Honda CB500F Review | Motorcycle check

Review Honda CB500F

Wayne Vickers Honda CB500F Review – Image by RBMotoLens

Honda’s sweet little 500 cc twins have been garnering our praise for some time – and for good reason – for there’s a lot to like about the tandem-powered trio of models. Honda’s 471 cc.

Recently, I had the opportunity to spend some time on the latest CB500F, the street bike variant, to get a fresh sense of how this year’s updates from Big H apply to the world. real world.

It is worth mentioning that the F variant sits next to its two brothers, the CB500X (alternative/adventure bike) and CBR500R (completely balanced sporty design), as a naked-bike product for use. Impressive small area.

For 2022, the 500 family has received several updates. For our CB500F in question, that means changes to the chassis, fork, brakes and styling, bumping things up a bit more aggressively into the ‘street fighter’ crate ‘.

Not sure if I was going to label it a street fighter, but there are some juicy new fruits. We are talking:

• USD Big Piston 41 mm fork from Showa
• Rear shock absorber with preload adjustment
• Nissin wave propellers 296 mm with radial caliper
• Updated swingarm and style
• 17.1 L fuel tank for more than 350 km
• Low seat height 789 mm

Step on and off the bike (the saddle is really nice and low), and you’re immediately struck by how small and light the bike feels. It feels nothing close to the 189 kg curb weight that the spec sheet lists, and that feeling will continue on the move.

It’s super nimble and nimble in traffic and a lane-filtering dream. As a point-to-point urban tool, the CB500F is in its composition.

That small twin-cylinder engine continues to be a ripper. Pumping a bit of power under 50hp and peaking at around 6500rpm, it’s wonderfully smooth and surprisingly eager right in the rev range.

The fuel intake is nicely dialed, the throttle action is sweet, and the power curve is linear from no-load to the red line. The fact that it won’t rip your arm off only has the effect of encouraging you to open the faucet all the way, more often.

The CB500F is also super frugal with its drinking habits – I found it to consume just over 3.5 L/100 km, which is a theoretical 400 km range.

I’ve never seen it, purely because of the position of my servo stops I kept going past the 350 km mark. But that’s a lot. While it might have been a day and a half for me, for a casual player it was a week worth it.

Clutch and transmission are both excellent. The six-speed box in this unit was still relatively tight when I picked it up as it only has a few hundred kay on the meter. Over a thousand plus kays I’ve put in it, the box is nicely liberated and it’s fun to find the right gear.

The slipper clutch is also lightweight and has a good grip. That slipper can be used comfortably in more powerful gearshifts without worrying about locking the rear.

At first you might feel its transmission a bit short at highway speeds, but when you put your mind back a bit and realize how well it revs ‘for a twin’ Anyway, you’ll find that it’s humming perfectly – 100 km/h equates to about 5000 revs, having it comfortably in the power zone.

At wind speeds that blow in the wrong direction against your chest even without a screen in front of you – and no wobble is a win. I’ve been told the updates are a bit more trippy than last year, but to be honest, I didn’t notice that.

The ergonomics are still quite neutral and upright. I had no problems handling about 230 km of commuting per day. Though I’m not sure I can run for more than two hours in a row without stretching my legs and giving my butt a break.

The chair is not a board, but it is not a sofa either. However, I don’t think many people will spend more than two hours at a time on a bike like this, so that’s probably not an issue.

I quite like the updated styling, the ‘Sunset Pearl’ gold paint on the gas tank is a particularly nice shade in sunlight and the whole car looks and is well built. Overall, it’s a neat, clean design. Not messy or fussy. Tick.

The bike is also quiet – very socially responsible. You won’t wake up your neighbors with this one. Personally, I like the volume a bit louder when there’s traffic – I sometimes use a quick blink to get the driver’s attention.

It also took a couple of bucks to shift to highway speeds as I couldn’t hear the exhaust sound over the wind, so you don’t have an acoustic reference to help judge speed.

One thing I’ve raised an eyebrow at is the LCD dash. This time it’s not the design that makes me scratch my head, but the contrast of the screen. I find it almost unreadable during the day. Especially if I have bright sunlight reflecting off the gray of my jacket onto the dash screen. If I didn’t know better, I assumed it was somehow stuck in night mode.

The new fork setup works well, with a confident front end. It will absorb bumps well enough and, along with the updated chassis, is a pleasure to throw in a corner.

It’s a lovely platform for beginners as well as experienced riders to explore the limits of cornering. I could have looped around some large roundabout when there was no traffic around… the bike was pretty fun.

The rear isn’t quite as nice as the front but it still works well. I did feel that the shock had subsided a bit at stroke and felt the end of the journey at times, but the little extra preload dial definitely improved things.

The updated brake system also gets a tick. While very little pressure is still required up front (I found myself only needing one finger), the lever feels spacious for what’s going on and provides solid stopping power.

All in all, it’s a great package all around, the updates just take things further. At around $10,500 on the road, it represents excellent value for money and it is highly recommended by me.

Why I like Honda CB500F 2022:

• Lovely twin 500 engine.
• The low saddle height and weight make for a super nimble ride.
• Great refueling and intuitive all-around controls.

I would rather Honda CB500F 2022 if…

• Being able to read dashes easily during the day can be helpful.
• That rear shock isn’t bad for the price, but could be better.
• Could have louder exhaust – It’s so quiet I can’t hear it over the wind at highway speeds.

Honda CB500F . Specifications