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The 2022 Honda Rebel 500 is an amazing cruiser for newcomers and gives a comfortable ride for the long haul.

In the motorcycle world, cruisers are known for their loud sound and comfort on long trips. They are not only comfortable for the rider but also for the passenger. The major problem with many cruisers is that they are cruel to novice riders due to their heavyweight and physically intensive riding experience. The Honda Rebel series is one of the most popular names in the Cruiser category, with its fame going back to the 80s.

The Honda Rebel 500 is one of the most beginner-friendly cruiser bikes available in the market, with an engine capacity well below the standard 1,000 or 1,200cc bikes. The Rebel 500 comes with a bobber-inspired aspect, nice fat wheels, and an amazing riding position well-suited for a beginner.

The Honda Rebel 500 is a narrow bike that goes quickly around twists and turns. This makes it a great city bike for riders who don’t wish to always be on the long route and like to take their bikes for everyday rides around the city or to work(although that may be too cool for your workspace). Since 2020, there have only been aesthetic changes to the Rebel 500 since the 2020 model was a major upgrade for the bike.

The engine offered in this bike is a parallel-twin unit that we can find in the entire CB500 series, and feels good to ride around. The engine displacement is 471cc, and it produces around 45HP at a peak torque of 43.4Nm. For a beginner cruiser bike, the Rebel 500 has more than decent specs and can easily drive around 80 mph for a long duration and go up to 100 mph, enough for a long highway ride.

The Honda Rebel 500 is well-known for its smooth power delivery, with plentiful low-end torque needed to get off the line and enough horsepower to get you to nice highway speeds. The Slipper/assist clutch was added in the Rebel 2020 and continues to the Rebel 500 2022 allows for less clutch pull and be better suited for beginners.

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Neutral and confidence-building handling is what the Rebel 500 is all about. With updates in the 2020 model, the front and back spring rates have been stiffened for an overall more comfortable ride while also providing more balance and better composure. What the stiffened spring rates bring is a possibility of bottoming out the shocks on harsh bumps.

The Rebel 500 has disc brakes on both ends, with a 296mm disc clamping a Nissin two-piston brake caliper up front and a Nissin one-piston and 240mm disc at the rear. The Rebel possesses a decent stopping power which is just right for the beginner rider and the initial brake bite is soft, so novice riders won’t get unbalanced due to too much braking power. Many users of the Rebel 500 have said that the brake feel is quite communicative, and it is easy to understand the pressure applied at different braking levels.

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For a recently released bike, the Honda Rebel 500 does not have many electronic rider aids except for the Antilock braking setup which comes with the Rebel 500 ABS. It is fitted with a modern all-LED lighting package, which offers much better utility than before. The comfort level of this bike is on another level for the price range.

The Honda Rebel 500 has a lot of quality materials and is built with the style which gives it a unique premium look not found in bikes(especially cruisers) of this range. The Rebel 500 ABS comes at a very low MSRP of $6599 which is above the baseline but a beginner rider should always opt for the Anti Lock Braking System.