On a chilly but sunny winter Friday morning we set off from Kempton Park aboard Honda’s all‑new 2025 NX500. The plan? A high‑altitude fuel economy test test: Ride 500 km to Jugomaro Predator Park, near Vaalwater in Limpopo, and return the same day. No bells and whistles, just winding roads, open Highveld blue winter skies, and the promise of a fun adventure.
By: Séan Hendley
Pics: Deon van der Linde & Our Insta 360
From the first time I laid eyes on the NX500 its modern adventure silhouette grabbed my attention. The revamped bodywork, sharp, aerodynamic panels and rugged proportions cements its “Daily Crossover” appeal, perfect for both city commuting and gravel escapades, ideal for what we had in mind for this ride.
LED lighting around helps a lot with the modern styling. Up front is a vertically stacked LED headlight that cuts through the darkness with ease; at the rear, compact LED units offer crisp visibility that you really notice once dusk sets in, all the lights are highly visible to other road users during the day as well.
The rugged, multi-spoke cast-aluminium wheels lend a modern touch and shave unsprung mass, Honda slashed roughly 3 kg during the CB500X-to-NX500 redesign, thanks primarily to lighter wheels .
With a seat height of 830 mm, upright riding posture, and narrow seat profile, the NX500 feels immediately comfortable, even at standstill, making it easy to put feet down at traffic lights or on gravel tracks for the shorter riders. That narrow, well designed, ergonomic seat was really appreciated during the long in-the-saddle stint we did, no coffee or piddle breaks, they cost fuel to get back up to speed.
Wide, swept handlebars and relaxed foot pegs combine with the Showa SFF‑BP inverted fork and Pro-Link rear suspension to deliver a well-connected, plush ride, whether cruising on tar or banging over gravel roads or negotiating thick sand.
We departed Kempton Park at 07:30. The early morning sun shimmering a haze across R21 and N1 as the NX500 and I hit the road. The flick-up/down shifter, thanks to its new transmission and clutch calibration, provided silky smooth changes up and down right through the 6-speed gearbox. The 471 cc parallel twin outputs around 35 kW (47 hp) and 43 Nm torque which may seem modest on paper, but the smooth and honestly quite perky mid-range make it surprisingly quick off the line with a fairly healthy top end as well, perfect for overtakes here in Gauteng’s traffic. The low-speed grunt was seriously effective, it pulled cleanly without drama, no need to downshift every time a slow bakkie, or lorry pulled out in front of me; a hallmark of the revised PGM‑FI mapping tailored for low-end torque .
The tall windscreen was a great help with the fuel economy and with top end speed, keeping a surprising amount of wind off my 2m chassis. On the long open stretches of tar, I settled naturally behind the screen without any uncomfortable contortionist moves. Steering was neutral, not lively, but stable, which inspired confidence as the ride turned off towards Nylstroom and the traffic got quite heavy with all the roadworks between the freeway and town. The agile little NX 500 was the perfect vehicle for darting around trucks and bakkies like a house fly on its 16th Espresso for the morning, clearing the traffic and town in short order. Once on the winding roads through farm lands and into the foothills of the Waterberg I could really enjoy the NX 500’s road handling characteristics, and gave it a ‘bit of stick’ here and there.
Mid-Ride Break: Jugomaro Predator Park
Pulling into Jugomaro Predator Park just before 13:00, I’d averaged about 28 km per litre—spot on with the claimed 27.8 km/l (3.6 l/100 km), giving an impressive 480 km reserve on the 17.5 l tank. The NX500’s fuel economy is legitimately impressive. Truth be told, I was riding with Don from The Bike Show, who was conducting a legitimate Fuel Economy test on the all new Honda NC750X, so while I was dawdling along behind him, I slipstreamed a little behind him, the odd truck and bus. I eventually got bored of that and tried to sneak off once or twice only to be scowled at menacingly. Finally outside Nylstroom I got my gap and whizzed off into the distance – I know these roads really well and knew there was some good fun to be had up ahead.
After lunch and wildlife-staring stops, I took in the TFT dash while waiting for the mid-afternoon show: bright, readable, and glare-free thanks to optical bonding—great for our Highveld sun.
Visiting Jugomaro Predator Park near Vaalwater was nothing short of bucket list stuff for me. Being in such close proximity to lions, tigers, caracals, and even Timberwolves was a humbling privilege. Watching them interact with Boss Man Justin Fernandes like oversized, affectionate house cats was both quite surreal and really very cool to watch. Their ears perked and eyes lit up as the squeal of the lunch-time bakkie approached, (the fan belt is shot), their excitement was contagious. You could feel the ground vibrate with their anticipation, calling and grunting, these are big beasts and and just their purrs can be felt through the air. Jugomaro is more than a park; it’s a living and an unforgettable encounter with nature’s most beautiful beasts.
Justin’s Mom treated us to a huge plate of meat and chips all smothered in the best Portuguese garlic butter and spices you can imagine. They have a brilliant open air restaurant on the premises right in the middle of all the big cat compounds, so you eat to the sounds and sights of lions and tigers – just breathtaking, with big screen TV’s set to anything motorcycles, MotoGP, WSBK you name it. Justin is a bike mad ex-racer, so if you’re looking for a great breakfast run venue, you can’t go wrong with Jugomaro. If you’re looking for a quiet weekend getaway in the bush, they also have some luxury accommodation available, booking is essential, just click on the link above.
After lunch and a possibly too long walk around meeting the cats and wolves, I took time to go through the TFT dash while waiting for the afternoon trip home to begin, because once we got rolling all focus would be on the fuel gauge. It is bright, readable, and glare-free thanks to optical bonding, great for our Highveld sun. Connectivity via Honda RoadSync is a standout feature with a lot of really handy features. I connected my phone via Bluetooth before departure. It paired in seconds and seamlessly integrated navigation, music, calls, and even weather updates, all quite welcome. The left handlebar toggle switch is well-positioned and backlit, letting me shift between navigation icons, caller ID, message alerts, and track changes without reaching for the dash too much. Had I brought my Midland Comms unit along I would have received voice guidance through my helmet, but a glance at the TFT panel confirmed directions. Direct phone control stayed safe; no fumbling over screens while riding.
The ride back via same included a small gravel sections on Jugomaros premises, perfect for testing the Showa SFF-BP and Pro‑Link combo with 150 mm front and 135 mm rear travel. Suspension soaked up washboard gravel effortlessly; at speed, the forks remained planted, and it glided over the sand surprisingly well once I got up to speed.
Upright ergonomics, combined with soft yet supportive suspension, meant 500 km in winter late afternoon/early evening chill felt surprisingly pleasant. With the sun still out, cold wasn’t a problem, and wind protection was just right, less fatigue, better flow. My posterior showed no purple protests after over five hours in the saddle.
The 471 cc twin is a gem, responsive in low-to-mid RPMs, freeway-ready, and drivable even under 80 km/h. Honda’s slipper-assist clutch lightens lever feel by 45%, making clutch use smooth. Mid-range is where it shines, a clean pull past 100 km/h, without the drama, jerkiness or noticeable vibration. Fuel injection adjustments from the ECU updates give it a crisp throttle response across the rev range.Sure, it’s not a torquey 800 cc beast, but for a 500 class bike carrying a lot of tech and efficiency, it delivers enough punch to feel a lot faster and more exciting than you might imagine, not laggy at all.
The NX carries over dual 296 mm front discs with Nissin axial-mount calipers and a single 240 mm rear disc from the CBX 500 which are matched with ABS and HSTC, stopping power is predictable and confidence-inspiring,even on greasy wet roads and gravel corners .
Steering precision is also excellent, with a 27.5° rake, 108 mm trail, and that lighter wheel duo, feedback is connected but neutral, and allows for rapid direction changes when needed (like ducking past kudu or wildebeest at Jugomaro or a suddenly stopping taxi). The bike remained steady, true, and planted throughout.
Fuel Economy? (The actual purpose of this ride…. Officially, unofficially I just wanted to go to Jugomaro). In my humble opinion it is “Hyper‑Efficient” when it comes to long-distance riding, claimed at ~27.8 km/l (3.6 l/100 km), my ride averaged between 29 and 30 km/l, translating to roughly 525 km range on the 17.5 l tank. Even though I pushed hard in some sections, passing 160 kmh here and there hardly dented consumption. The fuel light came on just as we went under the big Fly over fuel station, and still had 75 km’s to get back home did incite a nervous hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach, bu….. I made it, albeit with a few cramps caused by fuel anxiety subliminal tensing of all the muscles I could. I had to drop the bike off the next morning for the guys to use to go to another event and figured I had better fill it with fuel before I had to deal with whining from the next rider, at this point I was on exactly 525 km’s and felt the first fuel searching surge as I rolled up to the pump, talk about well planned…. or just blind luck, but we did it! Kempton Park to half way between Vaalwater and Melkrivier and back again on one tank of fuel and in just over 10 hours, that is going to take some beating.
I really had to think hard to come up with a few small whinges, nothing’s perfect, but the NX500 is pretty darn close. A few minor complaints, taller riders & wind buffeting: Despite the taller windscreen, taller riders (1.9 m+) would still feel a bit of buffeting at high speeds, like I did at 2 metres tall, but the screen is tall enough to hunker down behind comfortably. Switch placement, some people have remarked horn placement and indicator toggles could be more intuitive, Jaaaa…. what is with that Honda? Both Don and I spent a fair amount of the day waving apologies at each other and shouting “Wrong Button” every time we cancelled the indicators, and even got a couple of batted eyelids from the scantily clad ladies standing at the traffic lights in town. Please sort out the switch orientation or kindly fit the same self-cancelling units found on the TransAlp, Hornets and Africa Twins or some poor oke is going to moered by his wife or his mates.
Over 500 km of tar, gravel, wind, sun, and surprisingly little if any rider fatigue from my side, the 2025 NX500 proved beyond doubt it’s a motorcycle built with the South African Adventuring spirit in mind: long miles, varying surfaces, and unfussy technology that boosts the ride without overloading. Would I recommend the NX500 to a friend seeking a daily-use adventure cruiser across Gauteng, Limpopo, or beyond? Absolutely! Its versatility, economy, modern features, and sheer rider comfort make it a compelling go‑everywhere companion and at less than 130k it is kind to the budget as well.
Ride safe, and may your next 500 km be this good.
