Of the three, 500-cc Honda motorcycles I reviewed recently, this 2024 Honda SCL500 is objectively the least good one—and far and away my favorite. The CBR500R may have a fabulous chassis and is a great introduction to sportbikes, the NX500 is a great commuter and mild adventure bike, and this little scrambler is just cool. That’s what we’re all here for, right?
The SCL500 is a nod to the old CL450 scrambler from decades ago, meant to capture the retro-chic aesthetic that’s become so in-vogue. At a glance, it’s a relatively simple product, so much so that you could almost get cynical about it. It’s based off the Rebel 500, but with a different rear subframe allowing for a higher seat, and footpegs mounted further rearward. All that, plus dirtbike-style handlebars and some vintage-esque visual tweaks sell the SCL500’s scrambler style.
The biggest signature of scrambler style is a high-mounted exhaust. The SCL’s pipes wrap around the bottom of the engine before exiting high, alongside the seat. It’s a little awkward because of how large the whole assembly has to be for emissions reasons, but it completes the look well enough. The front fork has gaiters to protect the shocks and add to the outfit; the rear end is supported by two spring and shock coilovers in proper classic style. The skinny Dunlop Trailmax Mixtour tires are just chunky enough to convey a vague sense of being able to handle a gravel road.
There’s nothing in the way of wind deflection or fairings, and very little in the way of gauges. You just get a single, small display that doesn’t even have a tachometer, and this all coalesces into a minimalist machine that’s a delight to throw a leg over and ride away. It’s not unlike, say, an early Miata, which was designed to ape the experience and style of classic British sports cars, but with the user-friendliness and reliability of a Japanese economy car. The SCL500 is super fun and immediately felt friendly.
The 471-cc parallel twin engine is a simple little unit that’s long since proven itself to be smooth and reliable. It produces 47 horsepower and 31 pound-feet of torque, and received a few slight tweaks to fuel mapping this year to improve low end response. The rear sprocket also gets an extra tooth over its Rebel sibling for little extra oomph around town. The SCL500 isn’t the fastest thing in the world, but it’s quick enough to have fun with. Like the aforementioned Miata, it’s fun to be able to wring everything out of it all the time, and the engine is here for all of it.
Weighing in at 419 pounds, the SCL500 is very nimble and eager to lean into a corner on its skinny tires. The riding position is relatively upright, with a slight forward lean that facilitates you hunkering down and playing with it. The tweaks may be slight over the Rebel, but they add up to a bike that’s much more ergonomically sound and easy to get comfortable on, both when hustling and when cruising. Either way, between the sweet shifter, light slipper clutch, and carefully gauged brake response, it’s rewarding at speeds both high and low.
Braking is handled by Nissin calipers, squeezing a single 310-millimetre disc up front and a 240-mm disc on the rear, both of which are monitored by Honda’s standard ABS system. With 5.9- and 5.7-inches of front and rear suspension travel, respectively, the SCL500 can actually handle some mild off-road activity without a fuss, although it’s a touch on a soft side and the front fork isn’t adjustable. It’s set up to be an urban warrior, able to shrug off broken roads and the odd excursion with ease … kind of like a lifted Miata.
The SCL500 is a unique bike in that appeals just as much to new riders such as myself, as it would to more seasoned riders who remember the bikes it pays homage to. Both groups will appreciate its classic style, feel, and level of performance; new riders will appreciate it being easy to learn on, and older riders will appreciate that it captures what they loved about old bikes without the tricky nature of an old bike. For me, a new rider who appreciates old machinery, the SCL500 felt right, right off the bat.
It’s not the most powerful bike, the shocks are a tiny bit on the squishy side, the single display is hard to read in the sun, the small footpegs discourage standing, there’s no helmet lock—there are a few things that hold it back a little bit, but it’s so fun, so easy to ride, and so charming that it makes up for all of it. Maybe it says more about my naivety than anything else, but I wanted to be seen on the 2024 Honda SCL500, and there’s something to be said for that.
