Honda CB 500 X versus KTM 390 Adventure
Honda CB 500 X
KTM 390 Adventure
Year of construction / RRP / Test report
Competitors
- light and manoeuvrable
- low consumption, long range
- cheap in purchase maintenance
- easy to use
- Equipment
- Wieselflink
- Pillion comfort
- Low weight
- Windscreen not adjustable without tools
- Single pane at the front grips a little late
- Price
Dimensions & Weight
Length : 2.155 mm Height : 1.410 mm
Seat : 810 mm until : 834 mm
Weight : 197 (max: 386 ) kg
Seat : 855 mm
Weight : 172 kg
Engine
Displacement: 471 ccm
Hub: 67 mm
Hole: 67 mm
Cooling: flüssig
Drive: Kette
Aisles: 6
Displacement: 373 ccm
Hub: 60 mm
Hole: 89 mm
Cooling: flüssig
Drive: X-Ring, Kette
Aisles: 6
Performance
Performance: 48 HP at 8.600 U/Min
Torque: 43 NM bei 6.500 U/Min Tank contents: 18 Litre
Consumption: 4 l
Reach: 491 km
Performance: 44 HP at 9.000 U/Min
Torque: 37 NM bei 7.000 U/Min Tank contents: 15 Litre
Consumption: 3 l
Reach: 426 km
Chassis
Telescopic fork 41 mm (travel 136 mm) Rear suspension:
Central strut (travel 135 mm)
Rear suspension:
Two-arm swingarm Tyres at the front: 110/80-19
Rear tyres: 160/60-17
Tubular space frame, powder-coated (steel) Front suspension:
43mm WP APEX fork, adjustable in rebound and compression (travel 170 mm) Rear suspension:
WP APEX Monoshock (travel 177 mm)
Rear suspension:
Two-arm swingarm Tyres at the front: 100/90-19
Rear tyres: 130/80-17
Brakes
Single disc (∅ 310 mm) Rear brake
Disc (∅ 240 mm)
Single disc, 4-piston radial fixed caliper (∅ 320 mm) Rear brake
Single disc, 1-piston floating caliper (∅ 230 mm)
Giant travel steamer or CB500X?
The CB is a reliable, grateful motorcycle without unnecessary bells and whistles that sometimes invites you to longer tours. And those who can be content with this get a manoeuvrable, easy-to-use travel companion compared to the large touring machines. This is much easier to manoeuvre, is characterized by high-quality components in Honda quality and does not pose any major problems for its driver. Just fun driving and that for less than 7000 €. Combined with the low consumption and manageable sub-costs, the CB has a few really good arguments on its side!
The test bike was provided by Motofun in Kaltenkirchen.
Good, but expensive
What about the third puzzle mentioned at the beginning? What kind of bike is this? Then we get the gaaaaanz big club out. The world would be better if we all ate less meat, practiced safer sex and not just drove as an A2 driver's license holder KTM 390 Adventure. The safety equipment is convincing. Alone, the world is not like that. The problem with the KTM is that it is so wonderfully equipped that it is as safe as possible, but therefore cannot be cheap at all. Is it not, at EUR 6,195, what makes the answer to the question of classification even more complicated.
For a good 6,000 you get a good bike with the KTM, which has no development possibilities. It will always have 44 hp, that's the end of the flagpole. This is either enough for you in the long run – or you put a few hundred euros on it and move in the area of the Kawasaki Z 650 or Yamaha MT-07, which are throttled A2 compliant and later after the penitenting period with 75 hp are extremely enjoyable fun bringers.
The KTM 390 Adventure is too expensive to be used as a pure beginner bike. On the other hand, 44 hp is not enough for most motorcyclists in the long run. So a great bike is finally found between all the chairs.
The test bike was provided to us by Motorrad Ruser in Haseldorf near Hamburg
