CB500X offroad capability

[ngling]

Hi all,

I am thinking of buying a CB500X, but was wondering about its offroad capability. I live in a rural area and generally the offroading I am talking about is graded dirt and gravel roads which I think this bike will be fine on. I would also occasionally want to ride on worse roads, not 4wd territory, but roads that would test out a 2wd such as pot holes and corrugated tracks formed by logging and mining trucks. Is this bike capable of handling these conditions?

[Defender]

Only my opinion , but I'd say not. Get a more suitable traily. I am sure you'll get loads of opinions on this, but the X is adventure styled road bike. There that's my 2penniesworth

[Xaero]

Mud requires knobby tires and a lighter more agile motorcycle.  It also requires an experienced rider who is in good shape with proper gear.

The CB500x is fully capable of going down dirt roads, gravel roads, and even down hiking trails that are level.  The adventure doesn't stop where the motorcycle can't travel.  Plenty of trees to lock it to while you walk the rest of the way (talking about my gold prospecting experiences).  There are even places a dirt bike can't and shouldn't go.

[dave]

The CBX comes with 90/10 tires, I think that's what the bike is designed for 90% blacktop 10% gravel roads. The X runs great on good gravel roads. You can cruise along at 30-35 and everything is good. When the road gets rough, loose gravel, washboard,  big chuck holes, big rocks, steep sections, washed out sections, you have to slow down, usually 2nd gear about 15-20 miles per hour, sometimes 1st gear on the steep parts. you can't ride this bike aggressively on rough roads

The CBX versatility is what makes this a great bike. It's fun around town, very agile, enough power for most people, and comfortable on the highway. You can do 500 miles in a day and explore some gravel roads along the way.

[jsonder]

The 500X isn't a dirt bike; it is a street bike with "adventure styling". 

My CRF230L has a kerb weight of 271 pounds (123 kg), more suspension travel and ground clearance, but is a marginal dirt bike.  Fortunately, I'm in my 70's and I'm just trail riding on it for the sheer joy of it all.   

[Defender]

Thank heavens somebody agrees with me on this one. Cheers jsonder..

[Xaero]

Originally Posted by jsonder

The 500X isn't a dirt bike; it is a street bike with "adventure styling". 

My CRF230L has a kerb weight of 271 pounds (123 kg), more suspension travel and ground clearance, but is a marginal dirt bike.  Fortunately, I'm in my 70's and I'm just trail riding on it for the sheer joy of it all.   

THe CRF230L only has 11 ft lb of torque and a top speed of 71 mph.  Trail riding is all its designed for.

http://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/honda/2009-honda-crf230l-ar68215.html

Even the KLR650 can't do the same type of mud the CRF230L can but is the better adventure bike if you don't want any type of comfort on the open road.

The CB500x is an adventure bike with a few minor add-ons (protector mainly, same stuff a KLR650 would need).  In some ways its much better than the KLR650.

Also, I should take pictures of the mud that is currently on my CB500x...   

[tasso]

While I do agree with jsonder & Defender that X is adventure styled road bike I'm so tempted to try it in a bit of terrain.

Now, I have never done trail riding but let's assume we would put better suited tires on the X. On the stock Scorpions it slides in mud like on ice and my zero experience doesn't help either, eh.

I can imagine it can handle a bit of terrain question is how much ;-) Also if you drop it it's quite a bit of weight to lift which can be quite difficult if you need to to it for the tenth time....

On the other hand I know they do trail riding on the bikes like BMW G1200GS... and that's not light bike at all.

[ngling]

Many thanks for the replies. Seems that the forum is divided whether you can take the 500X offroad. Coming from a dirt bike background, I can see the limitations of this bike offroad. My intent is not to take it on any road that a 2wd couldn't negotiate, so do think it will suit my purposes provided I ride carefully in these conditions. Just about sold on this bike. Last step is to take it for a test ride.

[CaptainCranky]

Sorry to join in late - and what everyone has said I really do agree with.
I have ridden my X on all sorts of surfaces, road, gravel, grass, dirt, forest floor, and it has felt very capable.

But - all that was when the surface was dry.

You could take it on all those surfaces wet with knobbly tyres, but larger rocks, logs and very deep ruts would likely make the bike bottom out in the middle and damage the lower parts of the bike which aren't that well protected.

It does exactly what I need as dirt/gravel roads and sandy tracks are about the limit of where I want to go.

I have hit some bad sh#t on gravel and washed-out (but dry) dirt roads, such as deep gravel and deepish ruts and the bike has felt incredibly stable, compared to when I rode the same terrain on a road bike (VTR250)