Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/141042
by Art Friedman ~ w Z W ..J U >- U Superb ikes are still with us, but the emphasis has shifted. Perform anc e isn't all that counts any more. Peop le want to do more than go like the bejeesus for a few blocks, and if th ey are going to ride their machines for mo re than a quart er mile at a tim e, they get so they can appreciate qu alities like smoot hness, quie t, comfort, economy, and reliability . Th e dema nd for th ese qualities goes a long way to expl aining the popularity of the Honda 500 Four. Th e mach ine ca n be apprecia ted by almos t any body who isn' t in to o big a hurry . In almost all respec ts the machine falls between it s siblings, the Honda 75 0 and 350 Fours. Th is isn't to say th at th e Ho nda 500 Fou r is just a Honda 750 wit h a modified bore-stro ke ratio or that the 350 is pattern ed exactly after the 500 . Th e machines are co mpose d of almost entirely differen t pieces, bu t they were designed with similar goals in mind. It is less similar to the 75 0 than the 350 . Unlike the 750, the 500 uses -a wet sum p lub rication system. Th is is th e practice followed by all the Hondas exce pt the 750 (which uses a dry sump system that carries its oil'in a tank on the right side. Th e merits of th e wet sump syste m are a lower cen ter of gravity an d th e fact that an oil tank isn't necessary .) Oil is filt ered th rough th e usual Honda Four filte r mounted on th e front of th e sump between th e inner exhaust pipes. Engin e layout is unmistakably Honda. Th e single overhead camshaft is driven by a -chain tensioned by a spring-loaded tensioner . Each cylin der has its own carburet or, exhaust pip e and muffler. Primary dri ve is by a Hyvo chain . Powe-r goes through the five speed transmission -to an endless final drive train. The engine requires a few minutes to warm up before it is run hard, and you have to flog it if you want to go fast. Not th at it doe sn't have low end power - it will idle (1100 RPM) in all five gears. Despite its minimal flywheel effec t , the machine will accelerate evenly if the throttle is wh acked op en in top gear from idle. Thi s same lack of flywheel requires slightly more careful shifting than is necessary ~ n most other machines. The engine accelerates and decelerate s very quickly. Th e transmission ratios were well staged, and shifting actio n was light and sure. However, the mec ha nism would occasionally hang up and miss a shift if several qu ick down shift s were mad e. Th is seemed t o b e due to a sticking in the rat cheting mechanism. Th e clutch was light and worke d quit e well under normal use, but several back-to-hack fast starts with the clutch slipping would heat it up eno ugh to make it grabby . The rest of the drive train performed quite well. Th e chain never required adju stmen t in 500 miles. Poin ts , plugs, and oil all performed without atte ntion. The only ite m in the engine th at required attention was a head gasket leak. The onl y other failures th at occurred were in a turn signal bulb an d the pliers in the tool kit, >