Thanks for the replies.
I get it the Honda is bullet proof reliable.
But it needs revs. Is soul less.
The RE looks the part, feels under stressed.
Nora Lee has given one a workout.
A bit similar for me in head says Honda, heart says RE. Had a crf.
Glad I didn't buy a baby gs Ted.
A few horror stories. Ok while in warranty

It doesn't have to be that Honda.

I know what it feels like to hanker for something on an emotional level (the marketer's favourite leverage).

I mean, if you're really in love with the RE, get it. It's your money. It'll be your bike.
Just do so with open eyes as a number on here have already told you what to expect.

Ride it and tick that off.

Maybe you'll keep it, may be you'll sell it, but as you can see from the current prices of the two models you've been looking at, the Honda holds its value more, so if you decide to sell the RE once you've got that bug out of your system, expect to take a bit of a hit.

Or go back to the drawing board and look at what's around.

However, I know what you mean about the soulessness of a revvy parallel twin.

For me, for a 500cc to be charismatic means a single.

My Transalp is a twin 600 and even that can't be described as characterful (namely as it has no quirks and starts every time!).

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Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)

Have you ridden it?

I rented a CB500X for an eight-day trip. It was great. When you're traveling, you don't care so much about "soul" as you do when just doing a weekend ride. You care about the bike not impeding your travel and letting you do what you want, every time.

I rode the Honda about three years back. I guess it didn't leave me enthused.
Probably pitched the wrong bike.
The NC700 on the other hand, I really liked.
Now the 750. Therefore I would like to change the 500 for the 700/750 NC
I rode the RE last year. I liked the engine. I didn't find the front brake that bad. Hard suspenders on the rear! Feet sit back a bit to far. Seat is uncomfortable.
What I do like is you can work on the RE as it is more simple

My 22 month old CB500 will turn over 14000 miles this week. Oil changes are one drain bolt and the spin on filter. The valves were all in spec at 12000, there is a Haynes manual. The closest thing to a fault would be the paint on the brake pedal starting to look a bit thin. Might take ten minutes with a rattle can to refresh.

I had a 2017 Bullet EFI for 11 months. Changing the failed TPS and snapped chain were indeed simple enough. I hope a Himalayan would have moved up a bit, but I doubt it will equal the Honda.

I think the only reason to get the Enfield would be if you really liked the look of it.

Andy

I would hazard a guess that by now a lot more people have ridden a CB500X to more corners of the earth than people have on a Himalayan... and had a painless time doing it too.

The CB is a proven platform: utterly reliable, low maintenance, very economic, all-day and high-hundred mile/iron-butt comfortable if needs be, and can maintain higher highway (freeway) speeds with ease as required.

It's worth noting that the fact that it makes almost twice the bhp of the Himalayan also makes it much more capable of maintaining speed at high elevation too.

The Honda engine has great fuelling, plenty of low end torque (it is certainly not 'revvy' at all, other than the cruising rpms are slightly higher than a thumper at higher highway speeds, mainly because it's a twin) and has a good spread of gears - making it very easy to ride at slow speed in rougher terrain, while not compromising any day-to-day highway ability.

With the right accessories and upgrades it also makes a killer 50/50 all-terrain bike, again one which doesn't compromise the on-road or off-road ability for the sake of the other - but you certainly don't need to go that far unless higher off-road ability is a requirement. A strong skid-plate and some decent tyres ought to see you handle most eventualities when riding in typical 'travel' mode.

For the same money I'd say it's an easy choice to make.

Jenny x

Thanks Jenny, I guess you are right. I have seen you giving said bike a good workout on ebay. Especially the touratek version with wheels, suspenders etc.
Do you still have it? What mileage has it or had it done?
Many thanks

Just to put it into context.

I did a 20,000 mile service on a kids Suzuki GSX-S 125 yesterday. Valve clearance check. This kid is a food delivery rider and rides this thing like he stole it. Cold starts, red-lining, zero craps given.

100% in perfect spec. The top end looked new. The motor is quiet, crisp and tight. It purrs away in perfect balance.

That's a £4000 bike. Brand new.

A Royal Enfield sounds and feels like a Skeleton pleasuring himself in a biscuit tin. The techs I know who have worked on the R.E tell me of valves needing regular attention and head gaskets leaking. That is either poor assembly or poor manufacturing of components. Neither I want anything to do with.

No comparison whatsoever.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Hi Floyd - oh yes, I certainly do have my bike still - which is why I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone else of course as I've been very happy with it's all-round ability over the years...



To clarify it's not Touratech, but Rally-Raid Products (in the UK) which make the upgraded suspension and spoked wheels for the CB500X, and if you've followed my adventures in the ride reports section on here in recent years, then you'll know that I helped John develop their upgrades originally back in late 2014/early 2015 - before taking a US bike across the country from Oregon to Virginia; and then returned following the complete Trans-America Trail which had been newly updated and extended into Idaho that year...

I mention this because I was particularly inspired by that trip, and subsequently proud of that ride report - and if anyone is still twiddling their thumbs during lock-down and looking for something to read and some nice pictures, the blog style ride-report I complied at the time has since been condensed here on the Hubb:

Trans-Am 500 - The Seven Year Itch

...together with a follow-up trip a couple of year's later (2017) on my own bike, where I also explore some of Canada, and Montana/Wyoming etc. too:

Northern eXposure

So all in all, I'd say I've covered at least 60,000+ miles on an array on CB500Xs - from bog-standard versions to various iterations of the Rally-Raid upgraded ones - including 35,000+ miles on my personal bike - and all of which has included a mix of terrain, including a high proportion of 'off-road' riding as you might imagine.

If you're interested in the bike, there is an ever expanding owners/riders community online, one with a dedicated forum - out of respect for Grant & Susan I won't link directly to those, but the name of the bike and dot com ought to see you find one useful resource; plus those 'adventure riders' out there have also created couple of huge threads dedicated to the CB500X - again with plenty of useful information and real-world owners' feedback...

Certainly as the model has become more established (since it's introduction in 2013) there are an increasing number of riders who have posted impressively high mileages from their bikes, and all with very few (if any) issues and only modest maintenance requirements.

Please understand I'm not trying to steer anyone away from the Royal Enfield - all bikes are great fun, and the Himalayan has a certain charm (albeit with an ugly headlight assembly ;o) - but as I always say, ultimately you need to decide what what your priorities are, and hopefully choose something which is most appropriate to your actual needs - or at the very least, something you can live with.

And as I always say, don't forget that ultimately these are only bikes - machines - tools to help you move... You don't have to own any bike forever, well, unless you want to of course!

Hope that helps...

Jenny x

I have just got back from a test ride on the Himalayan and have mixed feelings about it. What I wanted it for was to do a commute of 50 miles each way of which 35 are on dual carriageway. So the test ride was to see what it was like on a dual carriageway - the answer, for me, was it wasn’t the right bike as it was too vibey and slightly out of breath at 60mph+ so instead of spending an hour on the bike on a big road getting more disappointed I went onto side roads and country lanes. At that point the bike made really good sense - the power (yes, I know it only has 25hp) comes in nicely and it feels nice a light on the move (bear in mind I have a BMW R80) - it takes to twisty routes well.

So it isn’t the bike that I hoped it would be but I can see myself getting the 650 Interceptor for the ride to work.

I would think about the Himalayan for a long trip when I would be going on unmade roads for a significant proportion of the trip but it would mean that I would be close to excluded from larger roads due tot he mature of the bike. And that might be no bad thing - going slower is what I am doing anyway, I don’t really want to sit on autobahns munching miles - I am not in a race. I would have to look at the ergonomics of the bike as well as I found the position slightly cramped until I stood up at which point it felt much better and more in control - for a road exclusive rider that was a surprise for me.

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You will have to do without pocket handkerchiefs, and a great many other things, before we reach our journey's end, Bilbo Baggins. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire, but home is now behind you. The world is ahead.