need.

Revved or short-shifted, hustled or cruised, the motor is genuinely hard to fault. Other than a very slight edginess in second on low throttle opening – it’s an emissions thing common to many injected bikes – fuelling is spot on.

Apparently, the CMX500, the bike upon which the CL is based, is said to be worse in this particular area. Up to the legal limit and beyond the bike has urge and stamina that’s totally at odds with its price ticketing. Better still, it’s frugal with the on-board LCD brain recording an astonishing 80mpg at a constant 60mph and 72mpg at 70, both on level fi elds and no wind obviously. Even allowing for the likes of some silicon chip artifice and elastic data sampling from the various ECUs involved, that still seems mighty impressive.

Yes, I seriously doubted that as well but over three weeks of varied riding I was shocked at how little fuel it consumed. On the subject of go-go juice there’s possibly one of the small criticisms I’d make. The four-bar fuel gauge could really do with being eight bars wide and more accurate. When it drops to a quarter full there’s actually still half a tank available – still, better safe than sorry and you’d have to be a certified muppet to run it dry!

The CL has been designed to be easy to ride, designed to be accessible, designed to be practical, but it’s also been designed to be involving, enjoyable and – dare I say this about a Honda – fun. For many years many have found the marque to be ruthlessly efficient, devastatingly effective, yet somehow just a little too clinical. Fans of the firm’s offerings have defended the products as being viceless and perhaps that’s a fair enough description, but for many the word ‘bland’ was all too common. Getting the crucial balance between exhilaration and safety right can’t be easy and just possibly Honda have traditionally erred on the side of caution? Reading elsewhere, I see others raving about the Hornet twin and I’m of a mind to suggest there’s been something of a sea change back at the corporate HQ’s Product Planning Department.

The 500 twin has a seriously cheeky side to it that eggs you on to see what that apparently basic motor can do. It loves to rev and despite only having the one balancer, remains impressively smooth; that the mirrors stay blur-free regardless of speed or rpm is quite some achievement. So, it’s all about the top-end then? Well, actually, no. Given its surprisingly low price of around six large, you might reasonably expect there to be some compromises with various ECUs to make it something of a top-end freak – wrong! The bike is as happy to wootle along at 30 in fourth as it is to get a wiggle on, which again is something you might not be expecting at this price. Oh, and in a fit of total stupidity I inadvertently found it’s entirely possible to pull away in second gear – twice – which proves (A) I’m a fool and (B) the bike has a decent spread of torque.

For a bike with what many would consider to be a budget suspension package the CL500 handles rather well to be honest. Those 41mm front forks are non-adjustable but remain compliant, giving good levels of feedback. The rear end is a twin shock set up and none the worse for it. Yes, rising rate suspension, rebound adjusters, pre-load collars are nice to have but – and let’s be frank here – how many riders genuinely fiddle around with the settings?

The swingarm is a substantial unit with a serious amount of detailing placed on the axle holders cum chain adjusters. Some might suggest this is unnecessary frippery, but the alternative view might be it shows you’re not riding a cut-price machine.

Throughout our relationship there really wasn’t a single moment when the bike misbehaved, got out of line, or did anything I hadn’t asked of it. Doubtless, riding gods could provoke severe reactions but for the average rider I reckon it’s significantly more than capable. Just once we had ‘a moment’ which was more due to a second of inattentiveness than any fault of the Honda. Exiting a bend, we hit a substantially deep grove in the Tarmac which took the pair of us on a path predetermined by the local council’s budgetary restrictions. While expecting some head shaking and/or rear-end tantrums I was shocked to experience just how rock-solid the bike was – once again the Honda seriously impressed me.

All of which strongly suggests to this old bloke that the R&D put into this bike is first class. It’s been conceived to be easy to ride yet it’s involving. The clutch lever is light and predictable and there’s a slipper clutch arrangement to overcome ham fisted (ham-footed?) downward changes which should be a reassuring aid to newly qualified riders. The gear change is possibly a little ‘mechanical’ in nature but perhaps that’s genuinely deliberate to confirm ratio selection for newbies?

Whatever the reason, there was never a missed shift or a false neutral throughout our travels. If your point of reference is a sports bike of the last 10 years then, yes, you’re likely to be massively underwhelmed. However, if you’re a returnee to two wheels, an A2 rider or, crucially, a classic fan who wants a modern bike with some retro appeal, the CL500 is going to impress. The brakes are more than up to the job without being over the top or vicious. The front one is strong and predictable, the rear initially lacking a little in bite but only until you get accustomed to it; it’s actually impressively progressive. Given the bike’s potential and targeted market, only an aggressive rider would want more.

Obviously, it’s not all beer and skittles and it would be wrong to pretend otherwise. Biggest personal gripe has to be the seat which, although rather comfortable at first, gets progressively less so after 50 miles. I doubt everyone would have the same issue but for some those 25-30mm of foam may not be sufficient. The optional extra thicker or so-called ‘high’ seat will undoubtedly be more accommodating but looking online it seems to be covered in brown vinyl – CB500T anyone? Those knee pads don’t actually match up to the insides of your knees which seems off at first, but once you get used to them on your inner thighs it’s not really an issue, just a tad odd.

Riding ergonomics genuinely feel good almost from the off despite the seat and knees observations and the slightly more rearward-than expected footrests are actually ideally placed. As mentioned, there’s the option to retro fi t all-metal, serrated, foot-rests but I struggle to see why unless you want to project a rufty-tufty off-road image… which is not what the bike is about. The wide bars sit you up in the wind but for fans of unfaired classics it wouldn’t be an issue even at the legal limit. If you want to divert the wind blast the aftermarket screens will assist. I found my left shin regularly came into contact with the plastic protector over the clutch casing; not a big issue, but some might find this mildly annoying.

Impressed with the bike on long-term test? You bet, and if you’ve not ridden a modern four-stroke twin you would be, too – I’ve ridden rougher fours! The CL500 is so flexible, easy to ride and ultimately rewarding. Honda won’t have any trouble selling them. The look is different to anything out there so I reckon they’ll be pinching customers from their rivals, too. VFM is vitally important and £5699 before any OTR stuff is still serious wedge, but compared to what it gets you elsewhere I’d still say the bike is something of a bargain.

How serious am I in regard to its viability? Seven years ago I bought my first new bike since 1975 – a Yamaha XSR700. A great bike and obviously faster than the CL here but, get this… for what I wanted from a modern twin with up-to-date conveniences and reliability, if the Honda had been available at the time then that’s probably what would have ended up on my drive!