revtothelimit - motorbike forum

Finally, after much dithering and wondering, I have sold the VFR and bought a new bike, a very different one!

Welcome to the Honda CB500 F in Candy Orange!

It is small, light, and slow, but at 74 I need something lighter (and not so top-heavy as the VFR). Slow is not so welcome, but at least my license will be a little safer. The thing I am really going to miss is the roll-on performance of the VFR, and the split personality, at low revs it was a lazy tourer, above 7k it snarled like a beast. What I am not going to miss is the sheer weight of the thing moving it about, the restricted lock, and its habit of falling into full lock and trapping my hand when maneuvering it in tight spaces.

The new one is a toy by comparison. It is low (good – I am a short-arse), light (probably about 60 kgs lighter that a VFR with a full tank and a big topbox) and nippy rather than fast. A quick roll on a 70 is not going to dispatch traffic quite as easily, but it doesn’t feel too slow. Wind protection on the demonstrator was non-existent but the comfort pack adds a ‘touring’ screen and heated grips. A continent-crossing mile muncher it is not, but it promises to be fun on the back roads, in a restrained sort of way as befits my advancing years.

I was seriously looking at the RE Interceptor. It looks the dog’s bollocks (at least to me), but it is heavy and the polished alloy cases are really high maintenance. The demonstrator (which lives in a nice heated showroom) was showing signs of needing TLC, and allegedly they have had complaints from owners. Autosol is the answer, but time consuming and a PITA. It is very much a lazy bike, same power but lots more weight.

Pick it up on tomorrow (Saturday), so watch this space for updates, if the weather is kind and I get a pass out from the Memsahib.

Spooky!

Must be less than an hour that I wondered if you'd got round to replacing the Viffer for something lighter.

Must be ESP.

Enjoy the CB500, Couchies been out on his 'R' at Cadwell today.

I once seriously considered spending my own money on the X (but bought a 2nd hand NC700X instead).

KungFooBob wrote: Fri Oct 09, 2020 8:06 pm Spooky!

Must be less than an hour that I wondered if you'd got round to replacing the Viffer for something lighter.

Must be ESP.

Enjoy the CB500, Couchies been out on his 'R' at Cadwell today.

I once seriously considered spending my own money on the X (but bought a 2nd hand NC700X instead).

An hour, pah! I have been dithering for a year. You can't rush these things.

To some extent it has been forced upon me, back at the start of lockdown I was moving the bike to wash it, tripped over the hose and dropped it (and me) onto my left shoulder. I now have a busted acromioclavicular joint to add to my woes, and moving a heavy bike is even more of a chore.

Oh, and this thread is useless without pictures.

It's like a pretend 790!!

Light bikes are a joy and suitable power to weight ratio is very pleasurable.

Enjoy the new bike man,if it's like that pic Weeksy posted,it's very nice indeed and not half as ghey as most Homdas.

Having loved a CB500F for a while, you have a cracking bike there! It will handle well, it will be easy to chuck about and will be a pleasure to ride.

I like the orange and id rather travel the globe on that, than an electric Harley.

Happy new bike day.
I quite fancy an X as a sort of poor man's tenere 700 . Looks like a good all rounder that could do a bit of green Laning in the Peak District. I'm worried I'd miss the power of the Mt09 though.
I really should get out and test some of these bikes I keep reading and thinking about!

Very nice bikes, I’ve got a 500X and. 500R as well as the Enfield 650. There’s only 10kg in it weight wise with the 650 and your 500 but my 650 has lost nearly 20kgs making it lighter than your 500. It’s also gained power and is much stronger in the midrange. But I like them all and I really like the revvy 500 engine you won’t be disappointed when you recalibrate your brain. My 500R has a fair bit more go courtesy of a full system and power commander, this is well worth doing tbh I’ll probably get my 500X done.

matt wrote: Sat Oct 10, 2020 11:50 am Happy new bike day.
I quite fancy an X as a sort of poor man's tenere 700 . Looks like a good all rounder that could do a bit of green Laning in the Peak District. I'm worried I'd miss the power of the Mt09 though.
I really should get out and test some of these bikes I keep reading and thinking about!

The X is slow but it is fun on both road and track....

MLCP_180331_124920_1294 by Tony H, on Flickr

Couchy wrote: Sun Oct 11, 2020 8:34 pm Very nice bikes, I’ve got a 500X and. 500R as well as the Enfield 650. There’s only 10kg in it weight wise with the 650 and your 500 but my 650 has lost nearly 20kgs making it lighter than your 500. It’s also gained power and is much stronger in the midrange. But I like them all and I really like the revvy 500 engine you won’t be disappointed when you recalibrate your brain. My 500R has a fair bit more go courtesy of a full system and power commander, this is well worth doing tbh I’ll probably get my 500X done.

Eh?- Have you got 2 x CB500s and the RE then?
And if so, what made you buy not just one, but two CB500s?
Serious Q- I rode a shonky old CB500 once but nothing remotely recent, just wondering why , with the variety of bikes out there, you might want two of (almost) the same one

Couchy wrote: Sun Oct 11, 2020 8:34 pm Very nice bikes, I’ve got a 500X and. 500R as well as the Enfield 650. There’s only 10kg in it weight wise with the 650 and your 500 but my 650 has lost nearly 20kgs making it lighter than your 500. It’s also gained power and is much stronger in the midrange. But I like them all and I really like the revvy 500 engine you won’t be disappointed when you recalibrate your brain. My 500R has a fair bit more go courtesy of a full system and power commander, this is well worth doing tbh I’ll probably get my 500X done.

Yes, recalibrating my brain is the main issue. Using 3rd gear as an auto between about 15mph and 70mph is no longer an option, and top gear overtakes are a bit more protracted. OTOH it seems quite fun on twisty roads, and on the real nadgery stuff that ends in a farmyard or on a beach it will be a lot easier to turn around than the VFR barge. Early days yet, but it is probably more suitable for most of the riding I do, and like most bikes, it WILL do the long European trips, just a little bit slower.

Since it lives outdoors only 300 yards from the sea the polished alloy cases on the Enfield were the main sticking point. I like shiny stuff, but polishing it is a PITA.

Tricky wrote: Sun Oct 11, 2020 10:20 pm

Couchy wrote: Sun Oct 11, 2020 8:34 pm Very nice bikes, I’ve got a 500X and. 500R as well as the Enfield 650. There’s only 10kg in it weight wise with the 650 and your 500 but my 650 has lost nearly 20kgs making it lighter than your 500. It’s also gained power and is much stronger in the midrange. But I like them all and I really like the revvy 500 engine you won’t be disappointed when you recalibrate your brain. My 500R has a fair bit more go courtesy of a full system and power commander, this is well worth doing tbh I’ll probably get my 500X done.

Eh?- Have you got 2 x CB500s and the RE then?
And if so, what made you buy not just one, but two CB500s?
Serious Q- I rode a shonky old CB500 once but nothing remotely recent, just wondering why , with the variety of bikes out there, you might want two of (almost) the same one

I'd imagine he asks himself the same question every time he opens the garage door.

Tricky wrote: Sun Oct 11, 2020 10:20 pm

Couchy wrote: Sun Oct 11, 2020 8:34 pm Very nice bikes, I’ve got a 500X and. 500R as well as the Enfield 650. There’s only 10kg in it weight wise with the 650 and your 500 but my 650 has lost nearly 20kgs making it lighter than your 500. It’s also gained power and is much stronger in the midrange. But I like them all and I really like the revvy 500 engine you won’t be disappointed when you recalibrate your brain. My 500R has a fair bit more go courtesy of a full system and power commander, this is well worth doing tbh I’ll probably get my 500X done.

Eh?- Have you got 2 x CB500s and the RE then?
And if so, what made you buy not just one, but two CB500s?
Serious Q- I rode a shonky old CB500 once but nothing remotely recent, just wondering why , with the variety of bikes out there, you might want two of (almost) the same one

They’re quite different versions, ones the mini adv bike and road legal the other is the ex race bike

Ah, I was a bit confused, thought initially you'd whacked a fairing and few other racey bits on the nerdy looking one in the Cadwell pics.

Have you got out on the racer yet then?

Tricky wrote: Tue Oct 13, 2020 4:45 pm Ah, I was a bit confused, thought initially you'd whacked a fairing and few other racey bits on the nerdy looking one in the Cadwell pics.

Have you got out on the racer yet then?

Yup, last Friday at Cadwell. It was great apparently and he's not mentioned selling it yet!

Tricky wrote: Tue Oct 13, 2020 4:45 pm Ah, I was a bit confused, thought initially you'd whacked a fairing and few other racey bits on the nerdy looking one in the Cadwell pics.

Have you got out on the racer yet then?

Yeah last week, it was very good if a bit slow, handling was superb tbh I need to recalibrate how to ride a corner speed bike it’ll be a good match for the RC390 at Porto

I promised a longer write up about the bike, so yer tiz.

So far I have done about 250 mile, so I am still running it in . Limited to about 6000 rpm for the first 300, so no chance to push it hard yet.
What is to like about it? Most things. It is fun, fast enough for most real life riding, although I would prefer the VFR for crossing continents, but OTOH I only do that once a year at most. The rest of the time the baby Honda is enough bike. It won’t win any races, but I wouldn’t win anyway, no matter what bike I rode.

What do I wish I had known before I bought it.

1) If you are going to ride in the wet a hugger is an absolute necessity. At the moment after 250 damp miles on country roads and it looks like an unloved motocross bike. And the back of my jacket is filthy. Hugger has been delivered, next step is to fit it.

2) A fender extender at the front seems to be a Very Good Idea. The vestigial fairing protection on the VFR did a good job, and I miss it. Time to try to stop the shit flying up from the front wheel.

I am slowly getting used to a very different bike. It felt a bit twitchy at first, but wider bars do mean that it turns in with very little effort. Brakes are OK, front seems pretty powerful but the back seems anemic. Perhaps it is just getting used to ‘normal’ brakes again after the linked brakes on the VFR.

Fuel consumption is miserly. 250 mixed miles, not thrashing it, but not loitering either and the overall mpg is showing 84. Tank is not huge, but I suspect the range will be well over 200 miles in normal use.

Clocks, the new-style dash is a bit of a curates egg. I liked the VFR but it was a bit limited. The baby Honda has lots more information (I particularly like the gear indicator, and stuff like average speed and mpg is always useful), but it is a bit small. Speed and gear are OK, the rest could be improved.

Honda’s idea of a ‘Touring Screen’ is pretty vestigial but it does make a difference. I still miss the MRA touring screen on the VFR which was superb. An add on spoiler may be added in due course.

No doubt I will find more things to like (or moan about) in time, so watch this space.