Honda 2024 CBR500R Review

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I had the pleasure of having the very cool looking Honda CBR500R on loan from Honda Motorcycles UK for a couple of weeks and what a great time it was.

A ground-up redesign in 2019 of this popular model of bike, first launched in 2013 alongside the naked CB500F and adventure-styled CB500X, has given Honda’s A2-compatible ‘pocket rocket’ an aggressive, aerodynamically-driven sports makeover.

Clip-on handlebars mount below the revised top yoke and the riding position is canted further forward compared to its two CB500 siblings.

The CBR500R is A2 licence-compatible and benefited in 2019 with upgrades to the inlet, exhaust and valve timing.

A Few Specs for you:

  • Weight: 191 kg
  • Seat height: 785 mm 
  • 471 cc Liquid cooled 4 stroke, DOHC parallel twin engine
  • Power: 35 kW @ 8600 rpm, 47 bhp
  • Torque: 43 Nm @ 6500 rpm
  • 6 speed
  • TFT customisable screen with Honda RoadSync connectivity  
  • Michelin Power 6 tyres
  • 17.1 litre fuel tank
  • Emergency Stop Signal
  • Showa upside-down forks with Prolink mono with 5 stage preload adjuster on the rear
  • 2 colour options: Matt Gunpowder Black from £6,699; Grand Prix Red from £6,699

Engine

The CBR500R has a liquid cooled four stroke parallel twin engine pushing out maximum power of 35kW @ 8600 rpm with maximum torque of 43 Nm @ 6500 rpm. 

This engine is Euro 5 compliant and does sound sweet.

The Honda 500 twins are a group of straight-twin bikes which have been made by Honda since 2013 which use the same 471 cc (28.7 cu in), 180° crank, straight-twin engine.

The CBR500R’s 35kW engine is A2 licence-compatible and benefits from the 2019 upgrades to the inlet, exhaust and valve timing, which added 4% more power and torque between 3-7,000rpm compared to the previous model. An enhanced exhaust note and a new assist/slipper clutch can also be found on this bike.

Chassis

The steel diamond frame houses the engine complemented with Showa upside-down forks with Prolink mono and a 5 stage preload adjuster on the rear making the CBR500R stable and easy to ride.

The standard end can, although it does its job perfectly well, in my opinion needs to be the second thing you change (the first being adding a tail tidy). It is not noisy enough by any stretch of the imagination and does not look stylish!

Instrument Display

The 5” TFT colour instrument display is customisable and comes with Honda RoadSync connectivity. Between voice recognition input, voice feedback and a 4-way toggle switch located on the left handlebar, with your phone safely in a pocket, you can stay connected whilst riding.

Connect your Android 8.0 or iOS14 (or later) smartphone with the Honda RoadSync app which can be installed through your Google or Apple account. The app will also connect to your Bluetooth helmet-mounted headset with audio input.

The navigation app, which is OS specific, provides the navigation base for Honda RoadSync, with the turn-by-turn directions voice guided and displayed via the meter panel on the TFT screen.

I did download the app and connected my phone to the bike which I found relatively easy to do, the prompt along each step of the way helped! It was great to be able to access navigation whilst riding and also a bit of music which is not something I would normally do.

I thought the screen was clear and easy to read and said what I needed it to say – revs, speeds, gear and the time. Navigating my way around the screen was easy too which is a huge plus point for me. 

Tyres

Now tyres are a very personal choice and having spoken to many people on this subject, it seems that you find a tyre that suits you and you tend to stick with it.

Michelin Road 6

I was really pleased to see that the CBR500R comes with Michelin Road 6’s as standard, these are my tyres of choice and I have these on my personal bikes. 

I find the Road 6’s to be great all round, all year tyres which work well in all conditions be it hot, cold, wet or dry.

Michelin describe the Road 6’s as:

  • The latest version of the acclaimed Michelin Road tyre;
  • The Michelin Road 6 benefits from 2 decades of constant innovation and the highest levels of expertise;
  • More wet grip – +15% more grip than Michelin Road 5 in wet conditions due to a brand new tread pattern and new 100% Silica Technology tread compounds;
  • Ride for longer – The high tech compound increases the longevity of the tyre by 10%.

I had the CBR500R on loan in January so the temperatures were very cool and there was a lot of salt on the roads due to the freezing temperatures. 

I had complete confidence in the Road 6’s, they stuck to the roads nicely, and gave me the confidence I crave from a tyre.

LED Lights

Very cool front headlight 😎

There are LED lights all round on the CBR500R. I love the design of the front headlight, very distinctive and cool in design. They light up the road really well and give plenty of illumination.

The front indicators illuminate permanently when the ignition is on and then flash when turned on. I’m not sure why Honda have this feature, I would prefer they only lit up when in use but to be honest when you are riding the bike you do not notice this.

Needs a tail tidy!

The rear light housing is equally as stylish as the front, again LED, and sits neatly underneath the rear seat. Love the design of this, it really does suit the bike. Just need to add a tail tidy to finish the rear end off perfectly.

The LED lights themselves gave off crisp light and were really effective especially if the weather was poor or at night.

I do love the rear end on the CBR500R

The rear indicators have an Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) function. This is how Honda describe how they work: at a minimum speed of 56 km/h, with either brake working if negative acceleration of a minimum of 6.0m/s2 is detected, the hazard lights flash to warn other road users a hard stop is in process. At the same speed the threshold is reduced if ABS is activated, to a negative acceleration of a minimum 2.5m/s2

A2 Licence Compliant

The CBR500R can be ridden by riders holding an A2 licence. The A2 licence is for riders aged 19 or over who have either passed their CBT or are looking to move up from a 125cc bike (A1 licence) and take the next step towards the full A licence. 

Riders are limited by law to progress through the various stages of licensing.

  • AM (50cc moped)  -16 years of age 
  • A1 (125cc) – 17 years of age 
  • A2 (restricted power) – 19 years of age
  • A (any engine, unrestricted power) – over 21 years 

The full A licence is only an option for riders over 21 years of age who’ve held an A2 licence for more than two years.

Riders over 24 years of age can take the direct access route to attain their full A licence.

What’s The Honda CBR500R Like To Ride, I hear you say?

What a little pocket rocket this bike is 🚀

For a 47 bhp powered bike, I am very impressed by how quick it is and just how much fun this bike is to ride.

Clip ons

The CBR500R weighs less than 200 kg and is light and nimble especially in the twisties. The bike offers you that feeling of being planted on the road and stable in the corners.

As you would expect with Honda, the bike feels solid and well made and at £6,699., I think you are getting an awful lot of bike for your money.

You can ride this bike on an A2 licence so for a youngster starting his motorcycle journey, this is an incredibly cool looking bike to be riding.

Just because it is an A2 licence bike, don’t for one minute think the CBR500R is just for the youngsters. I had huge grins on my face riding this bike, it feels light and is so much fun to ride. Yes, you have to kick it down a gear to do an overtake but it nips past a car (or two 😜) and you’re back in again.

Definitely need to change the end can!

Weighing in at 191 kg and with a seat height of 785 mm, my feet were nicely planted on the ground and I found moving the bike around very easy, especially in and out of the garage which is especially useful as if you can’t get the bike out of the garage, you’re not going anywhere!

I love the colours on the Grand Prix red bike, it is bold and colourful without being garish. I wish more manufacturers would be adventurous with their colour schemes! 

I really like the way the CBR500R makes me feel when I’m riding the bike, it is an incredibly comfortable and easy bike to ride, it handles nicely in the corners and you get that solid, stable feeling from the bike when riding which is always a good sign.

The bike seems to love the twisties and feels light and nimble in them and the suspension soaks up the lumps and bumps in our roads nicely. 

The brakes are responsive, which is always a good thing! I did find there was a lot of engine braking so just lifting off the throttle scrubs off some speed.

Having ridden the bike for a couple of weeks, I feel that the CBR500R would be a great bike for both everyday riding and touring. 

I can definitely recommend you get a test ride on the CBR500R, I think you will be surprised by how good it is. If you do, I bet you wouldn’t be able to resist going back to the dealer the really long way 😜

Thank you to Honda Motorcycles UK for the loan of the CBR500R.

BK

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