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Honda has launched the NX500 E-Clutch in this market at Rs 7.44 lakh ex-showroom, adding its clutch automation technology to the middleweight adventure touring segment.

The standard NX500 without E-Clutch continues at Rs 6.33 lakh, making the price premium for the new system exactly Rs 1.11 lakh. Bookings are open at Honda BigWing dealerships across the country.

The NX500 E-Clutch uses the same 471cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine as the standard model, producing 47.5 PS at 8,500 rpm and 43 Nm of torque at 6,500 rpm, paired with a six-speed gearbox.

What changes is how the clutch operates. A small motor and set of sensors take over clutch actuation automatically, so the rider does not need to use the clutch lever when pulling away from a stop, changing gears on the move, or coming to a halt.

The gear shift itself still happens through the left foot on the gear lever, as normal. The clutch lever remains on the handlebar, and the rider can override the system and take manual control at any point.

It is worth clarifying what this system is not. Honda’s DCT, or Dual Clutch Transmission, eliminates the foot-operated gear lever entirely and shifts automatically.

The E-Clutch is a different technology. It retains manual gear selection while automating the clutch action only. Riders who want the feel and control of choosing their own gear, without the left-hand lever operation, get exactly that.

For those who ride long distances through traffic-heavy city stretches, or for newer riders building confidence, the practical benefit is reduced hand fatigue and smoother low-speed manoeuvring.

Honda originally debuted the E-Clutch on the CB650R and CBR650R, and it now forms a separate variant tier on the NX500 globally following its announcement at EICMA 2025. The weight addition is 3 kg, taking the NX500 E-Clutch from 196 kg to 199 kg. That is a negligible penalty in real-world use.

The NX500 is a road-biased adventure tourer, not a serious off-road machine. It sits on 19-inch front and 17-inch rear wheels, with 181 mm of ground clearance and a 17.5-litre fuel tank.

Honda claims around 500 km of range on a full tank, which, if your riding style is relaxed on highways, is credible given the engine’s efficient Atkinson-derived combustion cycle. The bike gets a fully adjustable 41mm telescopic fork up front, a rear mono-shock, and dual-channel ABS on both disc brakes.

The riding position is upright and relaxed, the seat height is 830 mm which is accessible for most riders, and the TFT instrument cluster connects to Honda’s RoadSync system for navigation and call notifications via Bluetooth. It is a bike built for weekend touring and daily highway commuting, not boulder hopping.

The premium over the standard NX500 is the only real consideration. At Rs 7.44 lakh for the E-Clutch version versus Rs 6.33 lakh for the standard, a buyer is paying significantly more for a feature that reduces clutch fatigue rather than improving outright performance.

For a rider who covers a lot of city kilometres, deals with stop-and-go traffic daily, or is still building riding confidence, Rs 1.11 lakh for that convenience is a defensible number. For a rider who is comfortable with a conventional clutch and values the mechanical simplicity of the standard setup, the base model at Rs 6.33 lakh remains one of the sharper buys in the 500cc segment.

At Rs 7.44 lakh, the NX500 E-Clutch is priced way above the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 at Rs 3.12 to Rs 3.79 lakh and below the much more powerful Triumph Tiger Sport 660 at Rs 9.89 lakh.