2024 Honda CB500 Hornet, NX500, and CBR500R

Honda’s CB500X gets an updated name, now called the NX500, in addition to some minor updates.

Honda has revamped its long-lived CB500 range to bring it into line with the company’s latest naming and styling themes—replacing the CB500F with the CB500 Hornet, the CB500X with the NX500, and restyling the CBR500R to match the latest superbike models.

Honda’s 2024 NX500.

The most notable change is the NX500, a completely new title for the model previously known as the CB500X, which is also revised and restyled to suit. The “NX” title is, of course, a throwback to the old NX650 Dominator, sold from 1988 to 2003 as a lower-range adventure alternative to the Africa Twin and Transalp models. With both those names now back in Honda’s lineup, it makes sense to bring back the NX, although—in Europe at least—the Dominator branding hasn’t been revived. Reserve the 2024 Honda NX500.

The 2024 NX500 gets an updated look with a flatter upper fairing and without the former bike’s beak.

Technical changes to the NX500 are minor. The existing 47 hp, 471cc parallel twin is carried over to the new model, along with an unchanged frame, although there are tweaks to the engine’s ECU to improve response and to add HSTC traction control.

Visually, Honda has swapped the wheels for a new, lighter design, saving 3.3 pounds, as part of an update that cuts a total of 6.6 pounds from the bike’s mass. The 41mm Showa fork and shock are essentially the same as before, but with revised settings. On board there’s a new 5-inch TFT dash that offers smartphone connectivity via Honda’s RoadSync app, plus updated bar controls to operate it.

A new 5-inch TFT display offers smartphone connectivity via the RoadSync app.

The styling changes include a new front end with an LED headlight and a more flat-faced look that ditches the vestigial beak of the CB500X, in keeping with Dakar-style trends in the adventure-bike market and giving a family link to the Transalp and Africa Twin models.

The CB500F is now called the CB500 Hornet.

The new CB500 Hornet is a direct replacement for the CB500F and shares most of its main parts—the name change brings it into line with the CB750 Hornet and the new CB1000 Hornet that was also unveiled at EICMA. Like the NX500, the updates include the same new TFT display, bar controls and phone connectivity, as well as similar ECU updates to the 47 hp, 471cc twin to add HSTC, which can be switched off if you prefer. Reserve the 2024 Honda CB500 Hornet.

The 2024 CB500 Hornet gets a new LED headlight and updated styling.

The styling updates include a new LED headlight design and revisions to the ducts on either side of the tank, but the rear section remains unchanged.

The CB500 Hornet’s new 5-inch TFT display.

It’s a similar story for the CBR500R, the only model in the range that doesn’t get a name change. Its engine has the same electronic updates but remains mechanically the same as the previous version, and having gained suspension updates including Showa SFF-BP forks in 2022 there’s been no further improvement to the 2024 model. Reserve the 2024 Honda CBR500R.

The CBR500R keeps its name but gets some minor updates in line with the rest of the model range.

That leaves the styling as the biggest revision for the new version, with an updated fairing that takes its cues from the CBR1000RR-R, including new headlights. Like the rest of the CB500 range it also gains the new 5-inch TFT dash and matching bar controls to navigate the phone connectivity it brings.

Reserve the 2024 Honda CB500 Hornet, NX500, or CBR500R here!