2023 Honda SCL500 First Ride Review

The backroads and scenic highways between Ventura and Santa Paula, California, are tailor-made for Honda’s 500 twins. Nothing is too fast or technical, but nothing is too tedious either, meaning you’d probably have just as much fun on a CBR500R as you would a CB500F, CB500X, or Rebel 500. And that’s the point; Honda didn’t develop its intermediate middleweights to turn the motorcycling world on its head, but to work for a wide range of riders in an equally wide range of situations—to ensure there is something for every personality that walks through a dealership’s doors.

The approach worked, turning Honda into a market leader in the 250–600cc category. And now, with the introduction of the SCL500, Big Red is looking to appeal to an even wider audience. Or at least to those who couldn’t see themselves atop the sportier CBR500R, the more adventurous CB500X, or even the laid-back Rebel 500.

Options, according to Honda, are everything.

The SCL500 is available in two color options: Matte Laurel Green Metallic (shown) or Candy Orange. Seat height is 31.1 inches.

About the Bike
Honda need only go as far as its own archives to gather inspiration for a modern street scrambler, having already designed and built some of the most successful scramblers to date. That includes the 1962 CL72, made popular by Dave Ekins and Bill Robertson Jr., who rode a pair of preproduction CLs from Tijuana to La Paz, Mexico, in what started as a publicity stunt (covered by Cycle World), but ultimately became the genesis of the Baja 1000. Tough guys, on tough bikes, that would go on to inspire countless riders to hit the road.

The SCL is not meant to be nearly as rugged or off-road focused as those original examples, according to Honda, but looks the part through scrambler-inspired styling treatments like a high-mount muffler; twin shocks; wide, motocross-style handlebar; and tall, flat seat that’s not all that different from what you’d have found on custom builds a few years back.

Where it all started. Dave Ekins and his 1962 CL72 scrambler in La Paz. Easy to see where most of the design inspirations for the SCL500 came from. Fun fact: The new bike is called a CL500 in other parts of the world, but SCL500 in the US, as Mercedes already owns the CL500 trademark here.

The frame is borrowed from a Rebel 500, but a model-specific subframe is used in order to accommodate the taller seat and repositioned shocks. As is expected, the SCL has longer suspension travel than the Rebel 500 that it’s based on: 5.9 inches up front and 5.7 inches out back, versus 5.5 and 3.7 inches. Rake is 27 degrees (Rebel 500 rake is 28), wheelbase is 58.4 inches, and seat height is 31.1 inches.

Other immediately recognizable components include a newly shaped, 3.2-gallon gas tank, more rearward-set footpegs, and cast wheels wrapped in chunky Dunlop Trailmax Mixtour tires that are street-oriented, but with enough tread to have you at least considering some off-road exploring. Hard to ignore the small-but-classy styling treatments, like rubber knee guards on the tank, short fenders, and rubber fork boots.

Old (CL77) versus new (SCL500). Scrambler styling here means high-mount muffler, tall seat, twin shocks, and a motocross-style handlebar. Can’t forget the fork boots and tank-mounted rubber knee guards.

The SCL uses the same 471cc parallel-twin engine found in every other 500 model in Honda’s lineup, but does have a model-specific intake and one-tooth-larger rear sprocket than the Rebel 500. More direct airflow is intended to improve torque at low speeds, and throttle response, while the larger rear sprocket should just minimally increase acceleration performance over the Rebel 500.

The braking package also gets a slight update, the SCL500 utilizing a 310mm front brake disc compared to the 296mm disc found on its CB, CBR, and Rebel siblings. Small differences, but in this case, it’s nice to see at least some new hardware being used. All the better that they’re an upgrade.

Riding Impressions
Honda wanted to keep the SCL500 narrow and lightweight, not because that fits the scrambler spirit (big bikes are a lot less fun off-road) but because a svelte design makes the bike more accommodating for newer riders. Throw a leg over the flat seat and you can tell that designers took that objective to heart; the bike is slender between your legs and is light enough that it can be picked up off the kickstand with relative ease.

The rider triangle is equally as well-sorted; the tall handlebar puts you in a relaxed, upright riding position, the reach to the ground is plenty reasonable, and with the newly positioned footpegs, taller riders won’t find their knees sitting up over the tank. Our favorite part? The handlebar is wrapped in grips akin to what you’d find on Honda’s off-road bikes. A small, perhaps silly thing to notice, sure, but also an indication of what type of sensation Honda was trying to give you when you threw a leg over the SCL. This bike is all about the state of mind it puts you in.

A natural, upright riding position makes the SCL500 plenty comfortable for around-town cruising. We tried Honda’s 30mm-taller accessory seat (not used in picture), and noticed that it opened up the rider triangle, creating less of a bend at the knees.

Honda has had a long time to perfect the very basic controls that are used on its 500 models, which is to say that the very few switches on the SCL handlebar are easy to find and use for even the unacquainted. The exception here is the round LCD display, which is quite dark and hard to read depending on where the sun is in relation to the screen. Sometimes, reading even just the speed can be a challenge, and given that we’re starting to see higher-quality displays make their way into the entry-level, small-displacement categories, we’d hope Honda makes a similar move. Even pumping just a little color into the display would be nice.

The only other thing to consider, from an ergonomics standpoint, is that riders with larger feet will likely find their boots rubbing up against the lower exhaust heat shield. It’s an easy enough thing to avoid by spreading your feet out on the footpegs, but know that the high-mount muffler doesn’t go completely unnoticed. That’s especially true if you try to stand up, as your calves will rest up against the heat shield.

Honda did not design this bike for up-out-of-the-saddle off-road riding. It built the SCL500 for fun, relaxed rides around town and for meandering down scenic backroads, and in those environments, the SCL makes perfect sense. Credit the easygoing, parallel-twin engine that’s responsive, smooth, and torquey enough to have a little fun, but doesn’t make enough power to overwhelm a newer rider. Think of it like a Goldilocks engine; anything smaller, like Honda’s own 300cc single, would likely curb what you could do on this bike, and yet something bigger seems almost unnecessary, as it would add weight to the package, neglect newer riders, and only moderately expand the use case.

Lightweight, nimble handling and a stable chassis make the SCL500 a fun bike to ride through the canyons, but soft suspension keeps you from getting too aggressive.

The bike is happiest cruising in top gear at 60 mph, but will run 75 to 80 mph as needed, with only a little vibration starting to trickle in as you power past the 70 mph mark. Fuel efficiency varies very little at laid-back cruising speeds, our testbike going through just a half a tank of fuel during our 110-mile ride, which included a mix of flowy backroads, tighter canyon riding, and very brief stints on the highway.

Worth mentioning is the SCL500′s slip/assist clutch, which not only keeps rear-wheel chatter to a minimum under deceleration, but also gives the bike an extremely light clutch pull—exactly what you want if you’re a new rider who’s still getting used to shifting. The transmission offers crisp, effortless shifts as well, another important thing to consider if you’re a new rider or plan to do a lot of in-town riding.

Accessories and Customization
Recognizing that the scrambler scene is all about personalization and customization, Honda is already offering a number of accessories for the SCL500, including a headlight visor, high front fender, hand guards, rear carrier, top case, and saddlebags, in addition to things like a tall seat, which will open up the rider triangle for taller riders.

That’s only half of the story though, as American Honda has already teamed up with the folks at Steady Garage to show what’s possible if you invest a little time and money into the SCL500. In other parts of the world, companies have built fully custom CLs with added protection and off-road bits, suggesting there might be hope yet for those who want to do a little adventuring on the SCL. Or, if nothing else, give their SCL a custom, one-off look. That, after all, is what the modern street scrambler scene is all about.

Honda has a number of accessories already available for the SCL500, but for a better idea what the bike can look like when customized, it tasked Steady Garage with doing a custom build. Camping trip, anyone?

Final Thoughts
Some customers will be disappointed that the SCL500 doesn’t roll off the showroom floor ready to hit the dirt—or that Honda doesn’t even intend for the SCL to go off-road. And while we understand that frustration, one need only look at the flourishing dual sport, enduro, and motocross categories to understand why most manufacturers aren’t going all-in on off-road-capable scramblers. Put simply, there are better tools for that job—bikes that exist because of the path that Honda’s earliest CL models helped pave.

But while Honda might not have built an off-road scrambler meant for tackling Baja, it has successfully given new riders and casual enthusiasts alike another great option to choose from—something that might speak to their personality in a way that either of its other 500 twin models don’t. Further proof that options really are everything.


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