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I own a CB500XA (A for ABS) and TT250 and I think it's the perfect combo. CB500XA for touring pavement and short gravel rides. TT250 for short commutes, longer gravel rides & trails. I've never rode the RX3 and it wasn't available when I bought my CB500XA or I'd probably own one instead and then I likely wouldn't have ever bought a TT250. The CB500X is certainly more expensive then the RX3. I paid about twice the cost of the RX3 price for both of my bikes but I have twice the bikes. If I had to sell both bikes and then buy one bike to replace both then I would again consider the RX3. I think everyone would agree the TT250 is a better trail bike then the RX3 and the CB500X is the better pavement bike. Unfortunately neither are as well rounded for all roads as the RX3.
The only real problem with my bike combo is when the trail I want to ride is hundreds of miles away from home. I don't own a truck and my stock TT250 is terrible on the highway. It's a lot cheaper to make the TT250 more highway capable then to make the CB500X more off road worthy.
A rally raid stage 1 kit on a CB would give the RX3 a run for its money while a stage 3 would make it surpass an RX3 in every respect on and off road. I was told with a stage 3 kit on the CB and it can run as fast or faster then a GS, Tiger or Twin on the trail. The price of a stage 3 kit is roughly the same as a TT250 though. Hence I own a TT250.
The ideal poor man's adventure bike is the RX3 while the ideal rich man's bike is a Stage 3 CB500X. The question becomes: Are you the type of person who wants to thrash around a $4000 bike or a $8000 bike.
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