Honda CBR500R Review | LAMS Motorcycle Test

Honda CBR500R Evaluate

I’ve had quite a lot of nostalgic moments on the little pink CBR500R these final couple of weeks as I’ve been placing it by its paces. It introduced again reminiscences of a few of my very own previous rides. Two of my street going CBRs have been pink. So sitting on board wanting by the tinted display with the Honda brand on it did give me the feels and a little bit of deja vu.

And whereas this incarnation doesn’t have the outright efficiency of a few of my outdated CBR sports activities bikes, there’s nonetheless a lot to love concerning the 500R with its Fireblade impressed color scheme. Initially is the scale and experience place. It feels so low. And tremendous gentle. Wheeling the bike about at standstill shall be a breeze for anybody of any stature.

Extra skilled riders can simply overlook simply how nerve-wracking wheeling your satisfaction and pleasure round was after we first began out – the concern of over overbalancing and dropping it’s actual. There’d be no such considerations right here I don’t suppose. That seat peak of 785 mm has your ft flat and firmly planted with a lot to spare.

Newcomers will even love the ergos. They’re skewed extra in the direction of consolation than efficiency. The seat is fairly snug with out being a settee – and the attain to the bars is ok with out a lot weight on the wrists in any respect. I had no concern sitting on the freeway for an hour.

Then there’s that peach of an engine. What a beautiful little factor it’s. Exquisitely fuelled, it’s rattling close to carburettor-like easy in the way in which you possibly can roll on and off the fuel.

Certain, that’s at all times going to be simpler on an engine that’s not a closely tuned excessive efficiency unit. However even then, plainly nice fuelling is getting rarer as of late as emissions legal guidelines drive producers to squeeze tougher.

So whereas it’s not precisely a stump puller, the 471 cc parallel-twin pushes out a straightforward to make use of 47 hp and 43 Nm of torque. And does so effortlessly. Tremendous forgiving and straightforward to make use of.

Backside finish to mid-range is the place it’s at with this one – it doesn’t notably profit that a lot from revving the ring off it. Not probably the most inspiring exhaust be aware although. I’d be slip-ons for certain…

Eagle-eyed punters will discover that these figures are about the identical as the brand new Aprilia RS457, although the Priller pokes its nostril forward within the energy to weight stakes by being round 17 kg lighter – the Honda coming in at round 192 kg moist.

The gearbox is strong if not the slickest shifting on the earth, however I don’t recall lacking a shift. It’s not clunky, however the shift itself feels fairly agency. Provided that my check bike had all of 4 kilometres on the odometer once I picked it up – that’s completely comprehensible and I’m certain it will loosen up with a bit of extra time.

The clutch is sort of unbelievably gentle and all switch-gear is often Honda. Nothing surprising to distract from the experience itself. Good up to date five-inch TFT sprint on the ’24 bike, with a straightforward to learn format and a fast toggle set-up to view totally different data like journey meters and gasoline utilization.

Experience high quality is sorted by Showa at each ends, with Massive Piston Forks up entrance and a Professional-Hyperlink shock on the rear with adjustable pre-load. I’m working shut sufficient to 90 kg at the moment and had no cause to tweak something.

Fairly respectable bump absorption at each ends, I used to be fairly impressed with the stability of consolation and cornering suggestions functionality.

Certainly the bike feels fairly succesful on it’s aspect, possibly not fairly a match for the RS457 however within the ballpark. Although I’d undoubtedly advocate giving the OEM tyres a little bit of time to come back as much as temp. The afternoon of the photoshoot I famous that they weren’t soopah doopah grippy whereas nonetheless chilly. It did make me marvel what it could be able to with some stickier rubber although.

Talking of… It’s fascinating how two bikes that on paper aren’t miles aside in specs can have such a unique really feel. The little Aprilia felt like a little bit of a uncooked hooligan machine just about as quickly as I obtained on it.

The little Honda CBR500R feels fairly the alternative. Presumably the results of these few further kilos, however by comparability this bike feels refined, easy. Dare I say, stylish and restrained.

Not that it’s not succesful. And with a devoted button on the left change block to show TC off, it’s up for a little bit of enjoyable. However the CBR500R’s not shouting that it’s a sports activities bike both, which will certainly enchantment to some.

Fairly respectable on the peepers too. I believe it’s properly styled total and that Grand Prix Crimson color scheme is a winner. Very good within the late afternoon Daylight. Come darkness, the LED lights are a bit abnormal nonetheless. Excessive beam is sort of tight in its throw and never the best for recognizing wildlife on the street’s edges. And the place of the entrance indicators and mirrors may have had some extra thought.

The indications double as working lights within the sense that they’re at all times lit when not indicating. And at evening time you possibly can see their orange glow each from the symptoms themselves but in addition mirrored within the mirrors. That was a bit of distracting and never nice for letting your eyes totally alter to the sunshine thrown out the entrance…. They’re not the one producer to do that by the way in which. I’m not a fan of utilizing indicators as auxiliary lights…

The one different space that I’d take a look at could be placing some brake pads on the entrance with a bit of extra chunk. They want a very good squeeze to actually begin working onerous, however in any other case the efficiency is okay. They really feel in step with the remainder of the bike, within the sense of it not being an out and out sports activities bike.

All in all, it feels very Honda. Construct high quality appears good, supplies and end appeared increased than the price-point steered and there’s at all times going to be one thing to say for Honda’s reliability. These little 500 twins are well-proven and rattling close to indestructible.

Value-wise you’re ten grand experience away which appears rattling good worth to me. I’ve stated it earlier than… New riders have by no means had it so good.

Honda’s CBR500R Hits

• Pretty, confirmed 500 cc twin engine is a bit of peach
• Low seat peak and small total measurement is tremendous usable
• Fairly properly specc’d suspension – a very good mixture of plushness and management

Honda’s CBR500R Misses

• These excessive beam LED headlights are a bit garbage and the always-on auxiliary indicators are annoying at evening
• Brakes may have a bit of extra chunk
• Exhaust be aware is a bit of underwhelming (however simply sorted with a slip-on)

Honda CBR500R Specs

Honda CBR500R Photos

Photos by RbMotoLens