The Indian biking community is slowly but surely warming up to scramblers. Initially catering to only a niche segment of buyers who had the means to opt for Ducatis and Triumphs, there have been multiple scramblers launched in the entry-level premium segment in the last 3-4 years. The most recent addition in this segment being the Royal Enfield Bear 650.
Priced between Rs 3.39 lakh and Rs 3.60 lakh (ex-showroom), the USP of Bear 650 is that there is no other scrambler in this range to take it heads on. Here’s where Honda could come and pose some challenge for Royal Enfield. The Japanese auto giant showcased the updated CL500 scrambler at the recently concluded EICMA 2024.
Honda CL500 details
Now, the CL500 is not an all-new product but gets fair share of updates in its latest updates. Visually, the CL500 gets small upgrades such as a new dual-barrel upswept exhaust, a bigger 12-litre fuel tank, and two new colour options: Pearl Dusk Yellow and Matt Fresco Brown. It also gets ergonomic updates such as altered foot peg position, and a lower seat height of 790mm.
Mechanically, the bike remains unchanged with the same 471cc, parallel-twin, liquid-cooled engine which churns out 46 bhp at 8,500rpm and a peak torque of 43.4 Nm at 6,250rpm. This motor is now compatible with Euro 5+ emission norms. It gets the same 6-speed gearbox but the sprocket now gets 41 teeth instead of 40-teeth, which should result in quicker acceleration.
In terms of features, the CL500 gets full-LED lighting, Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), and a fully-digital negative LCD instrument panel, which has been updated for better visibility.
Honda CL500: Perfect rival to Bear 650?
If Honda decides to bring the CL500 to India it will become a very enticing option since the only notable scrambler in this space is the recently-launched Bear 650. However, Honda has to price the CL500 very competitively to make it a worthy rival of the Bear. For that to happen, Honda has to localise the scrambler in India to a large extent which seems unlikely at this point given the NX500 adventure tourer, based on the same platform comes to India as a CBU.
Even if Honda manages to price the CL500 around Rs 4 lakh (ex-showroom), there will be buyers ready to gobble up a scrambler flaunting a Honda badge. In any case, specification wise, the CL500 could still be a close match for the Bear 650, if it does come to India in the future.
