MBP M502N vs Honda CB500F: Battle Of The Middleweight Nakeds!

Same same yet different…

Middleweight supersports might be incredibly alluring but the unfortunate truth is that, from a real-world usability standpoint, they’re impractical. What you’ll find to be far more usable (and affordable!) are sport nakeds – motorcycles that marry performance and accessibility like nothing else.

So the recently-unveiled MBP M502N definitely gets us excited. And with the Honda CB500F being recently spotted in India, an India launch for it could very well be on the cards too. So apart from an eerily-similar engine, what other things do the two have in common, or what do they not? Let’s find out:

Good-looking bikes tend to sell well in India and that’s a fact. In those terms, both the bikes do not disappoint. The MBP M502N boasts a classic streetfighter design, with an aggressive LED headlight that looks similar to the Suzuki GSX-8S. The Honda CB500F’s overall design is quite similar to that of the MBP. A golden fork, aggressive headlight and an overall hunched-up, muscular look–they both tick all the boxes of an authentic streetfighter in terms of looks. 

What powers the MBP M502N is a 486cc parallel-twin cylinder motor that makes a solid 51.6PS and 45Nm. The heart on the Honda CB500F is a 471cc parallel-twin mill, one that makes 47.5PS and 43Nm. 

The M502N’s brakes have been sourced from J.Juan: twin 300mm discs up front and a 240mm one at the rear. The ABS, meanwhile, is from Bosch. Putting a leash on the CB500F are twin 295mm discs at the front with a 240mm unit at the rear. Dual-channel ABS is standard.  

The M502N is suspended on a USD fork along with a monoshock, both sourced from KYB. It rolls on Pirelli Angel GT touring-spec tyres. The Honda CB500F, on the other hand, packs a separate function, big piston USD fork from Showa with a monoshock. It’s shod with Michelin Road 5 tyres, which are far better than the Angel GTs. 

Where the M502N truly shines is in terms of features. It gets an auto on/off LED projector headlight and a 4.2-inch TFT console with connectivity. Honda’s relatively conservative approach with the CB500F is visible with its LCD console featuring only run-of-the-mill bits like a clock, odometer, tripmeter.

The M502N tips the scales at a ‘healthy’ 195kg. The CB500F, meanwhile, isn’t too far behind with a 188kg kerb weight. What’s interesting is that both the bikes have a nearly identical seat height and fuel tank capacity. 

The conclusion? While the two bikes are a lot closer than we thought, they do have their fair share of differences too. The MBP M502N will appeal a bit more to the tech geek, while the Honda will sound delicious to the typical Honda fan, looking for a sweet riding experience. 

Now while it’s too early to comment on which one to buy, what’s exciting is that there are two prospective additions to the Indian middleweight naked segment, which, as of now, seems quite barren. These two could hence be the perfect bikes to fill the void between something like the KTM 390 Duke and the Kawasaki Z650.