@@Tedventures13 must admit I found my visit very informative and John knows his stuff, top engineer and ex competitive endro rider.. good mix for developing and engineering suspension 😊
Think for many, including myself, this has been the video we've been waiting for regarding rally raid and the cb500x/nx500. It's great you managed to land a site visit and share 👍
Just had Rally Raid front and rear fitted to my CRF300L Rally. The bike rode just fine with stock suspension (I'm not heavy), but was bouncy due to a lack of good dampening. Also got the remote preload adjuster because it's almost impossible to adjust rear preload on this bike - no space to use a tool on the shock due to the bike's frame. The parts plus labour amount to almost a third of the bike's cost, but John is quite right, you're adding that value to the bike. That's not always the case with many upgrades.
I think if keeping the bike longer term the value is well worth it, my rear has seen good use on the 500X and now the NX so I’m content to do so.. it was interesting listening to John and his experience, I could have made it an hour long but think I got the flavour of it in the final version and actually I had some difficulty with a corrupted file!
#DanTube That is exactly what I planned to do, an 300 Rally “Extreme” but I didn’t knew this detail you shared about rear space. Thank you very much!!!
Interesting video, good to see some proper engineering. I have ridden mountain bikes and motorbikes for years, I really can’t feel much difference when changing suspension settings. Ride safe!
Good video and great discussion--i had my suspension tuned by local pros here in Thailand i have dealt with before on my CRF250--it was much cheaper but from what i can understand it was revalving ,new oil and shimming with washers. It cost a 100 bucks here in Thailand. The bike is taller and stiffer but still very pleasant to ride-i doubt it will be anything like what you had done though but it made the rear squat less at speed in corners and the front does not dive nearly as much. Off on a multi thousand km ride tomorrow solo and into some very remote areas near the Laos border. Point being is exactly what the awesome mechanic fellow said: i want to focus on riding all day and not have any problems. The NX is gorgeous and has heaps of power for me but i dont like riding over 120kmh although it runs fine at 140kmh i rather like slower speeds mostly around 80kmh or less. The twisty roads here in some areas i am in 4th gear tops for a few hours at a time running hair pin turns and its an absolute blast running through the gears blipping the throttle to match rpm...i love the sound of the [stock]bike. I have aluminium boxes and stay on road and fitted Road 6 tires from new. Hit 2000km last week and about to really rack up some miles and smiles. Thanks for the video
Thank you for watching and pleased you enjoyed it, the mechanic was the owner on this one and a wonderful chap, he was an enduro racer in his younger days, competing all over the world, so as good as it gets for the suspension build.. lovely guy and still travelling extensively, mostly off road! Good to hear you’ve had successful upgrades to the bike, I test ride the standard NX and felt it was much better than my 2019 500x. Have a great trip 👍🏻
I have a 2019 Africa Twin, sports adventure, and I love it except when I have to pick it up out of the mud. I thinking about getting something that is more manageable Honda NX500 or the new Royal Enfield 450 but I'm not sure. I've had several Honda motorcycles and I like their reliability. I would be willing to put some serious money into it, suspension perhaps some different rims and so forth. I was watching some of Itchy Boots videos and I often think to myself "Gee....I don't know if I could do that on my Africa Twin." She's on her Honda Rally 300 but that's a little too small. Anyway, keep us posted if you make any more mods on your bike or let us know what's out there, so far I haven't found too much. Thanks, Bill from Aiken South Carolina
Hi Bill, having thanks for watching and commenting, great to have US subscribers. I’ve had many bikes over the years, including BMW GSs RTs old Ks and a Yamaha 1200 Super Tenere all good bikes at the time, but age and health catches up and I decided to go the lighter option ending up with the 500x. When I downsized i had the money to invest on the 500x with RR upgrades which vastly improved the ride quality both on and off road, although I decided I’d only change the wheels to RR spoked if I broke the Honda cast…but I couldn’t! I only changed to the NX as I could take most of the expensive investment off the 500x and put it on the NX and got a good part x from the dealer on my old now standard bike. I guess what I’m really saying is that although fitting a small budget bike out was expensive I personally have had my monies worth out of these so I’m now onto a winner with the NX. The loss of power over bigger bike takes adjustment but these mid size bikes are so much fun on the 95% of riding I do with lightness, maneuverability, low end torque and a big one for me, the fuel economy..averaging over long term at about 82mpg and on some gentle local riding up to the best I’ve had 102mpg (it was a gentle ride) Some good bikes out there but this Honda is just…well a Honda 😀 Have a look at the playlist for my 500x, virtually everything done to it can be done to the NX and thanks again..keep in touch 👍🏻 Honda CB500X ua-cam.com/play/PLPGqJRFsLx5f85GJW0KgBCpCRTagPpuI8.html
@@thecampingbiker791 yeah could probably do with being a bit bigger an brighter that sign but I recognised the shape coz do a bit of uploading myself so got closer to see the writing good channel you've got very interesting
I noticed you didnt flat foot when you stopped. How tall are you? I got a 500 coming home tomorrow but i am 5'9 inches. I was like you when i sat down on the bike but dont know if your new front suspension is higher? Thanks for the video and cheers!
@@wpkambiancesounds I’m also 5’9” and can flat foot if positioned to very front of seat, any slight adjustment back and bad habits means it’s near but not quite flat foot, however the bike sits a couple of cm’s higher with the suspension so on standard bike it’s definitely flat footing 👍🏻
@@OlyLowethanks 👍🏻 sorry, I’ve only got a paper copy of the CB manual, it’s the Haynes 2013-20 version but largely covers most of NX and particularly the mechanicals. Not sure if there’s a download available?
Hello to everyone!!! I am thinking if its a good idea to spend 2.000 euros for extras on a bike that cost 8000 euros ... Its 1/4 of its price... Exhaust+slid plate+suspension + spoked wheels (tubeless) off course just looks amazing on this bike... And from RallyRaid is TOP quality!!! But still its a lot off money....on CBX -NX 500 you can spend 5.000 Euro to make it a A2 license (45-49hp) adventure mini animal.... So around 11.000-13.000 Euro to spend... Or just go for a bigger bike and ride it with a half of power and respect. Amd I own a CBX from 2022 , it is very good bike that need money-honey to become an amazing bike!!! Take care 💕🙏 all and stay safe on yours bikes!!!
Yes, it is a dilemma what to do and I guess we all have different needs or desires for our bike choice.. what I’d add to the conversation is that even some of the more expensive bikes, like Yamaha T7s, are getting suspension upgrades if being used actively off road so nothing is too simple. The main thing is do your research and then whatever you choose is the right decision.. good look and thanks for watching 👍🏻
![Why is EVERYONE Buying the HONDA NX500 ? [QuickTest#37]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/--PL45RxiLA/mqdefault.jpg)
That was a very informative video. Not only as a CB500x owner but learning more about how suspension works. Thanks
@@Tedventures13 must admit I found my visit very informative and John knows his stuff, top engineer and ex competitive endro rider.. good mix for developing and engineering suspension 😊
Think for many, including myself, this has been the video we've been waiting for regarding rally raid and the cb500x/nx500.
It's great you managed to land a site visit and share 👍
Thank you James, I’m so pleased it was useful and I genuinely do this to help others.. thanks again 🙏
Just had Rally Raid front and rear fitted to my CRF300L Rally. The bike rode just fine with stock suspension (I'm not heavy), but was bouncy due to a lack of good dampening. Also got the remote preload adjuster because it's almost impossible to adjust rear preload on this bike - no space to use a tool on the shock due to the bike's frame.
The parts plus labour amount to almost a third of the bike's cost, but John is quite right, you're adding that value to the bike. That's not always the case with many upgrades.
I think if keeping the bike longer term the value is well worth it, my rear has seen good use on the 500X and now the NX so I’m content to do so.. it was interesting listening to John and his experience, I could have made it an hour long but think I got the flavour of it in the final version and actually I had some difficulty with a corrupted file!
#DanTube That is exactly what I planned to do, an 300 Rally “Extreme” but I didn’t knew this detail you shared about rear space. Thank you very much!!!
Interesting video, good to see some proper engineering. I have ridden mountain bikes and motorbikes for years, I really can’t feel much difference when changing suspension settings. Ride safe!
It was only a snapshot but very interesting look round, all the best 👍🏻
Excellent,really interesting 👍.
Thank you 🙏
Good video and great discussion--i had my suspension tuned by local pros here in Thailand i have dealt with before on my CRF250--it was much cheaper but from what i can understand it was revalving ,new oil and shimming with washers. It cost a 100 bucks here in Thailand. The bike is taller and stiffer but still very pleasant to ride-i doubt it will be anything like what you had done though but it made the rear squat less at speed in corners and the front does not dive nearly as much. Off on a multi thousand km ride tomorrow solo and into some very remote areas near the Laos border.
Point being is exactly what the awesome mechanic fellow said: i want to focus on riding all day and not have any problems.
The NX is gorgeous and has heaps of power for me but i dont like riding over 120kmh although it runs fine at 140kmh i rather like slower speeds mostly around 80kmh or less. The twisty roads here in some areas i am in 4th gear tops for a few hours at a time running hair pin turns and its an absolute blast running through the gears blipping the throttle to match rpm...i love the sound of the [stock]bike. I have aluminium boxes and stay on road and fitted Road 6 tires from new. Hit 2000km last week and about to really rack up some miles and smiles.
Thanks for the video
Thank you for watching and pleased you enjoyed it, the mechanic was the owner on this one and a wonderful chap, he was an enduro racer in his younger days, competing all over the world, so as good as it gets for the suspension build.. lovely guy and still travelling extensively, mostly off road! Good to hear you’ve had successful upgrades to the bike, I test ride the standard NX and felt it was much better than my 2019 500x. Have a great trip 👍🏻
I have a 2019 Africa Twin, sports adventure, and I love it except when I have to pick it up out of the mud. I thinking about getting something that is more manageable Honda NX500 or the new Royal Enfield 450 but I'm not sure. I've had several Honda motorcycles and I like their reliability. I would be willing to put some serious money into it, suspension perhaps some different rims and so forth. I was watching some of Itchy Boots videos and I often think to myself "Gee....I don't know if I could do that on my Africa Twin." She's on her Honda Rally 300 but that's a little too small. Anyway, keep us posted if you make any more mods on your bike or let us know what's out there, so far I haven't found too much. Thanks, Bill from Aiken South Carolina
Hi Bill, having thanks for watching and commenting, great to have US subscribers.
I’ve had many bikes over the years, including BMW GSs RTs old Ks and a Yamaha 1200 Super Tenere all good bikes at the time, but age and health catches up and I decided to go the lighter option ending up with the 500x. When I downsized i had the money to invest on the 500x with RR upgrades which vastly improved the ride quality both on and off road, although I decided I’d only change the wheels to RR spoked if I broke the Honda cast…but I couldn’t! I only changed to the NX as I could take most of the expensive investment off the 500x and put it on the NX and got a good part x from the dealer on my old now standard bike. I guess what I’m really saying is that although fitting a small budget bike out was expensive I personally have had my monies worth out of these so I’m now onto a winner with the NX.
The loss of power over bigger bike takes adjustment but these mid size bikes are so much fun on the 95% of riding I do with lightness, maneuverability, low end torque and a big one for me, the fuel economy..averaging over long term at about 82mpg and on some gentle local riding up to the best I’ve had 102mpg (it was a gentle ride) Some good bikes out there but this Honda is just…well a Honda 😀
Have a look at the playlist for my 500x, virtually everything done to it can be done to the NX and thanks again..keep in touch 👍🏻
Honda CB500X
ua-cam.com/play/PLPGqJRFsLx5f85GJW0KgBCpCRTagPpuI8.html
saw you on M6 southbound an saw you channel on front wheel guard haha love it
Brilliant, just stoped for a coffee… what were you driving
@@thecampingbiker791 Renault van with big yellow sign on it saw you pull into Hilton services haha
@@thetoad9641 brilliant observation… and eyesite 😂
@@thecampingbiker791 yeah could probably do with being a bit bigger an brighter that sign but I recognised the shape coz do a bit of uploading myself so got closer to see the writing good channel you've got very interesting
@@thetoad9641 thanks for that 👍🏻
I noticed you didnt flat foot when you stopped. How tall are you? I got a 500 coming home tomorrow but i am 5'9 inches. I was like you when i sat down on the bike but dont know if your new front suspension is higher? Thanks for the video and cheers!
@@wpkambiancesounds I’m also 5’9” and can flat foot if positioned to very front of seat, any slight adjustment back and bad habits means it’s near but not quite flat foot, however the bike sits a couple of cm’s higher with the suspension so on standard bike it’s definitely flat footing 👍🏻
@@thecampingbiker791 Ok thanks a lot for the reply. Have a great day.
@@wpkambiancesounds you too and enjoy the bike
@@thecampingbiker791 Thank you!
@@wpkambiancesounds no problem 👍🏻
Great videos thanks. Do you have a service manual for the NX or CB? If so can share it please?
@@OlyLowethanks 👍🏻 sorry, I’ve only got a paper copy of the CB manual, it’s the Haynes 2013-20 version but largely covers most of NX and particularly the mechanicals. Not sure if there’s a download available?
@thecampingbiker791 many thanks. I'll have to take a look, and see if there's one for the NX yet!
@@OlyLowe let me know if you find anything!
@thecampingbiker791 there doesn't seem to be an update for the CB500X from 2020 either...but I guess that's just largely suspension and dash changes
@@OlyLowe I think so, more or less mechanically the same but a few smaller details different
Hence you buy Japanes..to ride 🙂 God bless.
Indeed so 😊
Hello to everyone!!! I am thinking if its a good idea to spend 2.000 euros for extras on a bike that cost 8000 euros ... Its 1/4 of its price... Exhaust+slid plate+suspension + spoked wheels (tubeless) off course just looks amazing on this bike... And from RallyRaid is TOP quality!!! But still its a lot off money....on CBX -NX 500 you can spend 5.000 Euro to make it a A2 license (45-49hp) adventure mini animal.... So around 11.000-13.000 Euro to spend... Or just go for a bigger bike and ride it with a half of power and respect. Amd I own a CBX from 2022 , it is very good bike that need money-honey to become an amazing bike!!! Take care 💕🙏 all and stay safe on yours bikes!!!
Yes, it is a dilemma what to do and I guess we all have different needs or desires for our bike choice.. what I’d add to the conversation is that even some of the more expensive bikes, like Yamaha T7s, are getting suspension upgrades if being used actively off road so nothing is too simple. The main thing is do your research and then whatever you choose is the right decision.. good look and thanks for watching 👍🏻