I've 25,000miles experience with the CB500X,I don't ride off road or gravel roads where the stock gearing would I've no doubt work fine. The 16tooth front sprocket has proven a worthwhile mod to replace the stock 15t,it makes 1st and 2nd gear now useful,long hills above 6% I may need to drop down to 5th but with a 60mph limit on single carriageway roads in the UK it's a rarity and the gearing in the twisties is now perfect.The 16t also makes motorway riding @70 to 75mph far more relaxed lowering rpms by 500 to 5200@70,around town the 16t is much better and lengthens 1,2 and 3 gears and is also quicker off a standing start. I'm 1.83m tall and so fitted a Givi D1171ST screen to stop buffeting,which it did very well until I broke it when I dropped the bike,so imagine my surprise on refitting the OEM screen with a deflector similar to the second one in the video(the type with two point black fittings)to find not only did it eliminate buffeting but was far quieter than the Givi and has been tested and stable upto 80mph . The CB500X is a brilliant bike that punches far above and is more than the sum of it's parts,the jack of all and master of more than many people would ever think Thanks for the video😊
I've owned about 35 bikes since the late 70s. At least half of them I've put 1 more tooth on the front sprocket you lose a little on take off but highway speeds are more comfortable.
The huge disadvantage of the 16 tooth front sprocket is that it will lose the thing that makes the 500X such a great motorcycle for me and so many other riders, the ability to perform better than its power and torque figures suggest on the roads where it is best suited with hills and bends. 16 teeth may make motorway cruising more relaxed for those that do that sort of riding but it will kill the performance in, hills and mountains and on roads with bends where the original gearing is spot on. The 500X is neither powerful enough nor has enough torque to cope with higher gearing and for those who ride with a pillion or heavily laden bikes the problem will simply be multiplied. As far as first being first, second being second etc my original bike came with that feature. The 16 Thoth sprocket is no more than a darkly, an unnecessary addition peddled by CZcams influencers as a ‘must have’. Unlike most other farkles it’s an addition that ruins the performance of the motorcycle in most on road situations and all off-road use. As far as the windscreen goes, for me, the noise is only a problem when I wear my cheap helmet, silence is the word when I use one of my Schubert lids. Spend your money on a better helmet not a bigger wind brake.
Dear friend, we absolutely agree on the 16tooth sprocket in relation to the off road use of the motorcycle. If the rider uses the motorcycle for off road then under no circumstances should he change the original 15tooth sprocket. However, if there is no off road use of the motorcycle, our personal opinion remains that the 16tooth sprocket improves the overall behavior of the motorcycle and this has nothing to do with "influencers". As for the noise caused by the original windshield, we have personally recorded it with Shoei and Arai helmets, so the helmet cannot eliminate the noise. What definitely plays a role is the height of the rider. For taller or shorter riders than the average height, it is very likely that the noise will be produced at much lower levels. Thank you very much for the comment and ride safely!
I never understand that 'wrong gear' argument, except for 1st gear, which indeed makes it taller and therefor less suited for serious off-road. However, if you feel the 16T gearing is wrong for hills, why not shift down a gear / shift up a bit later then you are used to? I upgraded my 500X to 16T a few weeks ago, and i love it. More usable lower gears in city traffic and less vibrations on the highway. Also, I if remember well, the difference in 1st gear is only about 200rpm, where as in 6th it would be 500 rpm less. As for the windscreen, a taller windscreen might be more aerodynamic then a neck, helmet and shoulders sticking out, even when wearing a Schuberth. At 2m / 6.6ft tall and using the stock screen i'm finding it very very noisy up there, wearing a GT-Air I. I have yet to try a new windscreen
Well! I couldn't agree less {The 16 Thoth sprocket is no more than a darkly, an unnecessary addition peddled by CZcams influencers as a ‘must have’. Unlike most other farkles it’s an addition that ruins the performance of the motorcycle in most on road situations} Who on earth would call a front sprocket swap a ''Farkle'' A sensible alteration to shorten, or lengthen, the final gearing is a personal choice to suit your own riding conditions and personal 'feel'. It does absolutely no harm at all to the motorcycle! I've been riding motorcycles for 63 years and have adjusted gearing in this way, both up and down over that time frame, and, on many, many different machines. In the majority of cases the alteration has proved beneficial for me and improved, for me, my riding experience.
This is a q. for anyone in this thread: has anyone heard about switching out the *rear* sprocket? I read that...somewhere. It was said that it had all the advantages of the 15>16 front switch with less of the disadvantages...and I don't know if it was advising adding or subtracting teeth (and I can't find it now). But I need to know if it's even possibly true. Are there 39 teeth in the rear, stock? What makes sense about this (if anything)? thanks.
The low 1st gear with the orig.15tooth makes the CB500X the perfect allrounder for me, because I take it on the TransEuroTrails, often riding in a standing position, slowly through rougher terrain ... as always it depends on rider preferences and the way of usage. Great videocontent for those who road-travel.
One of the best bike info videos I've ever come across! You are so direct on only important points, never searching for words, and precisely sharing points to improve a bike!
I cannot aggre more on what you said. Gear are as they should be 1rst place. Most motocycles i ride no need to get 6th in red line exept when i search for max speed that sould only last 10sec for engine protecjtion. As far as buffeting goes, air is headed to middle of helm not of bad aerodynamic but for ATRACTIVE desine than leads to selling points, larger would look funy and smaller whould look not as anventure bike. BUT instead of adding a higher windsreen i go with the solution of chousing the SMALLER one. WRS got also a small windscreen and VIOLA!! problem solved!!. Wind comes to neck area just end of helmet so no more buffeting for me. im 1,75mm high so consered about this option. Very very good for city and much enjoyable. Not that much for trip althouh is doable, Sorry my bad english im greek and lazy to autocorrect but i think you get the meanig!!
The sproket change is one of the mods I'm thinking of making but I'm not sure how it will affect the actual speed because with stock sprocket shows only 3-4km/h more than gps speed and not 8-9 as you explain in the video.
I’ve got the 2023. The windshield is fine, though I changed to the dark windshield for aesthetics. Wind flow over the windshield is smooth flowing and at the right height for keeping a bit cooler in hot climates. I won’t be using a 16T sprocket, because the only benefit is a mild change in rpm at freeway speeds. I bought the bike to explore and rarely travel much more than 100kmh, and on my preferred backroads generally a bit less. Stock gearing works well for my purposes.
I have a 2021 in Crete & a 2022 in Uk. In crete 15t feels perfect, a lot of twisty mountain roads & tracks. As soon as i rode the 2022 in the uk 1st felt far too short. Diffrrent strokes for different folks
They didnt 'insert' a speed limit. That is the structural limitation of wind smashing into a huge surf board, because its very tall. Ive been at speeds of 150kph and nothing happened to it, but the bolts may come lose from vibratoon
Dear friend in a previous comment that you made, you said the same things. We got it, you are an off road adventurous guy. But all of us are not as you are and we prefer more regular and boring roads as you said. You don’t have to insult the bikers who have different road preferences than you. Not in this channel anyway. Please be polite to your fellow bikers.
Thanks for the insights, but happy with the 15-toothed front sprocket and the original windscreen. Not on the freeway or high-speed roads. Any comments on a crash bar set upper and lower and bash / Engine guard? Cheers mate.
Dear friend, please see the 6th picture from the product page in the WRS site showing exact dimensions for the cbx 500 touring windscreen 2016-2023. As you can see the height is 46cm. Thanks a lot and ride safely! www.wrs.it/de/windschilder/343719-windschild-wrs-touring-transparent-honda-cb-500-x-2016-2023-0806881057405.html
Thanks for the information share. I've been on my 2021 CB500X 8k miles. Just hardtop. I've pondered the 16t as well. Can you advise if this throws off the ABS feature? Also are there any fitment concerns getting it installed? Lastly, does it accept the oem chain? Thanks again. P.S. I devoted riding hardtop so much on mine I swapped out the Dunlops for Michelin Road 5's. That too transforms the handling and comfort level on this bike. Smooth as butter and coming up on 6,500 trouble free miles on them. Front shows no wear the rear is just now starting to wear, but very slightly.
Dear friend, there are no fitment concerns regarding the installation of the 16tooth front sprocket as far as we know. It will not effect at all the abs functionality and yes, you keep the original chain. Thank you for the tires information and have safe rides!
16 tooth sprocket? The easiest way to kill the lively spirit of the 500! It’s the choice for people who have bought the wrong bike and plan their journeys along boring fast, flat, straight roads. My solution for those people is to buy a diesel hatchback.
Dear friend in a previous comment that you made, you said the same things. We got it, you are an off road adventurous guy. But all of us are not as you are and we prefer more regular and boring roads as you said. You don’t have to insult the bikers who have different road preferences than you. Not in this channel anyway. Please be polite to your fellow bikers.
You're totally wrong dude my 500x is amazing with the 16 🦷 front ⚙️ I could not be happier I do not need my bike to rev up to 8600 RPMs & the bike on the dyno made max power just over 8100 RPMs so the best point to shift would be about 8,300 RPM... + it brings down the RPMs when you're cruising on the 🛣️ by about 500 RPM & spreads out all of the gears for better & easier ridability just like he was saying!.. For most of us anyways.. You sound like someone went PP in your Cheerios 🥣 i hope u find out who did that to u 🤣
@@17405popwrong? About? Facts.. Is what i said! & 90mph (gps) 6th ⚙️ 7,000 RPM... If you like the bike with stock gearing keep it stock, I'm sure it pulls better up hills, but that's what I had my 250 rally for when I was riding like that off-road this bike does NOT even feel like an adventure bike compared to my rally, this feels like a forest road/street bike imo. Lil on the heavy side so it doesn't get blown around a lot on the 🛣️.. to each their own. Calm 👇 buddy were here to help each other. Do the mods of one chooses. BTW it's a $20 mod big deal if u don't like it
@@honda116969 Hi, not sure but you might've misunderstood what I disagreed with??? I may have addressed my comment to the wrong person when I posted ''Wrong'' I was disagreeing with @davidmathews3093 saying that the way to 'kill the lively spirit of the 500X' was to up the front sprocket to a 16 tooth. I actually swapped out the front sprocket on my NX within a few hundred kms of riding and, for me, it was very, very much more acceptable. I swapped in my 2022 Tenere 700 for the 500 NX in March after 30,000 kms of lovely riding. The T7's an extremely capable off-road bike and the NX isn't. At 77 years old though and after owning more bikes than I can wave a stick at, my more serious off-road excursions are much, much less frequent. I also bought a Suzuki xfs650 as a winter hack and found that I was riding it more than the T7. It got me to thinking that maybe something more modern but with a similar power output to the 650 Suzi might be a better option than the T7 for the kind of riding I do these days. I was right....and wrong. Right that the NX is a fine little bike at roughly the same power output as the xfs 650 but wrong inasmuch as I misjudged the greater dollop of torque that the big single has on hand. It'll outgun the Honda 500 twin pretty easily and, on dirt roads it's no contest. I'd say the Honda NX is punted as being able to do what the xfs can do but, it simply doesn't. However, I was looking for a bike for long-days-in-the-saddle comfort and the NX is very much superior to the older Suzuki in that respect. I thought the NX would be a bit of a donkey, and it is. I dont mind that though. It'll hold its own in modern day traffic and it's pretty much OK at the legal limit of 120 kph on our Irish motorways. (not that I'm on 'em much) For dirt riding it's not much good on anything more than dry gravel tracks but, as I said, I didn't really buy it for that. It's a nice, comfy light-middleweight, and, easy on my pension to buy and run. Motorcycling is my hobby. I have 3 bikes at the moment. The new Honda twin is the bike I spend the longer days/journeys on. Maintenance is cheap-ish and easy and it's also quite pretty so I'm fairly happy with the bike. You wont dull it's liveliness much by swapping the front sprocket for a 16 tooth in my opinion. It hasn't got ever-so-much to start with. A donkey is a donkey.
I've 25,000miles experience with the CB500X,I don't ride off road or gravel roads where the stock gearing would I've no doubt work fine.
The 16tooth front sprocket has proven a worthwhile mod to replace the stock 15t,it makes 1st and 2nd gear now useful,long hills above 6% I may need to drop down to 5th but with a 60mph limit on single carriageway roads in the UK it's a rarity and the gearing in the twisties is now perfect.The 16t also makes motorway riding @70 to 75mph far more relaxed lowering rpms by 500 to 5200@70,around town the 16t is much better and lengthens 1,2 and 3 gears and is also quicker off a standing start.
I'm 1.83m tall and so fitted a Givi D1171ST screen to stop buffeting,which it did very well until I broke it when I dropped the bike,so imagine my surprise on refitting the OEM screen with a deflector similar to the second one in the video(the type with two point black fittings)to find not only did it eliminate buffeting but was far quieter than the Givi and has been tested and stable upto 80mph .
The CB500X is a brilliant bike that punches far above and is more than the sum of it's parts,the jack of all and master of more than many people would ever think
Thanks for the video😊
John thank you very much for the comment. Safe rides!
I've owned about 35 bikes since the late 70s. At least half of them I've put 1 more tooth on the front sprocket you lose a little on take off but highway speeds are more comfortable.
The huge disadvantage of the 16 tooth front sprocket is that it will lose the thing that makes the 500X such a great motorcycle for me and so many other riders, the ability to perform better than its power and torque figures suggest on the roads where it is best suited with hills and bends. 16 teeth may make motorway cruising more relaxed for those that do that sort of riding but it will kill the performance in, hills and mountains and on roads with bends where the original gearing is spot on. The 500X is neither powerful enough nor has enough torque to cope with higher gearing and for those who ride with a pillion or heavily laden bikes the problem will simply be multiplied. As far as first being first, second being second etc my original bike came with that feature. The 16 Thoth sprocket is no more than a darkly, an unnecessary addition peddled by CZcams influencers as a ‘must have’. Unlike most other farkles it’s an addition that ruins the performance of the motorcycle in most on road situations and all off-road use.
As far as the windscreen goes, for me, the noise is only a problem when I wear my cheap helmet, silence is the word when I use one of my Schubert lids. Spend your money on a better helmet not a bigger wind brake.
Dear friend, we absolutely agree on the 16tooth sprocket in relation to the off road use of the motorcycle. If the rider uses the motorcycle for off road then under no circumstances should he change the original 15tooth sprocket.
However, if there is no off road use of the motorcycle, our personal opinion remains that the 16tooth sprocket improves the overall behavior of the motorcycle and this has nothing to do with "influencers".
As for the noise caused by the original windshield, we have personally recorded it with Shoei and Arai helmets, so the helmet cannot eliminate the noise.
What definitely plays a role is the height of the rider. For taller or shorter riders than the average height, it is very likely that the noise will be produced at much lower levels.
Thank you very much for the comment and ride safely!
I never understand that 'wrong gear' argument, except for 1st gear, which indeed makes it taller and therefor less suited for serious off-road. However, if you feel the 16T gearing is wrong for hills, why not shift down a gear / shift up a bit later then you are used to? I upgraded my 500X to 16T a few weeks ago, and i love it. More usable lower gears in city traffic and less vibrations on the highway. Also, I if remember well, the difference in 1st gear is only about 200rpm, where as in 6th it would be 500 rpm less.
As for the windscreen, a taller windscreen might be more aerodynamic then a neck, helmet and shoulders sticking out, even when wearing a Schuberth. At 2m / 6.6ft tall and using the stock screen i'm finding it very very noisy up there, wearing a GT-Air I. I have yet to try a new windscreen
Well! I couldn't agree less
{The 16 Thoth sprocket is no more than a darkly, an unnecessary addition peddled by CZcams influencers as a ‘must have’. Unlike most other farkles it’s an addition that ruins the performance of the motorcycle in most on road situations}
Who on earth would call a front sprocket swap a ''Farkle''
A sensible alteration to shorten, or lengthen, the final gearing is a personal choice to suit your own riding conditions and personal 'feel'.
It does absolutely no harm at all to the motorcycle!
I've been riding motorcycles for 63 years and have adjusted gearing in this way, both up and down over that time frame, and, on many, many different machines.
In the majority of cases the alteration has proved beneficial for me and improved, for me, my riding experience.
This is a q. for anyone in this thread: has anyone heard about switching out the *rear* sprocket? I read that...somewhere. It was said that it had all the advantages of the 15>16 front switch with less of the disadvantages...and I don't know if it was advising adding or subtracting teeth (and I can't find it now). But I need to know if it's even possibly true. Are there 39 teeth in the rear, stock? What makes sense about this (if anything)? thanks.
Great video ! No one on YT tells so much useful informations - using so short form. You have answered to all of my questions. Thanks a lot !
The low 1st gear with the orig.15tooth makes the CB500X the perfect allrounder for me, because I take it on the TransEuroTrails, often riding in a standing position, slowly through rougher terrain ... as always it depends on rider preferences and the way of usage. Great videocontent for those who road-travel.
One of the best bike info videos I've ever come across! You are so direct on only important points, never searching for words, and precisely sharing points to improve a bike!
Thanks a lot Rob! we appreciate your comment!
@@TonyMotorsTube Yeah it 's kind of refreshing that you put your opinions out there with force and w/o apology.
I cannot aggre more on what you said. Gear are as they should be 1rst place. Most motocycles i ride no need to get 6th in red line exept when i search for max speed that sould only last 10sec for engine protecjtion. As far as buffeting goes, air is headed to middle of helm not of bad aerodynamic but for ATRACTIVE desine than leads to selling points, larger would look funy and smaller whould look not as anventure bike. BUT instead of adding a higher windsreen i go with the solution of chousing the SMALLER one. WRS got also a small windscreen and VIOLA!! problem solved!!. Wind comes to neck area just end of helmet so no more buffeting for me. im 1,75mm high so consered about this option. Very very good for city and much enjoyable. Not that much for trip althouh is doable, Sorry my bad english im greek and lazy to autocorrect but i think you get the meanig!!
The sproket change is one of the mods I'm thinking of making but I'm not sure how it will affect the actual speed because with stock sprocket shows only 3-4km/h more than gps speed and not 8-9 as you explain in the video.
I’ve got the 2023. The windshield is fine, though I changed to the dark windshield for aesthetics. Wind flow over the windshield is smooth flowing and at the right height for keeping a bit cooler in hot climates. I won’t be using a 16T sprocket, because the only benefit is a mild change in rpm at freeway speeds. I bought the bike to explore and rarely travel much more than 100kmh, and on my preferred backroads generally a bit less. Stock gearing works well for my purposes.
I have a 2021 in Crete & a 2022 in Uk. In crete 15t feels perfect, a lot of twisty mountain roads & tracks. As soon as i rode the 2022 in the uk 1st felt far too short. Diffrrent strokes for different folks
Excellent video, thank you. That was information I needed.
Would the 16T swap make sense on highways that regularly hit 80mph traffic speed?
They didnt 'insert' a speed limit. That is the structural limitation of wind smashing into a huge surf board, because its very tall. Ive been at speeds of 150kph and nothing happened to it, but the bolts may come lose from vibratoon
Dear friend in a previous comment that you made, you said the same things.
We got it, you are an off road adventurous guy. But all of us are not as you are and we prefer more regular and boring roads as you said. You don’t have to insult the bikers who have different road preferences than you. Not in this channel anyway.
Please be polite to your fellow bikers.
The best way to add a top case and keep the beauty of the bike is to put the original Honda CB500X top box rack.
Thanks for the insights, but happy with the 15-toothed front sprocket and the original windscreen. Not on the freeway or high-speed roads. Any comments on a crash bar set upper and lower and bash / Engine guard? Cheers mate.
Robert unfortunatly we don't have any knowledge about engine guard. Thanks a lot mate!
Buffeting??....what if you were shorter.?
Corection WRS screen is actualy 53cm in length where Puig is 52cm
Dear friend, please see the 6th picture from the product page in the WRS site showing exact dimensions for the cbx 500 touring windscreen 2016-2023. As you can see the height is 46cm.
Thanks a lot and ride safely!
www.wrs.it/de/windschilder/343719-windschild-wrs-touring-transparent-honda-cb-500-x-2016-2023-0806881057405.html
Change the stock handlebar ends to a heavier type
What is the reason for this change?
Thanks for the information share. I've been on my 2021 CB500X 8k miles. Just hardtop. I've pondered the 16t as well. Can you advise if this throws off the ABS feature? Also are there any fitment concerns getting it installed? Lastly, does it accept the oem chain? Thanks again.
P.S. I devoted riding hardtop so much on mine I swapped out the Dunlops for Michelin Road 5's. That too transforms the handling and comfort level on this bike. Smooth as butter and coming up on 6,500 trouble free miles on them. Front shows no wear the rear is just now starting to wear, but very slightly.
Dear friend, there are no fitment concerns regarding the installation of the 16tooth front sprocket as far as we know. It will not effect at all the abs functionality and yes, you keep the original chain.
Thank you for the tires information and have safe rides!
@@TonyMotorsTube Great. Thanks for the follow-up. Much appreciated.
16 tooth sprocket? The easiest way to kill the lively spirit of the 500! It’s the choice for people who have bought the wrong bike and plan their journeys along boring fast, flat, straight roads. My solution for those people is to buy a diesel hatchback.
Dear friend in a previous comment that you made, you said the same things.
We got it, you are an off road adventurous guy. But all of us are not as you are and we prefer more regular and boring roads as you said. You don’t have to insult the bikers who have different road preferences than you. Not in this channel anyway.
Please be polite to your fellow bikers.
You're totally wrong dude my 500x is amazing with the 16 🦷 front ⚙️ I could not be happier I do not need my bike to rev up to 8600 RPMs & the bike on the dyno made max power just over 8100 RPMs so the best point to shift would be about 8,300 RPM... + it brings down the RPMs when you're cruising on the 🛣️ by about 500 RPM & spreads out all of the gears for better & easier ridability just like he was saying!.. For most of us anyways.. You sound like someone went PP in your Cheerios 🥣 i hope u find out who did that to u 🤣
Wrong!
@@17405popwrong? About? Facts.. Is what i said! & 90mph (gps) 6th ⚙️ 7,000 RPM... If you like the bike with stock gearing keep it stock, I'm sure it pulls better up hills, but that's what I had my 250 rally for when I was riding like that off-road this bike does NOT even feel like an adventure bike compared to my rally, this feels like a forest road/street bike imo. Lil on the heavy side so it doesn't get blown around a lot on the 🛣️.. to each their own. Calm 👇 buddy were here to help each other. Do the mods of one chooses. BTW it's a $20 mod big deal if u don't like it
@@honda116969 Hi, not sure but you might've misunderstood what I disagreed with??? I may have addressed my comment to the wrong person when I posted ''Wrong''
I was disagreeing with @davidmathews3093 saying that the way to 'kill the lively spirit of the 500X' was to up the front sprocket to a 16 tooth.
I actually swapped out the front sprocket on my NX within a few hundred kms of riding and, for me, it was very, very much more acceptable.
I swapped in my 2022 Tenere 700 for the 500 NX in March after 30,000 kms of lovely riding.
The T7's an extremely capable off-road bike and the NX isn't.
At 77 years old though and after owning more bikes than I can wave a stick at, my more serious off-road excursions are much, much less frequent.
I also bought a Suzuki xfs650 as a winter hack and found that I was riding it more than the T7.
It got me to thinking that maybe something more modern but with a similar power output to the 650 Suzi might be a better option than the T7 for the kind of riding I do these days.
I was right....and wrong.
Right that the NX is a fine little bike at roughly the same power output as the xfs 650 but wrong inasmuch as I misjudged the greater dollop of torque that the big single has on hand.
It'll outgun the Honda 500 twin pretty easily and, on dirt roads it's no contest.
I'd say the Honda NX is punted as being able to do what the xfs can do but, it simply doesn't.
However, I was looking for a bike for long-days-in-the-saddle comfort and the NX is very much superior to the older Suzuki in that respect.
I thought the NX would be a bit of a donkey, and it is.
I dont mind that though.
It'll hold its own in modern day traffic and it's pretty much OK at the legal limit of 120 kph on our Irish motorways. (not that I'm on 'em much)
For dirt riding it's not much good on anything more than dry gravel tracks but, as I said, I didn't really buy it for that.
It's a nice, comfy light-middleweight, and, easy on my pension to buy and run.
Motorcycling is my hobby. I have 3 bikes at the moment.
The new Honda twin is the bike I spend the longer days/journeys on.
Maintenance is cheap-ish and easy and it's also quite pretty so I'm fairly happy with the bike.
You wont dull it's liveliness much by swapping the front sprocket for a 16 tooth in my opinion.
It hasn't got ever-so-much to start with.
A donkey is a donkey.