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
m '" s, which had lost the nut on the it pivot point and ceased to function . The biggest surprise that we got from the machine was the handling. The machine seems unexciting and not at all the sort of machine th at one would take to go flogging off down a winding road. It is very straight-line stable, but th e Japanese multis just don't seem to carry stability over into very high speed cornering. The CB-500 did , however. It would not wobble at all in flat, fast turns, nor would it do an ything unasked for in bumpy turns. Handling was terrific. The excellent tire prof ile probably deserves some cred it for this. Tir e compound could be imp roved slightly, how ever; it let go soon er than some of th e good British rubber. The hand ling was very Honda-like in all other respec ts. The suspension was solid but co mforta ble, and steering was pre cise. It would fall into a turn at low spee ds and like to have th e power on. It ' had less of the se characte rist ics than eit her of its multi-cylindered brothers. This may be du e in , ,,me part to th e cen ter of gravit y wh ich feels lower tha n on th e other fou rs. Ground clearance was sufficient. Th e firsr items to touch were th e cente rsta nd on the left and the peg on the right. This Japanese Multi Even Handles Comfort was not as good as the other Honda Fours, and it is th is feature that ranks the 350 above the 500 in our opinions. The seat was a little on the hard side, especiall y in th e passenger's portion, and the grab st rap got you right wh ere it counted. Passenger pegs 'were also too high for comfort for anyon e but a very small person. The passenger pegs were th e onl y place on the mach ine th at any vibration could be felt at all and then onl y lightl y for a few:hundred RPM around 6,000 RPM. Th e 500 is th e smoothest of all the Fours. Seat height was low eno ugh th at even a small person felt at home whil e waiting for a light to change. Th e bars are narrow, bu t the handling is light eno ugh so th at thi s doe sn't matter. Th ey are appreciated at high spee ds because the wid th cut s down the bu ffeting one takes fro m th e wind . Throttle return pressure was heavy, and. wh en 'combined with the small size of th e grips, became uncomfortable for long periods of use. Th e screw type frictio n damp ener lessened this somewhat, bu t larger grips and lighter spri ngs woul d be the best answer. Th e grip s. a sore spot on Hondas for a long time, should b e changed. Th e br akes were excellent. Th ey were strong enough, light enough, sensitive eno ugh ; and waterproof eno ugh ' t o earn a superlative rating. The fro nt disc was affec ted by water, bu t it still rema ine d strong enoug h to lock up the wh eel. It would occasion ally emit a slight squeal when cold. St yling is distinct ively Honda uni qu e. Fin ish is excellent, as expected, with the usual seams ru nn ing the length of the muffler s. Exhaust noise was greater tha n on th e wh isper-quiet 350, but still acceptab le. The key is in th e usual (for Honda) place: und er th e left forwar d portion of the gas t an k. A panel of fo ur idiot lights communicat es abo ut oil pressure, turn signals, high b eam , and neut ral position. An amm et er would b e useful. Th e Honda 500 is not a cop y of th e 750. Rath er, the reverse is tru e; th e 750 has copi ed t he refinement of the 500. Th e 500 makes no claims to being a superb ike. Instead , it ful fills as man y other stree t mach ine functio ns as possible. Th e logic and desirabili ty of this appro ach have allowed it to be copie d b y th e 750 wh ich has been t oned down and de-int ensfied in th e int erest of comfo rt and reliabilit y. Th at th e 500 ;"'iII do onl y 14 seco nd quarters is of little con cern to peopl e who don 't have th eir egos wited to theit throttle cabl es. Th e CB·500 will go more than fast en ough. It will fit a lot of people. Its single shortcoming as a to ur er is its less-than-perfect seat. Its powe r, mileage (40 MPG), reliabil it y. and all other aspects of rider com fort are sufficient to make it a 'first class tourer. Yet , it has th e tractability to mak e an around-town commuter and the handling to frolic on your favo rite canyon road. The new breed of multi-cylinder middleweights have a lot to offer over the twin s of similar displacement that they supersede, In many wa ys they are also superior to the heavyweights to which th ey are little brothers. The Honda CB-500 is an outstanding example of th e bre ed. . e, M .... m 0 M . ... " ~. w Z W ..J U >U Exce llent Ho nda fi n ish and detailing : Idiot lights, kill switch, b ut no lock ing gas cap. Note also absence of stee ring dampner. It isn't needed . Handling was excellent. "