LAMS-friendly Honda CL500 on sale

There’s a new commuter/street bike in town, with Honda’s CL500 recently going on sale in Australia across Honda’s national dealer network. The model was originally scheduled to reach Australia in mid to late July, but an early shipment has seen the model roll out a little sooner than expected.

With naked retro scrambler styling, spanning a high-swept and vertically stacked exhaust with heat shield, fork gaiters, a round headlight, and an upright ride position, the newcomer slots into Honda’s street range and also qualifies under the Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme.

The Honda CL500 is powered by a liquid-cooled 471cc parallel-twin engine that has found its home in several Honda models over the years, the bike being produced in the brand’s Thai manufacturing facility. While Honda Motorcycles Australia doesn’t quote performance stats, the European learner-friendly variant produces 46.2hp (34kW) at 8500rpm and 43.3Nm at 6000rpm, pushing a package with a kerb weight of 192kg.

That engine is slotted into a 35mm-diameter steel tubular diamond frame, while the CL500 rolls on a 41mm-diameter Showa SFF-BP (Separate Function Fork – Big Piston) fork. It’s non-adjustable, while the twin rear shocks are adjustable for preload.

The bike also sports a 1485mm wheelbase, alloy wheels (19-inch front, 17-inch), a low 790mm seat height, and a 12L fuel capacity.

Honda says the bike gives a nod to the marque’s very first scrambler model, the CL72, which was launched in 1962. And while the CL500 adheres to a similarly simple recipe, it’s far from being bare-bone basic. With electronic fuel injection, ABS-equipped disc brakes, a slipper clutch, an LCD instrument display, and LED lighting, it’s well equipped to handle the cut and thrust of modern traffic, while the model is launching wide a wide range of genuine accessories to enhance its look and functionality.

Available in Candy Caribbean Blue, Matte Laurel Green Metallic, Candy Energy Orange or Matte Gunpowder Black Metallic, the 2023 Honda CL500 is priced at a razor-sharp $8999 plus on-road costs, and is covered by a two-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

See your nearest Honda dealership for more information.