Honda NX500’s uk day trips and exploration and more
 

Hi team I hope we are all keeping well,

Last year I bought a Honda Nx500 for my dad as motivation through his prostate cancer treatment, which came as a shock to us as stage 3b/4 diagnosis,

Been a while since I updated my previous thread, an quite a lot has changed since then, I’ve sold my 1150 an she’s onto amazing adventures with the new owner who I still speak to, unfortunately I was having problems with my shoulder and with downsizing our house I’ve had to let a few of my bikes go, my Elsie and parts n soon my Commando,

Since letting the 1150 go my shoulder and neck issues have massively improved n I’m re invigorated for travelling again :)

So here’s a link to the previous thread to catch up,

https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...nt-time-105024

For anyone that wants to read about what happened previously other advbikes I’ve had etc.

Last week we found out unfortunately we can’t go through with our planned move to Somerset as dads cancer meds are only available through his local cancer trust n not on the wider nhs so now the plan is to stay local.

Use our current area as a base an explore the beauty of the UK including our planned Norway trip,

Which left me without a modern bike so I’m sharing the Nx while we complete the house move, riding my 1967 Norton 650ss daily when dads on the Honda an doing trips on it when he’s not, while I decide what to get which I’ve actually come to a choice with a little more on that in and few posts initially I thought I’d go back to a Vstrom 650xt but I’ve decided to go in a different direction.

I think we have to firstly think what is our plan is for our adventure and it’s become the Honda Nx500 that’s fit us both well.


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A quick video on the first impressions of the Honda NX 500 after trading in the Tenere 700 my own thoughts on adventure what it means to me and why being encouraging to everyone’s idea of adventure is important and why we should celebrate each others wins

Honda NX 500 - is it all the adventure motorcycle you need?





So let’s catch up with the Honda Nx500 journey so far.

The tales from the road are many the people we meet the memories we make whatever overland and adventure path we choose our unique path lays before us.

It was great today bumping into a few people from the Nx/CB groups chatting and talking and it was also interesting that they do green laning and have also all changed from the T7 like dad and I have.

Speaking of dad she’s gonna be the perfect fit with his stage 3b/4 prostate cancer he’s been sat on her every opportunity he can an he’s gonna be able to ride her just before the start of his radio therapy next week.

The Nx500 there’s a lot said about fancier motorcycles more tech laden ones 21” front wheels an all the hp a superbike would need. Sometimes it’s the ones all the bloggers don’t shout about that’s ignored unless you are one of those in the know. Any regrets from changing from the Tenere 700 to the Nx500 not at all for our idea of adventure she’s the perfect fit.

It has to be said this motorcycle is a gem it’s handling, road performance and manageability low seat height and great nature have all massively suprised me along with a beautiful exhaust note great brakes tubeless tyres and it’s hard to put a finger on that Hondaness you get the feeling you’ve lived with the motorcycle as long as you’ve ever put a leg over a motorbike.

The air management it very good for not getting grabbed by the wind. Clever little cutaways here n there in the fairings.

What would I like to change a taller front screen for the motorway miles for my 6 foot 2 32” inseam.

It has to be said the whisper is always louder than the shouter a the Honda Nx500 sure is gonna be a great partner going forward

Very impressed.


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Well everyone this is an amazing day everyone that’s followed along this year will know dads had a shock diagnosis of stage 3b/4 prostate cancer earlier in the year it’s been a long road with urology stuff, an a turps operation an amazing medical treatment.

With dads successful turps operation an him now being allowed to ride it was dads first go on the Honda NX500 today what should have been once round the block turned into an hour an a half of me trying to flag him down for a break to be met with a smile an the twist of the throttle lol.

Suffice to say he’s really happy and now looking forward to some country roads.

If you are going through this don’t give up people the nx500 has been one of the best medicines of all dads mental health is so positive right now thanks to the NHS and the NX500 the Christie hospital Stepping Hill an GP his DR at the Christie over here in the UK said we don’t do used to here at the Christie.

An she really inspired dad so this one is for her an the team thank you from the bottom of my heart an here’s to the start of his Radiotherapy this week he’s still on the road still setting goals an that’s just so inspirational.

The swap the Tenere 700 which turned out to tall for dad to the Honda Nx 500 as it’s worked out to be utterly perfect for dad.

The benefit of motorcycles for your mental health can never be overlooked I’ll be getting dads thoughts tomorrow on camera in the mean time here’s a few pics.


Honda NX 500 - Dare to be Different - Owners First impressions on our Adventure Motorcycle ep2



Also finished wiring in my Zumo an Thunderbox for power management.
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Hi team I hope we are all well quite a special day today dads actually rode the Honda Nx 500 I got for us after he found the T7 far to tall.

I got the Nx to encourage him through his stage 3b/4 prostate cancer treatment for the first time yesterday and today on some country roads it’s absolutely took years off him. Truly amazing.

We filmed a little video of his thoughts pulled up on a country lane today only a few mins long but I hope you all enjoy his take on it, there’s two longer videos on my channel of me riding round the Peaks on her but this was a special special moment for sure!

Dad starts his radio therapy tomorrow for a lot of sessions so it was brilliant that he got to ride today now he’s recovered from his turps opp.



One of the last rides on my 1150 before she was sold n an amazing ride for dad on the Nx

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This was the final ride on my 1150 and Dad really enjoying riding the Honda Nx500 an he’s enjoyed the visor 2.0 as well.

One comment from dad was how brilliant the clutch is helping him being so light

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Dad looking really happy :)
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Which now brings us past that amazing Xmas day ride with dad and up to date with me putting miles in on the Honda Nx500

Honda Nx 500 Green Laning completed it ✅

So joking aside Honda Nx500 and the Adventure Motorcycle Conundrum.

quite a bit of an update I sold my 1150gsa earlier in the year and I’ve been sharing the Honda with dad while we downsize our house.

Firstly some context after doing a lot of soul searching and thinking about what I want from my adventure riding I’ve narrowed it down a lot, heavy green lane riding is out, ideas of racing also, n the focus is totally on going travelling with dad who has prostate cancer to spend time with him and travel and explore the beauty of Europe on roads and easy gravel lanes an stuff with hotel stays so dads comfortable n well rested. Using hotels as a base to explore the surrounding areas.

Today I took the NX500 I bought for dad Green Laning an what can I say I’m so impressed it’s really re affirmed in my mind that I don’t need to drop down to a single cylinder motorcycle that a Twin is the way to go

For those that are new to my posts I sold my T7 that i got for Dad last year to get dad a Nx500 for him to ride with his stage 3b/4 prostate cancer after some advice when the T7 didn’t work out for him (before I sold it I tried the T7 on some lanes an loved it) The NX500 ended up being the perfect fit for dad an got him riding after his Radiotherapy.

Over Xmas I sold my 1150gsa to move back to a lighter bike due to a shoulder issue n free some funds up, which has improved to the point I’m noticing it now with the 200kg or so bikes.

Which has left me without a modern bike so decided to take the Honda Nx500 out an see what she’s about on some lanes.

Now this all comes down to riding environment type of trails etc but our plan is Gravel trails and routes over in Europe with a lot of Road riding and Hotel stays for dad which means being less loaded up as a benefit to,

How did I find the Honda NX500 today I found it incredibly confidence inspiring (was careful to steer clear of mud with the tyres) on the gravel it felt great didn’t need to turn the TC off for the TRF code of conduct pace I was going, I really felt the benefit of its low COG, an the typical Honda great handling, I had more confidence than the CRF, it felt as nearly as confident as the t7 again this comes down to riding environment.

So the pros as I see it, great clutch control, the gearing felt brilliant it’s incredibly managable seat height and the standing position wasn’t to bad, suspension felt good with good feedback, especially forks I’m gonna swap the shock before Norway for dad.

The big thing I noticed was the bottom end to the engine gives a lot of confidence along with the gearing, at slow to medium speeds an uphill on the lanes an engine braking was handy on the downhill bits,

Sometimes it’s the bike that shouts the least that just absolutely gets the job done,

Time for an engine guard an some none hand guards for her n get her ready for Norway for dad.

What am I gonna buy myself for this year well I’ve kinda ended up in a situation where I can pick anything as I’ve sold a lot of my classics to help my dad out while we downsize our house. A the next month or so will be the end of my Norton Commando ownership,

So after working through the ideas and mainly the riding environment a few bikes are standing out,



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Finally managed to put a bit of a video together with a few of my thoughts again on the Honda Nx500 I got for dad for our Norway trip,

was a lot of fun Trail Riding and enjoying the sun yesterday interesting as well to get my thoughts as it happened from my own perspective I’ll definitely be buying a twin again rather than another 300 rally which was my initial thoughts.


I’ll be buying a few bits for the Nx500 wanna look into sorting the footrest n boot touching the exhaust heat shield an an engine guard + tyre change on the stock mixtours at the moment.

Very very very long post incoming :beer here’s what happened last week.


The Honda Nx500 There and Back again to Scotland and the 514 miles day,

Hi team so as a few saw in the stories yesterday I did 513.7 miles to Scotland around Dumfries and Galloway and back to Cheshire in one day.

I’ve learnt a lot about the Honda NX500 platform how truly versatile it is how easy it is to overlook what’s a truly magnificent travel bike.

I decided to do it as our move to Somerset is off as dads medication for his cancer isn’t available on the wider NHS so while we stay in Cheshire I decided to explore the benifit of being closer to Scotland

I’m glad I bought it for dad (he’s got stage 3b/4 prostate cancer so needed to get him something manageable he’s been riding it after his radio therapy.

An is perfect for our trips together, I didn’t beat my own personal record of 600+ miles on my old Suzuki Vstrom 650XT close though,

With my BMW 1150 GSA sold I decided to give the Honda nx500 a thorough ride to see if it suits my needs as well as dads, at the moment I’m between either doubling up on the Honda Nx500 or buying a Suzuki Vstrom 650 again which was a bike I loved, (but this time with cast wheels)

I did one of the shorter Galloway routes and the Three Lochs run (Three Lochs is a must do)

It was interesting riding her at motorway speeds the Puig screen really did the trick,

The handling, manageability and balance of light weight while not being too flighty worked a treat in high gust speeds, plus being really easy to handle off off camber small back roads,

Most importantly the headlight it’s one of the best I’ve used, best in class I’d say, at 11pm in the dark on an unlit motorway after 20 hours of travel /riding being able to see perfectly is important. Important thing to test as it matters for this sort of travel.

All in all I’m really impressed with it, from light green laning, to long distance travel days she’s doing it all,

The biggest thing for me is the smoothness how Honda have made this engine so refined so smooth is a masterpiece of evolution in design, I felt completely fresh when I got home, n feel great today,

For me that is a great factor that has really impressed me, having a nice throttle response and a smooth bike just allows you to ride longer and further for more time.

What changes do I want to make going forward, a clear screen for filming yep I made a mistake on that one! Luckily it was super sunny so could see ok on it still,

Initially I didn’t like the Puig screen having used them in the past n always had great results, I took it off but ended up refitting it n it was fab to use n gave me a nice bubble to tall for dad though, loved it on the longer ride n 0 buffeting once I’d dialed the defuser in.


None metal backed hand guards to keep the wind off (personal preference i prefer none metal bar ones)

I used a rucksack yesterday for the camera (I’ll be taking my Hassy next time not the canon)

so I’m thinking of a tank bag for the Hasselblad n chargers disk lock etc, for these day / next one will be 3 days trips) travelling light using the phone for editing an some walking pants for in hotels,

Then a seat n shock that’s it n luggage for the big trip to Norway im undecided on yet,

Overall very impressed an completely get the Honda as a platform what amazed me was the smoothness in all situations, it’s just such a none fatiguing platform that’s got your back, all I could ask for really in a bike also quite capable on the lanes to.

Hopefully should have the footage edited this weekend n all the receipts worked out for mpg.

I’ve also ruled out anything over 700cc as the insurance costs on 1000s is getting wild an I really enjoyed the managability of the Honda the convenience of tubeless if needs be n the overall package.

So it’s either a 2nd one of these or a Vstrom 650xt again,

For reference I’ve had 1200gsa’s f800gs, 1200gs te Rallye, 390adv x2, 411 Himalayan, Vstrom 650 xt,Vstrom 1000xt 1150gsa, Tenere 700, 300 rally amongst lots of other classics n superbikes,

after lots of long travel suspension bikes on some of those super small narrow off camber steep back roads it was nice having something so manageable.

Very impressed

Honda NX 500 Fuel Economy so the other day was amazing 513.7 miles to Scotland and back in a day

Here’s the stats for the fuel economy verified of receipts not bad at all I think considering half of the trip was at 4,500rpm at 70 mph into a headwind on the motorway.

Fuel
Tebay Northbound 9:34 4.92 L £8.26
Benmar Moffat 10:55 6.13 l £8.23
Annandale water 18:49 9.63l £17.52
Moto Lancaster 21:53 7.29 l £12.90
Finished trip 3.35 l £5.56

Litre total 31.32 Litres of Fuel
Cost total £52.47
Mpg 74.56 mpg uk
L/100KM 3.79

I’ve thought about this a lot this week about what motorcycle I want to take on the trip to Norway with dad, an I’ve changed my mind an come to a choice ^_^

Last year I sold a T7 I’d bought for dad to get my dad a Honda NX500 as motivation through his prostate cancer treatment an amazingly he was riding it just after his radiotherapy n it’s transformed his ability to ride.

Just after Xmas I sold my 1150GSA which I loved to get ready for our house downsize, (now a changed move as we have to stay local for dads ongoing treatment as his meds aren’t available on the wider NHS)

Last week I took the Honda on a 513.7 mile round trip to Scotland a back in a day.

Now with us knowing where we are downsizing to in the next 3 months n the big trip plan starting to gather some pace I’ve had to think about what bike I want.

It’s also left me thinking and talking with dad about what we want for our trip together the plan is to absorb and stay in each area for a week or so to explore and take it easy for dad with his energy levels, to stop in hotels for his comfort n to enjoy exploring up West in Norway, mainly road light gravel and nothing to complex spending time with dad is the main priority an setting pace to what he can do.

The overall smoothness at all speeds of the Honda and the tubeless 19” wheels has been a big benefit for us also it’s an easy bike to clean which is good

Which gives an advantage for not carrying loads on the bikes as well as making the Honda Nx500 the absolute perfect choice for our trips going forward (with an eye on the f450gs)

Over the past few weeks I’ve really realised how much bike I need or should I say how little, I think the change started when I was putting miles on my 1927 Norton 16H 252 lbs and 4.9HP an fast with it it’s left a lasting impression on me being able to keep up with modern traffic.

The Honda Nx500 last week left a lasting impression on me, the managability the fresh feeling I had after the trip, the lack of aches or soreness with my shoulder, the light clutch feel,

The smooth engine and fun chassis an the Honda refinement :) that last word might not be for everyone but it’s for me I loved how smooth it was how it didn’t fatigue me in the slightest.

Dad absolutely loves the Honda Nx500 and it turns out I do to.

I absolutely loved how easy to ride it was at all speeds no jerkiness from a ride by wire etc n impeccable fuelling and a exhaust that didn’t rattle my ear drums but still sounds nice an on the overrun at low speeds super, the brakes are brilliant. Did I mention tubeless wheels!

The biggest surprise for me has been the confidence green laning, tractable, planted a great standing position and an air filter under the seat,

The nav bar position the easy to read TFT I could go on an on also so smooth at 70!!

I’m really impressed,

No motorcycle is perfect what could Honda have done better, I love the package,

I would have liked to have seen a range on the fuel read out, a temp gauge not buried in the menu and a better rear shock / better soft luggage implementation along with lower engine guard rails,

All doable on the aftermarket, ps Honda id love a HRC colourway on one an gold cast wheels,

So yep I’m gonna buy a 2nd Honda Nx500.

I don’t need more than this power just so happy be interesting to see the bmw 450 next year n you have to wonder where Yamaha and Triumph with 500s.


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That’s the plan so far an we are up to date hope you have all enjoyed :)

Just in the process of looking at some Kriega luggage so I can take my Hasselblad on the next trip to Scotland which will be an overnight in Glencoe when I decide where to stay an some wind guards for my hands probs Honda ones as I’m not into metal backed hand guards.

Now I’m through the majority of dads treatment with him able to start posting again an actually getting some miles under my belt travelling exciting times an especially looking forward to the trip with dad.

All good fun :)