Simon Harris had a three month love affair with the Harley-Davidson X350, but just one month into his latest fling with an X500, it seems the bigger twin has captured his heart...
Using the Harley X350 as a daily rider for three months, Simon really got to like the bike, you can read his updates here. Now he has swapped to the big sibling, the X500, for a three month test over late spring early summer. Here’s update one, the first 1000km.
Simon picked our X500 up from Harley-Davidson HQ and headed straight to the Old Road!
Lucky for me, I have the opportunity to live with the X500 for a while, back to back after the X350. It’s hard not to compare the two, especially after such a pleasant fling with the X500’s baby bro. They are completely different machines, but again, forged to a template of user friendliness, practicality and, of course, a lot of fun.
Read our launch review on the Harley X500 here… and tech details here...
The X500 is pretty chunky, but with a low seat, it remains very easy to wield in and around town and not a drama to put a foot down at traffic lights. Riding into the city for work and the compact nature of the bike makes it a breeze for chopping mercilessly through traffic. The engine had a little over a thousand kays on it when I got hold of the key and it’s now got another thousand and feels fully bedded in. As per our previous review, the gearbox operation is first class and the ratios match the engine characteristics really well.
The 500 motor has about 50 per cent more torque than the 350 and it shows. You can be very casual in gear selection and the engine will nine times out of 10 be accepting and willing to drive on. This is really cool for just enjoying the ride and not having to think too much about how you are riding. Things seem to happen at least a thousand rpm earlier and a gear higher than on the 350 – very relaxed.
“The 500 motor has about 50 per cent more torque than the 350 and it shows”…
At first, I found the seat less comfy than the more slab-like 350 seat, but over a few weeks my bum and the seat have, err bonded, at least in shape, and get on pretty well now. The bowl just before the pillion hump makes a nice nesting spot when you want to change pozzie and pressure points, too. To make it just nice for myself, I rotated the handlebar towards me a few degrees and readjusted the levers, switch blocks and mirrors to suit. No need to do anything else.
Simon rotated the handlebars back towards himself and adjusted the levers to suite.
The rear suspension is on softest preload setting, due to the hefty standard spring, and its plenty adequate. The front, I am finding, seems not to be quite as supple as the 350 suspenders, so a bit of mucking around may be in order with the compression damping. That said, apart from being a bit harsh up front, the handling is excellent, planted and stable, and coupled with huge ground clearance, it does generate a tendency to become quite enthusiastic in the bends.
I must say that there is a little bit of snatchiness every now and again when feathering the throttle at low speeds, however, it’s easy to cancel out by using that big rear brake to create a little additional drag so as to not need to close the throttle entirely. Otherwise, the throttle modulation and fuelling is spot on from go to whoa.
Speaking of brakes, the monster front end has very good stopping power that is streets ahead of the stock 350. When mucking about with the ABS, you can hear the front tyre biting into the bitumen as your eyeballs start pulling against their sockets.
So far, the X500 has shown itself to be a very competent motorcycle that is in many ways as engaging as it is easy to ride. I am looking forward to emptying and refilling the tank numerous times over the next few weeks.
The Harley-Davidson X500 includes performance features such as:
- A 500cc DOHC 4-valve liquid-cooled parallel twin tuned to produce strong midrange torque and mated to a six-speed transmission.
- Cable-actuated wet-plate clutch with chain final drive.
17-inch (432mm) front and rear wheels to deliver nimble performance. - Maxxis Supermaxx ST tyres sized 120/70-ZR17 in front and 160/60-ZR17 in the
rear. - Dual front disc brakes and a single rear disc brake including Antilock Braking
System (ABS) as standard. - 50mm inverted fork front suspension with adjustable rebound damping.
- Monoshock rear suspension with coil spring and pre-load and rebound damping
adjustability. - Mid foot controls and a low-rise handlebar, putting the rider in a centred,
comfortable posture on the bike. - 820mm unladen seat height.
The Harley-Davidson X500 is available with an Australian Ride Away Price of $11,495 AUD in Dramatic Black, Dynamic Orange, Supersonic Silver, and Pearl White. Go and see your Harley dealer for a test.
2024 Harley-Davidson X500 (LAMS)
Price: $11,495 Ride-Away
Warranty: Two-Years Unlimited KM
Colours: Dramatic Black, Dynamic Orange, Supersonic Silver, and Pearl White.
Claimed power: 35kW(47.6hp)@8500rpm
Claimed torque: 46Nm@6000rpm
Wet weight: 208kg
Fuel capacity: 13.1L
Fuel Consumption (Claimed): 4.85L/100km
Engine: Liquid-cooled, in-line two-cylinder, four-stroke, DOHC, four-valves per cylinder, 499.6cc, 69 x 66.8mm bore x stroke, 37mm throttle body, 11.5:1 compression ratio, Delphi MT05 ignition, NGK CR8E spark plugs, six-speed gearbox, wet clutch, 2-1 exhaust.
Chassis: Steel tube trellis frame, steel tube trellis swingarm
Rake: 24.5º Trail: 100.5mm
Suspension: 50mm USD forks, rebound adjustable, lateral rear shock, preload & rebound adjustable, 112mm travel
Brakes: Bosch ABS, dual semi-floating 320mm rotors, radial four-piston calipers, single 260mm rear rotor, single piston floating caliper
Wheels & Tyres: Aluminum alloy, 3.50 x 17in, 4.50 x 17in, 120/70 – R17, 160/60 – R17, Maxxis SuperMaxx tyres.
Dimensions:
Seat height: 820mm
Wheelbase: 1485mm
Overall Length: 2135mm
Overall Height: 1120mm
Ground Clearance: 153mm
Instruments & Electronics: LCD display, ABS
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