Cw First Ride Honda Cb500f

CW FIRST RIDE HONDA CB500F

IGNITION

FIRST RIDE

You'll meet the nicest people on this affordable, fuel-efficient ride

Andrew Bornhop

AT THE PRESS RIDE for the new CB500F, Honda PR maven Jon Seidel slung the superlatives like a pro, calling the bike affordable, attractive and cool, just the thing to get more people riding again. You know what? He's right. The naked CB500F, along with its mechanically similar siblings, the sporty CBR500R and ADV-look CB500X, is refined and easy to ride, great for commuting but by no means a slouch on twisty canyon roads.

The recipe for this Thailand-built bike starts with a rigid steel frame and a liquid-cooled, 471CC parallel-Twin tuned more for broad torque and fuel economy (a claimed 71 mpg!) than peak power. As such, the rider can live all day below 6000 rpm, easily staying ahead of traffic. Open the twin 34mm throttle bodies a bit more, however, and the eight-valve motor with the 180-degree crank really comes alive, pulling hard all the way to its 8700rpm redline. It's thrilling, although I wish the exhaust were a bit sportier.

With its low 30.1-inch, seat height and easily reached handlebar, the CB500F has a comfortably upright riding position, and the bike bends into corners with a natural feel, aided by reasonably large tires, size 120/70-17 front and 160/60-17 rearMoreover, the F feels lighter than its claimed wet weight of 420 pounds suggests, and its Nissin brakes (with a wave-style 320mm rotor in front and a 240 rear) stop the bike with a reassuring confidence.

The CB500F is priced at $5499.

ABS, a wise choice, costs $500 extra. The sportier CBR500R lists at $5999, with ABS again adding $500. At press time, no price had been announced for the CB500X.

THE OTHER NEW 500S

CB R 500 it For canyon-carvers on a budget.

CB500X The X is the 500 adventurer.

2013 HONDACB500F

ENGINE TYPE

dohc parallel-Twin

DISPLACEMENT

471cc

SEAT HEIGHT

30.1 in.

FUEL CAPACITY

4.1 gal

CLAIMED WET WEIGHT

420 lb.

PRICE

$5499/ 5999 (C-4B5)