2027 Honda CMX500 Rebel Preview

First Rebel with Honda E-Clutch; DE from €7,009

Summary: The 2027 Honda CMX500 Rebel adds Honda E-Clutch and a new 3.5-inch circular TFT to Europe’s best-selling custom cruiser. Peak output is 45.6 hp from the A2-friendly 471cc twin. German dealers list it from €7,009 (about $7,871). U.S. MSRP is not announced.

Honda just put its clutchless party trick on the little Rebel that already owns Europe’s custom charts. The 2027 Honda CMX500 Rebel rolls into Milan with Honda E-Clutch as standard, a brand-new circular full-color TFT and a fresh color set — without dumping the low-slung bobber silhouette that made the bike Europe’s best-selling custom every year since 2021. We’re covering it live from the EICMA Motorcycle Show floor; more show context sits in our 2026 EICMA Preview.

What’s New at EICMA 2026

• First Rebel family model with Honda E-Clutch: start, stop and shift without touching the clutch lever
• New 3.5-inch circular full-color TFT replaces the old 100 mm negative LCD; new six-button left switchgear; Honda Roadsync connectivity
• Same A2-friendly 471cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin, retuned for cruiser torque: 45.6 hp (34 kW) at 8,500 rpm and 31.9 lb-ft (43.3 Nm) at 6,000 rpm
• Kerb weight 421 pounds (191 kg); S Edition 423 pounds (192 kg); seat height 27.2 inches (690 mm)
• New colors: Mat Fresco Brown and Mat Gunpowder Black Metallic (standard); Candy Rosy Red and Mat Gunpowder Black Metallic (S Edition)
• German dealers listing from €7,009 (about $7,871); UK price TBC; U.S. MSRP not announced

Honda E-Clutch: Clutchless Without Giving Up the Lever

This is the headline. Honda E-Clutch — which debuted on the 24YM CB650R and CBR650R — finally lands on a Rebel. You can pull away, come to a stop and shift up or down using only the gear pedal. The clutch lever stays on the bar and works normally whenever you want it; after you use it, the system reactivates in under a second at higher engine speeds, or after about five seconds at lower revs.

Shift feel is tunable: HARD, MEDIUM and SOFT, each set independently for upshifts and downshifts. A half-clutch moment smooths the change while ignition timing and fuel injection pitch in based on speed, throttle, rpm, shift-pedal pressure, clutch-motor angle, countershaft speed and gear position. The actuator uses two motors tucked into the right-hand engine cover. Want old-school? Park it in neutral, kill E-Clutch from the left switchgear and an “M” lights up on the dash. The system will also nudge you to downshift if you’re loafing along in too tall a gear. For new riders and stop-and-go city work, that’s genuine everyday tech — not a show-floor gimmick.

Engine: CBR Twin, Cruiser Manners

Under the steeply raked 3.0-gallon (11.2 L) tank sits the familiar 471cc eight-valve liquid-cooled DOHC parallel-twin from the CBR500R family. Honda retunes it for cruiser duty with revised PGM-FI mapping plus different valve and ignition timing, shifting the character toward bottom-end torque and a smooth, linear delivery. Claimed peaks are 45.6 hp (34 kW) at 8,500 rpm and 31.9 lb-ft (43.3 Nm) at 6,000 rpm — A2-friendly numbers that still feel useful when the light goes green. Bore and stroke are 67.0 x 66.8 mm with a 10.7:1 compression ratio.

A 180-degree crank and a primary couple-balancer keep the vibes in check. The six-speed gearbox pairs with an assist/slipper clutch, and spent gases exit through a 2-into-1 system into a 4.7-inch (120 mm) shotgun-style muffler that gives the twin a proper cruiser pulse. Honda quotes 65 mpg (3.6 L/100 km, WMTC), 84 g/km of CO2, a 3.2-liter oil fill and a claimed top speed of 96 mph (155 km/h). That twin architecture comes from Honda’s CBR500R family, retuned here for boulevard torque rather than apex-hunting. Honda’s other big 500-class news in Milan is a different animal entirely — the new inline-four CBR500R — covered in our 2027 Honda CBR500R Four Preview and 2027 Honda CBR500R Four First Look.

Chassis, Suspension and Brakes

The tubular-steel diamond frame keeps the Rebel slim between the knees and low to the ground. Geometry is classic Rebel: 28 degrees of rake, 4.3 inches (110 mm) of trail, a 58.7-inch (1,490 mm) wheelbase and that confidence-building 27.2-inch (690 mm) seat. Ground clearance is 4.9 inches (125 mm). Up front, 41 mm telescopic forks with 4.8 inches (121 mm) of travel sit 9.1 inches (230 mm) apart for rigidity and that wide-stance look. Out back, twin nitrogen-charged shocks offer five-step preload and revised bump-stop rubbers for a smoother hit over sharp edges. (Honda’s tech table lists “Showa twin shock with Pro-Link,” but the chassis narrative describes conventional twin nitrogen shocks — we follow the chassis write-up and flag the conflict.)

Cast 16-inch wheels wear Dunlop rubber in 130/90-16 front and 150/80-16 rear. Braking is a single 11.7-inch (296 mm) front disc with a twin-piston Nissin caliper and a 9.4-inch (240 mm) rear disc with a single-piston caliper, plus two-channel ABS. (The same tech table says “Dual 296 mm discs”; the chassis section and Honda Germany’s own brake count of one front disc say otherwise — we use the single-disc description.) Kerb weight is 421 pounds (191 kg), or 423 pounds (192 kg) for the S Edition. LED lighting and HISS security round out the hardware.

Styling, S Edition and Electronics

The silhouette stays lean-and-low bobber: fat tires, slammed rear, blacked-out bits and that signature steep tank. For 27YM the big cockpit change is the 3.5-inch circular full-color TFT — a much sharper look than the old 100 mm negative LCD — paired with a six-button left switchgear and Honda Roadsync smartphone connectivity. All lighting remains LED, including the compact 6.9-inch (175 mm) round headlight and those tiny 2.2-inch (55 mm) circular indicators.

Standard colors for 27YM are new Mat Fresco Brown and Mat Gunpowder Black Metallic. The factory S Edition (EICMA.it called a similar pack “Plus”; Honda’s official name is S Edition) adds a headlight cowl with smoke screen, fork covers and gaiters, a brown diamond-stitch seat and bronze wheels, in new Candy Rosy Red or Mat Gunpowder Black Metallic. Honda’s accessory catalog still includes Comfort, Travel and Style packs plus individual bits like a high screen, heated grips and throw-over bags — the Rebel remains a blank canvas if you want it louder, taller or baggier.

2027 Honda CMX500 Rebel Specs

Price and Availability

Honda News Europe positions the CMX500 Rebel as a 27YM update for the European market, with the public E-Clutch debut tied to EICMA 2026. German dealers such as Honda Center Leipzig are already listing the 2027 CMX500 Rebel E-Clutch from €7,009 including VAT (about $7,871 at the November 6, 2026 open.er-api.com rate of $1.1230 per euro). Honda UK’s configurator shows the CMX500 Rebel E-clutch 2027 with price TBC. American Honda’s powersports site still shows the 2026 Rebel 500 from $6,799 (plus $600 destination) with a conventional slipper clutch — no 2027 E-Clutch model page or U.S. MSRP as of this writing. Those European figures are VAT-inclusive market prices, so they are not a clean stack against a future U.S. MSRP.

Our Take From Milan

Standing in Hall 7 this week, the CMX500 Rebel still looks like the bike that convinced a generation of new riders that cruisers do not have to weigh 700 pounds or cost a used car. Adding E-Clutch and a proper circular TFT is exactly the kind of quiet upgrade that matters on Monday morning more than another fake-chrome bauble. Forty-five-point-six horsepower and a 27.2-inch seat will not scare anyone, and that is the point. Pair it with Honda’s other EICMA hardware — our 2027 Honda Africa Twin Preview, 2027 Honda CBR600RR Preview and 2027 Honda ADV125 Preview — and you get a clear picture: Honda is spreading real rider aids across the range, not just the flagships. Honda’s European press kit frames the CMX500 as the first Rebel family model with E-Clutch. American Honda already lists a Rebel 300 E-Clutch on the U.S. cruiser page, so stateside riders have sampled the tech on the smaller single — but a clutchless Rebel 500 for the U.S. is still unannounced. Until then, Europe gets the twin-cylinder clutchless bobber first.

FAQ

Does the 2027 Honda CMX500 Rebel have E-Clutch?

Yes. Honda E-Clutch is standard for 27YM — the first Rebel family model to get it. You can still use the clutch lever anytime, or disable the system for full manual operation.

How much horsepower does the CMX500 Rebel make?

Honda claims 34 kW / 45.6 hp at 8,500 rpm and 31.9 lb-ft (43.3 Nm) at 6,000 rpm from the 471cc parallel-twin.

How much does the 2027 Honda CMX500 Rebel weigh?

Honda lists a kerb weight of 421 pounds (191 kg), or 423 pounds (192 kg) for the S Edition.

How much does the 2027 Honda CMX500 Rebel cost?

U.S. MSRP has not been announced. German dealers list it from €7,009 including VAT (about $7,871 at the Nov. 6, 2026 rate of $1.1230 per euro). The UK price is TBC.

What is the seat height?

27.2 inches (690 mm) — same low Rebel number that makes flat-footing at lights easy.

What is the S Edition?

Honda’s factory dress-up pack: headlight cowl with smoke screen, fork covers and gaiters, brown diamond-stitch seat and bronze wheels, in Candy Rosy Red or Mat Gunpowder Black Metallic.