You may not love Honda’s CMX range of soft-ish Japanese cruisers, but you have to respect them for their massive sales performance.
The CMX500 Rebel is a big hit with the A2 licence brigade, so much so that Kawasaki virtually copied it with its latest Eliminator 500, and the Africa Twin-powered CMX1100 provides a full-power hit in the same vein.
Both bikes get a modest refresh for 2025: The 500 mostly on the cosmetic and Euro 5+ homologation front, with the 46bhp 471cc twin motor largely unchanged. The 1100 now comes in three models: Base CMX1100, a new ‘T’ touring variant with half-fairing and bagger-style panniers and an SE version packed with bolt-on factory custom bits. The motor has some of the upgrades seen on the Africa Twin this year, with more compression, different cams, heavier flywheel and new exhaust, plus ride-by-wire throttle. Peak power is about the same at 87bhp, but there’s much more low-down and midrange grunt.
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Prices and availability for the Rebels is tbc, expect more news next month.
