Excelle 525X adventure motorcycle | can it take on Honda and KTM?
THE Excelle 525X is a middleweight adventure motorcycle that has just been officially launched in Asia, and should it one day come to the UK in some form or another, it actually might be quite good.
With a front end that looks like a cross between a Honda Crosstourer and a BMW F850, the slightly boring Chinese ethic of Pick-N-Mix bike building is still clearly in force. Dodgy design aside, you dig down into the specs of this thing, and it’s actually alright.
THE Excelle 525X is a middleweight adventure motorcycle that has just been officially launched in Asia, and should it one day come to the UK in some form or another, it actually might be quite good.
With a front end that looks like a cross between a Honda Crosstourer and a BMW F850, the slightly boring Chinese ethic of Pick-N-Mix bike building is still clearly in force. Dodgy design aside, you dig down into the specs of this thing, and it’s actually alright.
The chassis of the bike is a fairly basic affair, with branded but budget suspension from KYB and brakes from the relatively unknown Kailing.
The engine of the 525X is a Loncin-built 471cc parallel-twin cylinder, that produces a reported 53hp and 50Nm of torque. It features a Bosch fuel injection system and a slipper clutch. Admittedly, nothing stellar so far – stay with me though.
The part where the Excelle begins to get interesting is in the technology department, as the 525X is one extremely well spec’d adventure motorcycle. LED headlights in this segment are nothing new. Adaptive LED headlights though, that can automatically dip when they sense an oncoming vehicle, that’s new.
And the tech doesn’t stop at the handlebars. The dash is a TFT with built-in smartphone compatibility and there are two onboard charging points. It’s also rolling on cross-laced spoked rims – and they are anodised gold. Who doesn’t love anodised gold rims!?
And as with any Chinese-built bike, one of the biggest bonuses is the price. There is no confirmed UK or Euro estimate for the Excelle 525X – in fact, there isn’t any confirmation it’ll make it to these shores. But in its native China, it comes with a sticker price of 41,900 CNY, and that is for the higher-spec Sport version complete luggage and gold rims!
That equates to around £4,800. That’s a couple of grand less than the Honda CB500X, and just under £1,000 less than the KTM 390 Adventure – although that isn’t a cast-iron conversion! Sure, the Excelle doesn’t have the same brand appeal that a Honda or KTM does, but for those looking for a cut-price commuter and adventure tourer, this might actually be something to consider.
Adventure Motorcycle Comparison, Ducati Desert X, MV Agusta Lucky Explorer, KTM 890 and Tiger 900
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
