Honda CMX 500 Rebel 2017 Onwards Service Manual

MCN's own review captures the Rebel 500's genuine surprise factor: "the Honda CMX500 Rebel is a surprisingly fun bike to ride with a unique look and easy-going nature... through tight and twisty bends it is an absolute blast, far more competent than it has any right to be." VikingBags' own history details the deliberate design philosophy behind that character: unveiled in November 2016 at Long Beach, California, and hitting dealerships in spring 2017, Honda's team "deserted the orthodox chrome-finished cruiser style and opted for the bobber-style edgy black finish" — Astra Honda Motor's own President Toshiyuki Inuma described the concept simply as "simple" and "raw."

Power comes from a 471cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin, DOHC with 8 valves, a 67.0mm x 66.8mm bore and stroke, and a 10.7:1 compression ratio, delivering a claimed 46 hp at 8,500 rpm and 32 lb-ft of torque at 6,000 rpm, run through a 6-speed manual gearbox with chain final drive and PGM-FI electronic fuel injection. MCN's own review notes the retuned engine — shared with several other Honda 500-series models built since 2013 — has genuinely proven reliable "with no major mechanical woes" throughout its production life.

MCN's own testing found the Rebel's chassis genuinely well-suited to both new and experienced riders: at 190kg, it's "pretty light on its wheels at slow speed" with "an excellent turning circle, making U-turns a doddle," combined with a genuinely low seat height that makes it "reassuring, easy-going and perfect for less experienced riders" — yet the same reviewer found the bike "really surprises" once pace picks up through corners. Autoevolution's own model history confirms a genuine second-generation update arrived in 2020: a slipper clutch, revised suspension with stiffer springs and nitrogen gas-charged shocks, full LED lighting, a revised instrument cluster, a more comfortable seat, and a new headlight cover — real functional upgrades layered onto the proven first-generation platform rather than a ground-up redesign. Suspension across both generations consists of a non-adjustable 41mm telescopic fork up front and twin rear shocks (adjustable for preload only), with 16-inch wheels front and rear wrapped in genuinely fat 130/90 and 150/80 section tires that contribute significantly to the bike's distinctive bobber stance. An 11-litre fuel tank delivers a claimed 73.4 mpg according to Honda's own figures, and the 2017 launch offered a standard model in four colorways (Matte Silver, Bright Yellow, Black, and Red) alongside a Black-only ABS variant.

This factory service manual covers the procedures, torque specs, and diagrams needed to keep a 2017-onwards CMX500 Rebel running the way it was built to.