QUICKSPIN I 2023 Honda SCL500
P100
It's a very quiet motor, only re-
ally barking when fitted with the
Vance & Hines accessory slip-on
exhaust Honda had on display
for us at the launch. You're un-
likely to attract too much atten-
tion with a standard SCL, which
is probably a good thing—unless
you're into that.
Honda's got a decent range
of accessories for the SCL that
includes a dirt bike-style front
fender, headlight mask, rally
footpegs, saddlebags, top case,
and a taller seat. That last one I
tried after lunch, the extra inch of
seat height, now at 32.1 inches,
made a world of difference for
my 6'1" frame, allowing a little
more blood flow to the knees and
feet, plus the brown faux leather
looks way cooler than the same-
as-everyone black seat.
It's kind of hard not to have
that old saying, "you meet the
nicest people on a Honda,"
ringing in your head when you
ride the SCL. It's probably the
most unintimidating bike I've
ridden all year and is more
than happy as a street com
-
muter or something to use to
run down to the shops.
The easy-riding nature of
the SCL will win plenty of
fans in the new rider seg-
ment, but even for me, with
37 years of experience be-
hind the bar, I really enjoyed my
time on the SCL. It was only a
short day-trip ride, but the tradi-
tional Honda build quality gives
the rider plenty of confidence,
and the simple, timeless styling
of a scrambler will likely put this
bike in good stead for years to
come.
CN
(Top) This is
where the SCL
truly shines, just
cruising around
town with no
particular place to
go. (Bottom) Gotta
love that green
accessorized
SCL. But we'd
probably paint that
front fender and
headlight mask.
