Honda CL500 Scrambler: Approximately $7500 USD (If It Gets Here?)

2023 Honda CL500 scrambler. Photo: Honda

There's been considerable interest in the Honda CL500 scrambler since it publicly debuted last fall, but we have yet to see any confirmation of US or Canadian arrival or pricing. However, we do see MSRPs announced for the EU and UK markets now, which gives us a hint of what might be to come.

In the UK, Honda prices the CL500 at £5999; in the EU, the MSRP is €6990. Converting those prices over to USD, we get an American MSRP of roughly $7200-$7500 USD—depending on the vagaries of the exchange rate, of course. For Canadians, that would work to about $10,000 CAD—that price seems a little high for the hoser market, and you could more likely expect something in the $9,000 CAD range if the CL500 arrives there.

This is all theoretical speculation, as Honda has not even confirmed this new scrambler is coming to the US or Canada for 2023, or ever. But we do expect to see it here in coming months, because as we told you last November, this bike is based on an engine we’ve already seen gain regulatory approval:

The new CL500 uses the liquid-cooled 471 cc parallel twin that we know from the CB500X, CB500F, CBR500 and Rebel 500. It's not the most, uh, "soulful" engine—but it is very fuel-efficient, very reliable, and will propel you at extra-legal speeds with no issue. In the CL500, it makes 45 hp and 32 lb-ft of torque. It's A2-legal for European learners, and Honda also says it's retuned for scrambler duty. This version of the engine has "unique ECU settings for CL duty, and short final drive gearing serves up smart around-town acceleration both from a standing start and through the gears. The six-speed gearbox is managed by assist/slipper clutch."

Elsewhere, you get a steel tube frame, similar to the Rebel 500 on which it's based. Remember, we saw patent drawings of this chassis a long time ago; essentially, it's a cruiser frame with a different rear end grafted on. That makes for an accessible 31.1-inch seat height.

Stay tuned; while we know the boat containing the UK's CL500 deliveries is already underway, we haven't heard anything like that for North America. If these bikes do show up in 2023, we’d expect a late summer arrival at the earliest. There's a very good chance we’ll be waiting until 2024.