All Tests – CBR500R Test: new look for the little sporty Honda – A sporty R … and nothing more?

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CBR500R test: new air for the sporty Honda

All Tests - CBR500R Test: new look for the little sporty Honda - A sporty R ... and nothing more?

Like the CB500F roadster previously tested by Site, the CBR500R benefited in 2016 from subtle touch-ups, mainly cosmetic. The small sporty Honda cut for A2 licenses (47.5 hp, no more) sets out for a ride. Test.

A sportswoman’s R … and nothing more ?

On its official website, Honda France announces a "efficient and melodious engine". And force is to recognize that the first qualifier is not usurped: flexible and voluntary, the small water mill of 471 cc accepts to start again from 2000 rev / min and tows correctly from 4500 rev / min.

The twin of the CBR500R has the advantage of not being as sharp as those of the competition cubing between 100 and 200 cc less. To extract the best from it, there is therefore no need to maintain it at all costs just below its red zone, a little before 9000 rpm.

It is also around 7000 rpm – i.e. the speed at which the maximum torque of 43 Nm is reached – that Site generally engages the upper gear: capable of extending the stride up to 9500 rpm, the CBR500R still lacks character in high revs.

We obviously cannot blame the Honda engineers who kindly content themselves with squeezing 47.5 horsepower out of their 500 twin – as a reminder, the old CB500 spit out 58 hp! – in order to respect the maximum value allowed for the A2 license (35 kW).

On the other hand, we can blame them for the revs that are too linear between 4500 and 9000 rpm. This brings us to the second point praised by Honda: the "melody" of the engine … Despite the arrival of the new shorter pot, it remains too discreet by MNC standards.

If the sound of the CB500F corresponds rather well to its vocation as a utility roadster – and this is not pejorative – this same soundtrack lacks decibels to stick to the sporting label worn by the CBR500R. Too bad, when you know that a good dose of motorcycle sensations go through the ears !

On the previous small CBR model, customers could select an Akrapovic road-approved silencer from the official Honda catalog, at "sporty design and worked sound". This could be worth the" cost "(599 €)…

Tip at 0 € this time, proposed by Site: to avoid the valves of the little friends perched on larger engines, the owner of the CBR500R will make sure to start his motorcycle after the others … The original 2016 pot has moreover a nice look, less banal – old-fashioned, say the "youths" – than the 2013 pot.

From a general point of view, the CBR500R really flatters the retina. Assembled in Thailand, the CBR500R benefits from a more than acceptable finish: the bronze-colored engine housings and their screws bring a certain cachet to the 2016 model..

The new fairing is well assembled and its design gains in dynamism compared to the old one in the form of a scythe (close to that of the). The rear shell is cleverly inspired by that of the … And too bad for the practical passenger handles of 2013, "sayonara" darling !

Even the ‘carbon imitation’ wheel arch makes a good impression from afar, while the small license plate holder up close refines the CBR500R’s stern nicely. The new LED lights (rear and front!) Give the little Honda a decidedly modern look.

But the CBR500R doesn’t just look pretty. Comfortable in position, as we have seen, it is also very pleasant to drive quickly and far. The total absence of vibrations at legal pace, including at 130 km / h in 6th gear (6000 rpm) allows long journeys on the motorway to be considered..

The driver’s footrests are less "Racing" than those of the "co-driver", but they never sizzle. At the rear, you have to endure tingling in the feet and buttocks above 6,000 rpm, while gripping the notches hidden under the rear fairing.

In solo, the only effort which the motorcyclist must make to endure long distances – and reduce the low consumption of the valiant twin – is to bend while moving back as far as possible on the saddle. The bubble, very stylish and even perforated to limit turbulence, is too low: it does not protect higher than the collarbones when seated.

Like the Akra pot for trackers or sports bikers, the purchase of the comfort screen available in the Honda accessories catalog (+5 cm and 150 euros on the 2013 model) should be considered by those who plan to travel with their " true "average displacement. Riders-always-in-the-snow can afford heated grips, while riders-in-town can always fit a U under the saddle..

In the end, the CBR500R appears to be an excellent initiation bike, with which we enjoy (re) discovering the first rudiments of driving. The participants of the will certainly not contradict us on this point: the cycle part of the small CB allows many eccentricities !

Too bad its engine is not a little more expressive. Logically limited to 47.5 horsepower, the Twin deserves to be let go more noise-wise in order to compensate for its linearity, welcome in the city, certainly, but frustrating on pretty roads or on the circuit….

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