Honda CBR500R Review
I’ve had more than a few nostalgic moments on the little red CBR500R these last couple of weeks as I’ve been putting it through its paces. It brought back memories of some of my own past rides. Two of my road going CBRs were red. So sitting on board looking through the tinted screen with the Honda logo on it did give me the feels and a bit of deja vu.
And while this incarnation does not have the outright performance of some of my old CBR sports bikes, there’s still plenty to like about the 500R with its Fireblade inspired colour scheme. First and foremost is the size and ride position. It feels so low. And super light. Wheeling the bike about at standstill will be a breeze for anyone of any stature.
More experienced riders can easily forget just how nerve-wracking wheeling your pride and joy around was when we first started out – the fear of over overbalancing and dropping it is real. There’d be no such concerns here I don’t think. That seat height of 785 mm has your feet flat and firmly planted with plenty to spare.
Newcomers will also love the ergos. They’re skewed more towards comfort than performance. The seat is reasonably comfortable without being a sofa – and the reach to the bars is fine without much weight on the wrists at all. I had no issue sitting on the highway for an hour.
Then there’s that peach of an engine. What a lovely little thing it is. Exquisitely fuelled, it’s damn near carburettor-like smooth in the way you can roll on and off the gas.
Sure, that’s always going to be easier on an engine that’s not a heavily tuned high performance unit. But even then, it seems that great fuelling is getting rarer these days as emissions laws force manufacturers to squeeze harder.
So while it’s not exactly a stump puller, the 471 cc parallel-twin pushes out an easy to use 47 hp and 43 Nm of torque. And does so effortlessly. Super forgiving and easy to use.
Bottom end to mid-range is where it’s at with this one – it doesn’t particularly benefit that much from revving the ring off it. Not the most inspiring exhaust note though. I’d be looking at slip-ons for sure…
Eagle-eyed punters will notice that those figures are about the same as the new Aprilia RS457, though the Priller pokes its nose ahead in the power to weight stakes by being around 17 kg lighter – the Honda coming in at around 192 kg wet.
The gearbox is solid if not the slickest shifting in the world, but I don’t recall missing a shift. It’s not clunky, but the shift itself feels quite firm. Given that my test bike had all of four kilometres on the odometer when I picked it up – that’s totally understandable and I’m sure it would loosen up with a little more time.
The clutch is almost unbelievably light and all switch-gear is typically Honda. Nothing unexpected to distract from the ride itself. Nice updated five-inch TFT dash on the ’24 bike, with an easy to read layout and a quick toggle set-up to view different info like trip meters and fuel usage.
Ride quality is sorted by Showa at both ends, with Big Piston Forks up front and a Pro-Link shock at the rear with adjustable pre-load. I’m running close enough to 90 kg currently and had no reason to tweak anything.
Quite decent bump absorption at both ends, I was pretty impressed with the balance of comfort and cornering feedback capability.
Indeed the bike feels quite capable on it’s side, maybe not quite a match for the RS457 but in the ballpark. Though I’d definitely recommend giving the OEM tyres a bit of time to come up to temp. The afternoon of the photoshoot I noted that they weren’t soopah doopah grippy while still cold. It did make me wonder what it might be capable of with some stickier rubber though.
Speaking of… It’s interesting how two bikes that on paper aren’t miles apart in specs can have such a different feel. The little Aprilia felt like a bit of a raw hooligan machine pretty much as soon as I got on it.
The little Honda CBR500R feels quite the opposite. Possibly the result of those few additional kilos, but by comparison this bike feels refined, smooth. Dare I say, classy and restrained.
Not that it’s not capable. And with a dedicated button on the left switch block to turn TC off, it’s up for a bit of fun. But the CBR500R’s not shouting that it’s a sports bike either, which will definitely appeal to some.
Pretty decent on the peepers too. I think it’s nicely styled overall and that Grand Prix Red colour scheme is a winner. Very nice in the late afternoon Sunlight. Come darkness, the LED lights are a bit ordinary however. High beam is quite tight in its throw and not the greatest for spotting wildlife at the road’s edges. And the position of the front indicators and mirrors could have had some more thought.
The indicators double as running lights in the sense that they are always lit when not indicating. And at night time you can see their orange glow both from the indicators themselves but also reflected in the mirrors. That was a little distracting and not great for letting your eyes fully adjust to the light thrown out the front…. They’re not the only manufacturer to do this by the way. I’m not a fan of using indicators as auxiliary lights…
The only other area that I’d look at would be putting some brake pads on the front with a little more bite. They need a good squeeze to really start working hard, but otherwise the performance is okay. They feel in line with the rest of the bike, in the sense of it not being an out and out sports bike.
All in all, it feels very Honda. Build quality looks good, materials and finish seemed higher than the price-point suggested and there’s always going to be something to say for Honda’s reliability. These little 500 twins are well-proven and damn near indestructible.
Price-wise you’re looking at ten grand ride away which seems damn good value to me. I’ve said it before… New riders have never had it so good.
Honda’s CBR500R Hits
- Lovely, proven 500 cc twin engine is a little peach
- Low seat height and small overall size is super usable
- Quite nicely specc’d suspension – a good mix of plushness and control
Honda’s CBR500R Misses
- Those high beam LED headlights are a bit rubbish and the always-on auxiliary indicators are annoying at night
- Brakes could have a little more bite
- Exhaust note is a little underwhelming (but easily sorted with a slip-on)
Honda CBR500R Specifications
| 2024 Honda CBR500R Specifications | |
| Engine | 471 cc Liquid-cooled 4 stroke, DOHC parallel twin |
| Valves per Cylinder | Four |
| Bore & Stroke | 67Â x 66.8 mm |
| Compression Ratio | 10.7: 1 |
| Max. Power Output | 47 hp (35 kW) @ 8,600 rpm |
| Max. Torque | 43 Nm @ 6,500 rpm |
| Oil Capacity | 3.2L |
| Carburation | PGM FI electronic fuel injection |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 17.1L (inc reserve) |
| CO2 Emissions (WMTC) | 80 g/km |
| Fuel Consumption (WMTC) | 3.5L/100km (28.6km/litre) |
| Battery Capacity | 12V 7.4AH |
| Clutch Type | Wet multiplate, Assisted slipper clutch |
| Transmission Type | 6 speed |
| Final Drive | Chain |
| Type | Steel diamond |
| Dimensions (L´W´H) | 2,080mm x 760mm x 1,145mm |
| Wheelbase | 1,410mm |
| Caster Angle | 25.5° |
| Trail | 102mm |
| Seat Height | 785mm |
| Ground Clearance | 130mm |
| Kerb Weight | 192 kg |
| Turning radius | 2.9M |
| Front Suspension | Showa 41mm SFF-BP USD forks |
| Rear Suspension | Prolink mono with five-stage pre-load adjuster, Steel hollow cross swingarm |
| Rims | 5Y-Spoke Cast Aluminium 17 x 3.5″ (F); 17 x 4.5″ (R) |
| Tyres | 120/70ZR17 (F); 160/60ZR17 (R) |
| ABS System Type | 2-channel |
| Type Front | Dual 296 mm x 4 mm disc with Nissin radial-mount four-piston calipers |
| Type Rear | Single 240 mm x 5 mm disc with single piston caliper |
| Instruments | 5in TFT Meter with customisable layout, including but not limited to Speedometer, Tachometer, Clock, Gear position, Shift UP Indicator |
| Headlight | LED |
| Taillight | LED |
| Connectivity | Yes (Honda RoadSync) |
| USB | No |
| 12V Socket | Optional |
| Quickshifter | No |
| Security System | HISS (Honda Intelligent Security System) |
| Cruise Control | No |
| Additional Features | ESS |
| Warranty | 24 months |
| Price | $9,939 Ride Away Registered |
Honda CBR500R Images
Images by RbMotoLens
