I was able to have a short test ride of a new hond cbr500r today.

I could use some tips from the more experienced folks around here. I havent ridden too many bikes.
mostly just the gs500, and a daytona 675 one time.

The cbr was light, and comfy... but I came away unimpressed.
Maybe its because I had too high expectations going in? I dunno.

It seemed like the accelleration was a bit laggy, or mushy.
Is that a thing about fuel injection? I wouldnt think so, because the daytona was on a hair trigger, so to speak.

Do you guys think it was just the honda? or just me?

A local mate had a 20 min spin on one recently and liked it for its lightness as you say.. given he normally rides a heavily streetfightered old cbr900 he was also 'meh' on the overall power but he says the same about my GS .. the cbr500r only has a couple horsepower more? its still a LAMS bike! ... and being the brand new one would be all tight and fidgety in the motor? .. i aint ridden one yet.. but dont compare it to a daytona 675 !...

its kinda like comparing and

with the venerable GS being for my money i'd probably bomb around on the old black beast 'on holidays' 

all working and great fun... but different beasts! .. FI should improve the power delivery and behaviour somewhat ... even so, with you being used to a 'well settled in' gs500 .. and comparing to a pretty much raw cbr500r .. i would want to ride one for a week or so and figure out its twitches .. and then compare eh ! 

Quote from: Janx101 on May 22, 2013, 04:07:05 PM
.. the cbr500r only has a couple horsepower more? its still a LAMS bike! ... and being the brand new one would be all tight and fidgety in the motor? .. i aint ridden one yet.. but dont compare it to a daytona 675 !...

yea, it's still deliberately a LAMS class bike... just barely
SO, you're saying that brandnew bikes ARE a bit.. "tight", then?
(I did actualy get to ride it from "mile 0". A new experience for me )

yeah, I wasnt really expecting it to act like a 675, but I was expecting SOMETHING "more"... well.. MORE.







One problem, I guess, is that it runs out of rpm relatively quick. a 8k, computer-limited redline.  wierd.
And, slamming on wide-open throttle, didnt give much of a kick.. it was all smoothed out, seemed like.

(Wonder if there'll be a chip swap, or honda approved mode change, for that?)

Seems like a *great* commuter bike. very smooth, quiet, etc, etc, etc.

but for "okay, now have 'fun'".. seems like my old GS actually fits the bill better.
Maybe. Or maybe I just dont know how to handle the different type of engine, etc.
It was a relatively short (3 mins?) ride, and the street was a bit clogged, which didnt help.  sighhh..

Annoying, in that I liked pretty much everything about the bike, except this behaviour.. which I'm almost never going to use, but I feel .. like I would cheat myself, without.
AH, vanity. (or stupidity)

Haven't ridden one. But will say, don't expect it to be much more than the GS500, or a CB400 for that matter. Everything has been tuned for the target market - LAMS. So I think your expectations were higher than reality. Give it a month then take it for a spin again. I think you'll like it better second time around.

And ride it for longer than 3 minutes, to give it a fair chance...
I recently went for a few test rides (few 800 BMWs, Suzuki GSX650F, Ninja300) and it always takes a while to get comfortable on a bike.

That being said, still don't expect the performance to blow you away:
The CBR500 has some things going for it, in comparison with our GS500's, but that's mainly because it's a more modern bike (fuel injection, liquid cooled, etc...), but the performance will be pretty much the same.

Quote from: W79 on May 24, 2013, 04:24:45 AM

The CBR500 has some things going for it, in comparison with our GS500's, but that's mainly because it's a more modern bike (fuel injection, liquid cooled, etc...), but the performance will be pretty much the same.

I have to wonder whether the 8k limiter was for engine protection purposes, or purely for LAMS standards.

I'm also wondering whether, (since its LAMS targetted), they have computer-smoothed out the throttle response. I have a suspicion I might be very happy with the bike, if they "unsmoothed" it.

meanwhile, I'm probably going to continue to look around for a sv650.
Rotten thing is, they are getting kinda rare near me, and the ones that are available, have obnoxious exhausts. I want nice quiet stock. sigh.

Still havent gotten to ride one yet, though.

the redline can be undone at a later point. ( usually voids warranty though.)

Are you speaking in generalities, or have you heard something specific about the cbr500r, and that
"oh its fine to up the redline to 10k, they just stuck it at 8k for LAMS cert"

?

Quote from: Phil B on May 28, 2013, 12:04:40 PM
Are you speaking in generalities, or have you heard something specific about the cbr500r, and that
"oh its fine to up the redline to 10k, they just stuck it at 8k for LAMS cert"

?

Maybe even stuck it at 8k for engine run in protection too ... Like the hyosung gt650 .... Block plate for about half throttle .... Sure it fits the LAMS thing ... For AUssie... But it also protects against redline on a new motor and lessens warranty claims? ... Don't think every country complies with the 650cc and 150kW/tonne rule?

Amazingly enough not all learner riders around the world just putt along.... Some of them will go flat chat from day one!   

flat, smooth power for 100K miles, very little known maintenance, and fuel injected. the lower redline is a hint of a great commuter, great tourer, and an unstressed powerplant.

id really like to try out the x version to see how it fits. I'm stuck on enduros for now, nothing else is as ergonomicaly nice or drop friendly.

in the future, I plan on a naked standard single or twin, most likely with 21/18 wheels. that sounds a lot like a vstrom or versys so far.

21/18 wheels? ... Sounds like a truck! 

Carsales.com.au's cbr500 Antipodean review dared mention the Honda and the GS500 in the same breath...an excerpt :

"At $A6990 ($A7490 for the ABS version), the CBR500R is – as promised -- well positioned compared to its major opposition: the Hyosung GT650R ($A7490) and Suzuki GS500F ($A7990). In terms of performance, the CBR500R and GS500F are practically neck and neck on the specs sheets, with the Honda 2.5hp better off, and there's also only a 3kg weight differential – also in Big Red's favour.

The figures tell the story: with the ageing Suzuki close on its heels, the CBR500R isn't a powerhouse, but with just under 50hp available (at a peak of 8500rpm) and 43Nm of torque at 7000rpm there's still enough zip to satisfy those moving up or riders looking to downsize.

Honda has certainly put in the hard yards on this engine, and if you scratch below the surface that becomes evident – and it even has some CBR600RR features like grooved pistons and the same bore size.

The eight-valve liquid-cooled twin layout was chosen because of its "light weight, all-round ability and flexible usability", and it has a slightly oversquare dimensions -- bore and stroke are 67mm x 66.8mm respectively. The crankshaft pins are phased at 180 degrees and a primary balancer sits behind the cylinders, close to the bike's centre of gravity. Service intervals are – wait for it – 24,000km!"

I guess that article kinda explains why suzuki hasnt matched the major competitors in coming out with an update 500cc model.
They're lazy, since their existing 500cc model is still selling (everywhere but US).

Methinks not for long now, though.
cbr500 is Newer, AND CHEAPER?
suzuki really are being greedy lazy gits on this.


Doesnt answer the "what would a real non-LAMS redline be?" question though. sigh...