2023 Honda SCL500: Performance, Price, And Photos

Honda's brings its scrambler-esque SCL500 to the U.S.

Honda's new Rebel 500 platform jumps genres from its straight-up street setup to a more flexible scrambler-esque machine in its SCL500 model. Billed as a scrambler, the SCL500 does carry a number of scrambler-tastic features, even if it's more of a street bike when taken in its totality. This is the first real offshoot from the new Rebel line, discounting the Rebel 1100 as it is the same chassis, just with a larger engine.

Honda draws on many decades of experience, having participated in the original scrambler boom in the 1960s and '70s, so this is the genuine article, just one that's based in contemporary design. In profile, it sports a classic scrambler flyline complete with a modern version of a peanut tank and an old-school, bench-type seat that'll let you carry a passenger, or scoot yourself back to get some legroom. For its roots, look at the CL72 and CL77 in Honda's history book from the 1960s.

This gives this new version of the classic scrambler a rock-solid pedigree that's impossible to fake. The underpinnings and their eager handling characteristics make this bike so much fun to ride.

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Drawing on its past with the CL line, Honda expands its 500 cc offerings with the new SCL500 street-oriented scrambler. The 471 cc engine combined with the Rebel-based chassis make for an agile and performance-minded ride.

The biggest difference between the SCL500 and the CL500 is the SCL500 is available in the U.S. and Canada. It's fortunate for us since early on, the CL500 in the European market might not have made it to our shores. Europe does claim more colorways; in addition to the Candy Orange and Matte Laurel Green Metallic, they also get Matte Gunpowder Matte Metallic and a really nice Candy Caribbean Blue Sea.

Both models are scrambler-styled in features and appearance, but not true scramblers. Those characteristics make either model a good urban commuter on pavement-only streets and roads.

The SCL500 borrows its relatively-new engine from Honda's recent Rebel 500 platform that also powers the CB500X, CB500F and CBR500R. It's liquid-cooled, giving it good thermal stamina, so it won't leave you on the side of the road trying to cool down like air-cooled mills can do under harsh conditions such as stop-and-go traffic in warm weather.

The engine layout is nearly square with a 67mm x 66.8mm bore and stroke that gives it a 471cc total displacement and middling, 10.7:1 compression ratio that will prefer at least mid-grade pusholine to prevent preignition/detonation/dieseling events. A quartet of poppets opens up the combustion chamber for efficient aspiration timed by dual over-head cams.

The 2023 Honda SCL500 “Scrambler” produces 46 horsepower and 32 pound-feet of torque. This points to a rather sporty ride that is quick and loads of fun, backed up by owner testimony in Europe, where it's launched already. It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow, and this certainly applies to the SCL500. Tops speed is an unknown at this point, but we would guess it's a tad slower than the 95 MPH you can wring from the Rebel version. The rear sprocket on the SCL500 has an extra tooth to increase the apparent torque at the rear wheel, and while that boosts squirt off the line, it'll affect top speed.

A slipper clutch helps mitigate the excessive backtorque as you might expect to generate on hard downshifts and engine-braking events. The final drive is a tough, low-maintenance O-ring chain-and-sprocket setup.

Engine

Liquid-cooled parallel-twin four-stroke, DOHC, four valves per cylinder

Displacement

471 cc

Bore x Stroke

67 mm x 66. 8mm

Compression

10.7:1

Power

46 HP @ 8,500 RPM

Torque

32-lbs.ft. @ 6,000 RPM

Fuel System

PGM-FI with 34 mm throttle bodies

Final Drive

#520 O-ring-sealed chain; 15T/41T

Clutch

Multiplate wet

Gearbox

6-Speed Manual

RELATED: A Closer Look At Honda's 2023 CL500 Scrambler

For the most part, this bike is all about the visuals, because it's not very capable of off-road work. Sure, on soft surfaces such as dirt, gravel and sand, the performance is there, but a problem lies in the placement of the exhaust system. The routing of the headers pipes is similar to the Rebel in that it passes in front of the engine then below on its way aft. Rather than mounting a bashplate that tolerates terrain strikes, the headers and catalytic converters are vulnerable to the point where we wouldn't even jump a curb with it, nevermind any serious off-road work. That's not a knock, just a statement of fact that this bike belongs to the street-scrambler sub-genre, and the market has a place for street-scramblers.

Up front, things look very Rebel-ish, save for the blackout fork sliders and bellow fork-gaiters that connect to both the off-road and custom cultures. LED lights in the four-projector round headlight assembly, taillight and turn signals provide effective two-way visibility. While the shape of the fuel tank is similar to the Rebels, it's a different tank with 0.2 gallons extra for a total of 3.2 gallons and some old-school knee grips in the wane of the gas tank just ahead of where it meets the narrow waist.

A faux tuck-and-roll bench seat leaves room right out of the box for you to stretch your legs, or carry a passenger, and it rides at 31.1 inches off the deck. This makes it comfortable and confidence-inspiring at stops, even if it is taller than the Rebel. The rest of the gear in the rear mounts to the bobbed rear fender, well up out of harm's way in case you decide to leave civilized road brave the wilderness.

Length

85.6 inches

Width

32.6 inches

Height

44.7 inches

Seat Height

31.1 inches

Wheelbase

58.4 inches

Ground Clearance

6.1 inches

Fuel Capacity

3.2 gallons

Curb Weight

419 pounds

RELATED: These Italian Scramblers Are Ready To Take America By Storm

Tubular-steel members make up the frame. The geometry departs from the Rebel's build by dropping one degree from the rake angle, making it 27 degrees from the vertical, but the trail remains the same at 4.3 inches long. This contributes a healthy dose of nimbleness that makes it eager and willing in the corners, and easy to handle overall with a rider-friendly personality.

The chassis is also rather compact with a 58.4-inch wheelbase that adds to the Scrambler's nimble nature. A set of 41mm, right-way-up forks float the front end on 5.9 inches of travel, opposite the dual rear coil-over shocks that turn out 5.7 inches of travel. It has only the obligatory spring-preload adjustment as the only suspension tweak.

The SCL500 weighs 419 pounds wet, so the single front brake is more than adequate. It's running a 310 mm disc and twin-piston anchor up front with a 240 mm disc and single-pot caliper out back. ABS comes stock, but is non-switchable, so you can't turn it off for off-road shenanigans in another example of its preference for paved roads.

The cast-aluminum wheels are both larger than on the Rebel for improved handling on somewhat bumpy surfaces, with a 110/80-19 ahead of a 150/60-17 for reasonably fat contact patches. Even the tread on the hoops point to street use to seal the deal.

Frame

Steel Diamond

Front Suspension / Travel

41 mm fork / 5.9 inches

Rear Suspension / Travel

Dual shocks with five-position spring-preload adjustability / 5.7 inches

Rake

27°

Trail

4.3 inches

Front Wheel

Cast aluminum

Rear Wheel

Cast aluminum

Front Tire

110/80-19 M/C 59H

Rear Tire

150/60-17 M/C 69H

Front Brake

310 mm disc with two-piston calipers; ABS

Rear Brake

240 mm disc, ABS

RELATED: The Best Scrambler Motorcycles Available Today

MSRP for the new 2023 Honda SCL 500 “Scrambler” starts at $6,799. You can score one with a choice between Candy Orange that has a nice bright metal-flake finish, and the earthy Matte Laurel Green Metallic that mutes the metal flake with its overall darkness. The fuel tanks carry the only splashes of color with just about everything else, including the sheet metal and drivetrain, comes all shot in blackout.

Model ID

CL500A

Warranty

One-year transferable, unlimited-mileage limited warranty

Colors

Candy Orange, Matte Laurel Green Metallic

Price

$6,799

There are a handful of near-peer machines that bracket the SCL500's displacement, both high and low. It's described as scrambler-styled, so other scrambler-like bikes are worthy whether actual scramblers or not.

Drawing on its past with the CL line, Honda expands its 500 cc offerings with the new SCL500 street-oriented scrambler. The 471 cc engine combined with the Rebel-based chassis make for an agile and performance-minded ride.

In a strategic partnership with Bajaj Motors, Triumph enters the small-displacement scrambler segment with the new Scrambler 400X. Classic scrambler styling combined with solid performance from its 389 cc single-cylinder engine and agile, long-travel suspension create a versatile bike for both urban travel and off-road journeys.

British giant Triumph Motorcycles has a brand-new scrambler model based on its also-new Speed 400, the Scrambler 400 X. It isn't available just yet, neither is the pricing information, but we have just about everything else at hand to take a look. Triumph's entry carries a number of modernized features such as inverted, gold anodized front forks, handguards, duplex seating, and an upswept exhaust that stays well clear of your passenger, unlike the Honda that runs the pipe under your passenger's right thigh. Sure, it's shielded, but still a little close for comfort. The Trumpet also has the little kneepads on the tank, in fact you could argue that it's a feature long used by the Brits, so it fits quite nicely with the rest of the look.

Power comes from a 398 cc thumper with 39.5 ponies and 27.7 pounds o' grunt against 46/32, but that's expected with such a displacement difference. Safe to say it's still fast enough for the superslab. Traction control really puts the 400X over the top, though we'll see when Triumph announces the price how much that feature will add to the final tally. That extra safety is worth whatever it adds to the price.

Drawing on its past with the CL line, Honda expands its 500 cc offerings with the new SCL500 street-oriented scrambler. The 471 cc engine combined with the Rebel-based chassis make for an agile and performance-minded ride.

Catering to younger riders, the Ducati Scrambler Urban Motard features youthful styling in a scrambler clearly geared toward urban and suburban travel. The 803 cc L-twin engine produces ample power and the agile nature of the chassis promises a lively ride for entry-level and experienced riders.

The Scrambler Urban Motard from Italian marque Ducati keeps to the general scrambler look, but like the SCL500, is set up more as a street bike than an off-road scrambler. Inverted Kayaba forks and a preload-adjustable Kayaba rear shock support the Urban Motard with 5.9 inches of travel at both ends for a near tie with the Honda Scrambler. Brake hardware is slightly heavier on the Duc, and comes with not just ABS, but cornering ABS, to leave the Honda behind in tech.

Naturally, at 803 cc, the Ducati puts out more power with 73 horsepower and 48.8 pound-feet of torque as expected. It also rocks a slipper clutch with all the protection that comes with that feature. The tires point to a serious machine with Pirelli Diablo Rosso III hoops in a top-shelf “Z” speed rating that'll take anything you can throw at it, speed wise or maneuvers.

Now for the trade-off, the Ducati Scrambler Urban Motard rolls for $11,895 to start, and that certainly puts it well into a different financial bracket. Definitely not as new-user friendly in the budget department. The Duc does, however, come painted with an edgy, graffiti-style colorway that is definitely geared toward a younger rider base.

My husband and fellow motorcycle writer, TJ Hinton, says,

“It's cute, but you better be careful about bottoming out on your exhaust, 'cause that could get expensive. That said, it's an interesting first effort by Honda to diversify its new Rebel platform, I wonder if a café racer is going to be up next? That would certainly fit with the overall build, and you could argue that scramblers and café racers go hand-in-hand anyway, so it's a natural pairing.”

“I know the SCL500 is a nod to Honda's CL history, but I'm a little disappointed it isn't really meant to be a scrambler. I think we have enough scramblers that aren't really scramblers and adventure bikes that aren't really adventure bikes. However, everything points to a bike that makes a good commuter and a weekend fun bike. It looks good, and Honda is pressing hard in this 500 c stable. As an evolution of the Rebel chassis, I expect nimble handling and manageable performance.”

Allyn started early on with an interest in mechanical things and making things go. She pursued careers in both the automotive and motorcycle industries as a mechanic. Having shared her love of motorcycles with her husband, biker TJ Hinton, Allyn brings that knowledge to TopSpeed. Allyn holds a degree in computer networking with certificates in A+ and Net+. Her other interests include raising chickens, homesteading, and textile arts.