If you've been looking to buy your first adventure motorcycle and you're still undecided, I recommend reading on.
As a beginner adventure rider, my first bike was a Honda CB500x, which I switched to after 13 years of riding small and medium scooters and as of the time of purchase (2020), it was indeed the best bike for a beginner motorcycle rider looking for a motorcycle that is calm, forgiving, reliable and powerful enough to ride on highways. I quickly realized that road riding was less my thing and I went off-road. But then I ran into cast rims and low ground clearance that gave me heart palpitations every time I hit a small bump offroad.
In recent years, we have seen a new wave of adventure motorcycles for beginners in the A1 license class with a low seat and light weight (under 180 kg), some from well-known manufacturers like KTM and some Chinese from companies that aren't very familiar to the amatuer adventure rider. This wave brought motorcycles at affordable prices, suited for beginners, like the Kove 500x.
Test ride - Kove 500x
Let's align expectations: I don't ride well enough to "test" nor do I make a living from it to do it well enough. I announced in advance that I was coming to ride and enjoy, to see who the bike is suitable for and to give my opinion on it by looking back at what I needed in the past and what I see that beginner riders need today. I don't understand anything in technical terms of kgm, torque and rpm to say if this model is better than another, for that there are comparison tables and full of videos in English on YouTube.
So to the point: with a wet weight of 178 kg, ground clearance of 21 cm, a seat height of 82 cm and an affordable price, it's a wonderful deal on paper for beginner adventure riders looking to make a calm transition and not jump too high too fast.
The Kove 500x is a small and successful package that is packaged really nicely if you ask me, in your choice of red or blue.
What did I think of the Kove 500x?
For short people like me, sitting on it is a dream. The seat is pampering and low enough for me to reach the floor with two full feet (for tall people this will probably be a problem), the pillion has an equally pampering elevated chair. Its light weight is indeed felt immediately when you sit on it because it literally plays between the legs, every squeeze of the throttle jumps it forward.
Disengage ABS with two short presses and go down to the terrain easily, the KYB suspension is a bit hard at first, but it is adjustable (compression, rebound and all these buzzwords) and you will probably feel a change after you adjust it to your comfort and dimensions.
The motorcycle comes equipped with hand guards, strong engine guards and a thick aluminum belly guard, one that you won't have to upgrade immediately when you go off-road. The ground clearance is 21 cm, which is respectable by all accounts, almost the upper limit in the category. Its fuel tank is 20 liters, so you won't have to refuel too often and its fuel consumption is 4.2 liters per 100 km according to the manufacturer.
Because of my good familiarity with the track, I allowed myself to give a little gas, maybe even faster than a beginner rider would allow himself. The Kove 500x handled it very well, even with bumps and potholes that I entered on purpose, but mainly in small jumps and the lifting of both wheels off the ground, I'm not used to this happening so quickly with heavy motorcycles and it's great fun to be almost "weightless".
The Kove spoked rims are tubeless and come in 19" front and 17" rear. Standard size for the category. In the higher categories, it is customary for a front rim to be 21", which allows to pass obstacles in a better way. A front wheel with a diameter of 19" allows for more comfortable maneuvering on and off road and also a lower seat height, without giving up the belly space. The combination of the light weight and the size of the front wheel allow easy U-turns even on relatively narrow paths, which is very comfortable, certainly for beginners.
On the road it feels great, a quiet and calm twin engine for a smooth ride, I reached the speed limit very quickly and it is likely that it can also reach 150-160 km/h, its wind deflector is adjustable with screws and provides very good protection at high speed but does not hide the the trail in offroad riding.
Where does the Kove 500x rank in the A1 category?
The category of adventure motorcycles (up to 47.6 hp) has been dominated in recent years by the Honda CB500x, whose honor rests in its place, but in my opinion it is a road-biased motorcycle (16 cm ground clearance, cast rims), which was joined by two Chinese Voge 525 and the Benelli 502x, the former weighs 206kg wet and the latter 235kg, very unfriendly to beginners.
The exception in the category and the default for beginners at the moment is the KTM 390adv, a bike that weighs the same as the Kove (177 km wet), has a seat height of 85.5 cm and spoked rims, but the engine has one cylinder and on the road is less comfortable in my opinion. The KTM has a smaller engine capacity (373cc compared to the Kove's 471) and less horse power (43hp for the Orange compared to 47 for the Chinese). In terms of ground clearnace, the Chinese wins by a centimeter (21 vs. 20) and the Orange has a relatively small fuel tank (14.5 liters). The big advantage of the orange is the control systems that come with the motorcycle while the Chinese is armed with ABS only.
A little about Kove (from the manufacturer's website):
The manufacturer Kove Moto was founded in 2017 in China, it is a young and brilliant motorcycle manufacturer in the international manufacturer landscape. The company stood out thanks to the biker spirit of the entrepreneur Zhang Xue who founded it. A rider, mechanic, engineer and motorcycle designer who has competed amateurishly in the past. His passion for motorcycles runs through all of KOVE's activities, as the company carries out all research and development, design, production, marketing and sales processes on its own, in the local and global market.
KOVE focuses on performance
KOVE has been listed as the first Chinese manufacturer to have a strategy whereby exceptional research and development will result in rapid and wide global exposure, reaching through the racetracks. And if possible, then deal with the known, the most difficult and famous of them. Thus, in 2023 and 2024, KOVE participated in the grueling Dakar Rally race, competed in the Spanish ESBK Superbike League and more.
By virtue of being freed from the shackles of tradition and the awkwardness that characterizes the conduct of large and mature manufacturers, the company moves quickly forward. And although the company focuses on quality and the final product and not on the amount of sales as is customary for manufacturers of the same geographical origin, the sales volumes are impressive.
Thanks to sales volumes, KOVE has become the fourth largest local manufacturer in China in the category of large motorcycles - over 300 cc. Its adventure model the 500X leads the sales of the adventure motorcycle market in China.
Full disclosure: I did not receive any monetary compensation or benefit, current or future, for this review, so it is my opinion only and based on my experience, however limited it may be.
My friend the bike here in Europe 510x was weighing at 215kg tested by mcn.com the brakes are rubbish and it vibrates LIke crazy furthermore the plastics rattle and it's way thirstier than the honda nx500 which costs only 800 pounds more so the latter is the better more refined option of the segment in my humble 15 years of riding bikes opinion - that or the CF Moto 450mt depending on if you are more road or off road biased.
Well done ! a very honest and informative review !!
Best of luck in the future
Regards, Eddie Tierney (Ireland)