The Honda CBR 500 debuted nearly a couple of years ago and it took the learner bike market by storm in every sense. The Honda CBR is high-tech and smart and comes at an attractive price of 5490 dollars. Honda proved to be quite an upset for Kawasaki, which was having a good run with the Ninja 250 R. After Honda launched the CBR 500, Kawasaki was forced to slash the Ninja 250 R’s price by a staggering 1000 dollars. Later, Kawasaki entered the competition with renewed vigor by launching the Ninja 300 R and once again, started dominating the learner bike segment, even though it launched the new Ninja at a faintly higher price as compared to what Honda was asking. KTM will soon join the party with its 7000-dollar stunning 390 Duke.
In India, the Honda CBR 500 is available at a starting price of Rs, 3, 78,000. The ergonomics of the CBR 500 are slightly inferior to the 600 RR. Even the 500 R’s performance does not approach that of the 600 RR. Much like other sport bikes, even the 500R is nearly soft-all around. It is not entirely a bad thing for this sports bike, if you happen to a new rider. The CBR 500R’s suspension is indeed soft. The Honda CBR 500 is comfortable to ride on freeways and quite rough on canyon roads. The bike saves you from some nasty blows and hits owing to the 41 mm forks and the linkage rear shock. For medium-speed, a casual ride, the CBR 500 delivers a decent performance.
The Honda CBR 500 comes fitted with Dunlop Sportmax tires that provide a tenacious grip and make for ideal choice for this sports bike. The tires push the 500 R to a great extent and one can then easily judge the suspension’s limitation. The Honda CBR 500 R will not wallow exactly but it renders a marshmallow like riding feel and its robs off the responsiveness and road feedback that a typical rider would look for when riding very aggressively. The turn-in offered is quite predictable, owing to relax rake of 25 + degrees. The Honda CBR does not do anything that you have not expected. A demanding rider would certainly be left asking for more.
The Honda CBR 500’s engine is quite soft. It is fuel-injected perfectly and the 471 cc twin, liquid cooled, DOHC Powertrain feels as smooth like silk. The engine does not provide a lot of torque, which makes acceleration quite comfortable. Post the linear midrange, there a slight performance bump when it revs more than 7000 RPM and subsequently, the engine quickly signs off.
The engine is a twin sibling and does not quite rev high. The motor does not come very responsive or intimidating at any point. The motor offers good acceleration and is designed to ensure the rider is completely in control.
The Honda CBR 500R 2013 is a fun bike to ride in town. It weighs only 429 pounds and is surprisingly light. The 55.5-inch wheelbase provides excellent maneuverability.
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I have been writing content for auto blogs for quite a long time now. My passion lies in this field and I love to picture cars as well.
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