Thoughts on CB500F? | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Thoughts on CB500F?

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POWERMAN said:
How much of a difference is insurance when it comes to a 500cc vs 650cc for you, OP?
I'm wondering if it would make sense to jump straight onto a 650cc bike as it is unlikely you will outgrow in soon.
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Well, im 22, got first bike in June (CBR125), pay $202/mo...

Wouldn't wanna go more than $300/mo realistically.

I remember a 250 vs 125 added about $250 per year.

Re: SV650, I heard that they started to shoot up in insurance this year from some people. Maybe I can get lucky with it though.

Naked's are kind of the way I wanna go. I plan on getting a new bike in the spring and staying on it for at least 3 or 4 years. So something that I can grow with and have fun on is pretty important. But on a budget that makes things hard. though I guess for $5,000 I can still find most of the options you are all mentioning. Guess 500 is a trade off: being mad reliable, and mad un-fun. Hmm.

The new CB650r is incredibly good looking, but $10g's for a bike I park in a shed is not the brightest idea I'd imagine.
 
MaksTO said:
You think the 300 will be highway capable?

Have a buddy with a bmr 310R, says its scary on the highway lol!
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Most of that is perception. Kind of like how expanded metal bridges are terrifying until you accept the wobble and stop caring. Any 300 class bike is more than capable on any road in Ontario. If you load them up with passengers, saddlebags etc, they won't be overpowered, but still faster than the average cage.

What is the purpose of the new bike? Why do you want bigger? What does more versatile mean? How long are your typical rides? Where are your typical rides? Have a passenger often? Do you like to rev and shift or do you like to pick a gear and let torque drag you around?
 
MaksTO said:
Naked's are kind of the way I wanna go. I plan on getting a new bike in the spring and staying on it for at least 3 or 4 years. So something that I can grow with and have fun on is pretty important.
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A 125 is a bike you can grow with and have fun for the next 3 or 4 years. We all have gotten the itch before, but very few are remotely close to mastering their previous steed.
 
MaksTO said:
You think the 300 will be highway capable?

Have a buddy with a bmr 310R, says its scary on the highway lol!
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Too much talk about "highway capable".If the Hwy is 400 series,then yes,a 300 or 250 could be scarey in a flow of 130kph drivers all wanting to get behind the pace car. If you are talking about secondary highways with 80kmh limits,then no problem. Personally i don't consider any 400 series hwy mc friendly and avoid them at all cost.
 
GreyGhost said:
Most of that is perception. Kind of like how expanded metal bridges are terrifying until you accept the wobble and stop caring. Any 300 class bike is more than capable on any road in Ontario. If you load them up with passengers, saddlebags etc, they won't be overpowered, but still faster than the average cage.

What is the purpose of the new bike? Why do you want bigger? What does more versatile mean? How long are your typical rides? Where are your typical rides? Have a passenger often? Do you like to rev and shift or do you like to pick a gear and let torque drag you around?
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Great questions! This year I honestly just commuted to work and to suburbs on the odd occasion, so the 125 was more than fine for that. Quite fun actually. A nice foray into learning to manage in insane city traffic.

My definition of more versatile: Being able to take it on trips (i.e to tobermory etc... 100% doable on a 125, but im 6'1 so after a few hours im feeling crunched up... also have to tuck to do over 90kmh). Additionally, being able to drive to my mums place in Midland, ON (about 200km from Toronto) so I Can stop taking the god damn GO Train. Would be nice to take an occasional passenger eventually without having to worry about my speed / ability to get out of wonky situations.

Also, may sound shallow and stupid, but sport bikes aren't really my look. I want to get something that's closer to what I can picture myself riding for a long time - feel like I'd just end up riding a thing I aesthetically appreciate more.
 
Yep, there are highways,
and then there are 400 series highways.

+ Heavy trucks are speed governed now, where they were not before, that has made a huge difference.
If they raise the speed limits on 400 series highways in the future the speed might become an issue, not really before that.

Honda generators can run at wot all day long ;)
 
My ninja 300 can handle highway 4 series fine, but gotta plan the overtake, drop a gear and go for it. Otherwise just ride super defensively. As soon as I'm 2 up though, it's on the scary side. Wot and it ain't going anywhere. Uphill, front wind, 2up, I max out at 130ish lol. Super hard to pass. I've got a bad right hip, cramps easily from putting the leg up and down during traffic. Ninjas position didn't help. That's why I went for the cbx. Not saying it's good for everyone, just suits my needs in terms of better passing power, good mileage, cheap insurance (sub 499) and more Comfy for my body.
 
Kudos for enjoying the 125 for what it is and using it that long on those trips, esp at 6'1. I'm similar height, only time I rode a 125 was at the M1 exit, and never saw myself taking one beyond a parking lot, just didn't fit and even in 2 days I got bored of it. The SV650N is something you can manage, it's a user friendly bike and easy to learn on, was my first bike. I found it safer than a 125, personally, esp on hwy's and long distance. the N model will get you lower quotes, get the 05+ models for the black frame. You should be able to get a decent one for around $3-4,5k, use the balance for insurance, will keep you happy for years. Has the look your after too. If I wasn't into touring and some off road, I would have kept it over the CBX. the Naked model is in demand, strangely I sold it for more than I paid by a fair amount, even after racking over 20k on her.

if the CBX is a look your after, I'm selling one and/or can hold it till March/April in your price range.

not my bike, just off google....

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I had the CB500F (2013) for 3-4 seasons and I really loved that bike. I put about 17-20k on it and sold it for a decent price with luggage, windshield, and AirHawk seat.

Great bike and I miss it. The problem I had with it was that outside of being Honda bland, the bike sucked long distance on the highway (120-130kph) without the fairing. The wind buffeting was too much at times so I found myself slowing down just to get rid of it.

It's not as flickable as my CB250R was, put about 27k on it in 4 years, and I miss that bike to this day. The 250 was more than capable on the highway as well and I did multi-day camping trips on it, as well as an Iron Butt ride down to NYC and back with some members from here on it. Many trips to Algonquin as well. Great bike, and I wish I kept it. Waiting for my cousin to decide to sell it and I'll buy it back off him as a runaround bike.

Small difference in 250-500 insurance rates for me (about $200/year increase), and I'm 39M right now. Last year when I had the 500F I was paying 850/year for it.

Also take a look at the Ninja 400. Buddy has one and really likes it. Good all around bike as well.
 
mimico_polak said:
I had the CB500F (2013) for 3-4 seasons and I really loved that bike. I put about 17-20k on it and sold it for a decent price with luggage, windshield, and AirHawk seat.

Great bike and I miss it. The problem I had with it was that outside of being Honda bland, the bike sucked long distance on the highway (120-130kph) without the fairing. The wind buffeting was too much at times so I found myself slowing down just to get rid of it.

It's not as flickable as my CB250R was, put about 27k on it in 4 years, and I miss that bike to this day. The 250 was more than capable on the highway as well and I did multi-day camping trips on it, as well as an Iron Butt ride down to NYC and back with some members from here on it. Many trips to Algonquin as well. Great bike, and I wish I kept it. Waiting for my cousin to decide to sell it and I'll buy it back off him as a runaround bike.

Small difference in 250-500 insurance rates for me (about $200/year increase), and I'm 39M right now. Last year when I had the 500F I was paying 850/year for it.

Also take a look at the Ninja 400. Buddy has one and really likes it. Good all around bike as well.
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Ninja 400 is cool, just not the naked style I'm looking to get :/

sounds like lower displacements are ok too. 300r is cool because I will actually be able to afford it... But as @ScorpionT16 said, 650N can be had for that price too (if I can find one?), as long as ins won't kill me.

Might have to go sit on a few. I think powersports TO has the 500f and 300r in stock. Would be nice to test drive but I am thinking of getting it in late winter to save on cash maybe.
 
Did anybody else ever notice you can feel the fuel in the CBR tank slosh from one side to the other?
 
MaksTO said:
Ninja 400 is cool, just not the naked style I'm looking to get :/

sounds like lower displacements are ok too. 300r is cool because I will actually be able to afford it... But as @ScorpionT16 said, 650N can be had for that price too (if I can find one?), as long as ins won't kill me.

Might have to go sit on a few. I think powersports TO has the 500f and 300r in stock. Would be nice to test drive but I am thinking of getting it in late winter to save on cash maybe.
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I found the CB500F to be perfect size for me. 5'7 - 170lbs. It was a portly bike compared to the 250, and was definitely not as flickable. But I don't think there was all that much of a difference in actual usable power when you stepped on it. The 250 was so light it would dance through corners, the 500 took some more push.

Gas mileage was considerably worse. If I was to get a bike, I'd probably look at the Ninja 650R, Honda CB500R, Honda CB300R in that order. With the VFR800 thrown in as I've always loved that bike.

Before I forget, I had the ABS model. And although good, and worked when needed I found it to be overly intrusive. The thing would pulsate very notable when activated.

Best purchase for that bike was the 3 piece hard luggage rack for my Givi hard luggage. Awesome purchase, and made the bike a perfect commuter for me.
 
Wind is the enemy to a light motorcycle attempting to travel at highway speed.
You gotta get wind slippery.

"ajusto app" wtf is that lol
 
There is also the MT-03 (naked version of the r3) available in Canada now. Sounds like it fits your description of what you want but it is a new model for 2020 so no used ones yet.

I have zero issues on the highway with my R3. Regularly run up to Midland, Bala, Tobermory, etc. Engine won’t run out of steam until you get close to 160km/h and its happy to buzz around for hours at 130/140km/h. 2-up isn’t the most comfortable but it still has enough power to manage highway speeds if you know how to use your gears. I’m 6’3 and can ride comfortably for a few hours at a time. Legs start to cramp up but I’m also a gazelle and that can be fixed with aftermarket rear-sets.

Wind is going to be an issue on all but the heaviest sport bikes. Stay loose and counter-steer. Getting a bike that’s 50-100lbs more won’t really change anything.
 
r3r3r3 said:
There is also the MT-03 (naked version of the r3) available in Canada now. Sounds like it fits your description of what you want but it is a new model for 2020 so no used ones yet.

I have zero issues on the highway with my R3. Regularly run up to Midland, Bala, Tobermory, etc. Engine won’t run out of steam until you get close to 160km/h and its happy to buzz around for hours at 130/140km/h. 2-up isn’t the most comfortable but it still has enough power to manage highway speeds if you know how to use your gears. I’m 6’3 and can ride comfortably for a few hours at a time. Legs start to cramp up but I’m also a gazelle and that can be fixed with aftermarket rear-sets.

Wind is going to be an issue on all but the heaviest sport bikes. Stay loose and counter-steer. Getting a bike that’s 50-100lbs more won’t really change anything.
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mt03 actually looks awesome. Cheaper retail than the 300r surprisingly. Will have to see one in person. If only it didnt have those orange wheels lol!

Correction: It's actually a bit more than the 300r, and comes in a murdered out variant WOW.
 
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Too bad Yamaha doesn't still sell TZ race-bikes out of the local dealership :|
 
HB Cycle has a bunch of TZs on the showroom floor.
Phil would be glad to sell you a couple... bring your wallet.
 
Every now and then I see a little ninja 250 hauling ass just zipping away with all shes got on the 400's :ROFLMAO:
A sight to behold and a chuckle at the same time

Perhaps the others can chime in, but I feel the engine configuration would be more important than size when it comes to 400 series
(singles vs twins)
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