FIRST RIDE
P68
2013 HONDA CBR500R/CB500F
>>The CBF500 is the less
expensive of the two and will
retail for $5499 without ABS and
$5999 with ABS.
tra-linear power delivery aimed at
delivering satisfying performance
coupled with starter-friendly rideability.
Riding the CBR500R and
CB500F for half a day each
along the Catalan roads inland
from Tarragona, including some
laps of the Parcmotor test circuit
Honda uses for developing its
new products, bore that claim
out.
There's no real step in the
smooth, vibration-free motor's
linear power delivery from idle
speed all the way to the 9100rpm limiter, yet this creamy pull
still results in an engaging sense
of performance. There's just
enough to thrill, both on the naked CB500F and sportier looking (but identically engineered)
CBR500R. These may be bikes
targeted at beginners or returnee
bikers, but they're still fun to ride
for more experienced users, with
enough poke in the upper reaches of the rev range to get them
moving right along.
The light-action oil-bath clutch
and relatively close-ratio sixspeed gearbox – which does,
however, prefer you to use the
clutch for upshifts – make the
engine easy to use in traffic and
towns, but get it revving up above
7000 rpm and you'll be surprised
at how much zap the CB500 motor delivers. Rowing it along via
the gearbox produces lively performance, with top speed limited
to a more than sufficient 112 mph,
according to Honda – though
the digital speedo on the goodlooking dash insisted I was doing
115 at 8800 rpm down the Parcmotor straight, a level of inaccuracy which may perhaps save
licenses.
The dash also contains a bar
graph tach, twin trips, a fuel
gauge and a clock accompanying that and also an average-fuel-
