All Tests – CBR500R test: new look for the small sporty Honda – Moto-Net.Com prefers the CBR500R

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CBR500R test: new air for the sporty Honda

All Tests - CBR500R test: new look for the small sporty Honda - Moto-Net.Com prefers the CBR500R

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.

Site prefers the CBR500R

Perfectly stable, the CBR500R nevertheless remains perfectly docile and permissive. As dosable and powerful as on the CB500F, the front brake (the same: single 320 mm disc with petals and double piston caliper) does not stiffen the steering excessively when entering a little too hard in a curve.

Beginners who are a little too optimistic will appreciate not feeling their trajectory widen roughly at the slightest grip of the front brake on the angle. However, with its rewarding size and respectable weight, the small sporty Honda will suitably initiate the piloting of a "real" motorcycle for the bikers who had been riding in 125 until then..

The more experienced pilots will welcome the work of the suspensions. Admittedly rudimentary in appearance – although the rear shock is mounted on rods, please! -, the suspensions nevertheless have a sport / comfort compromise finely established by the Japanese engineers.

With his CBR500R, the rider can cross speed bumps and circulate in the cobbled streets of the city center without being bothered, then attack a few minutes later like hell on the road, even if the latter is a little tired. We salute the very good grip of the D222 in the dry.

Le Journal moto du Net also took the opportunity to recall that in 2016, the preload of the forks of the CB500 (F, R and X) can be adjusted. However, MNC did not touch it during this test, the 75 kg fully equipped (78 kg after the Spanish lunch!) Of our test taker perfectly accommodating the factory settings..

The smooth and precise controls of the CBR500R have convinced us overall. However, watch out for the horn and the turn signals which are reversed. We especially regret that for 2016, Honda did not see fit to offer five adjustment positions to the brake lever. !

Motorcyclists with small hands would no doubt have liked to be able to position their clutch lever at the same distance as their front brake control. For the rest, nothing to say, except that all is well: the feet easily touch the ground and the legs are well received by the tank.

As thin as the old model, the new tank contains one more liter of fuel, or 16.7 liters which allow long trips: 470 km max according to Honda, rather 400 according to the estimate of the little finger of Site.

Small bonus 2016: the fuel cap is now hinged, making refueling at gas stations easier. Small penalty that the CB500 have been dragging since 2013 – and shared by too many modern motorcycles: the absence of a central stand to check the chain tension…

The control unit will not be the only part to draw from the Honda catalog to perfect the CBR500R. During his little stroll, Site spotted two other accessories that could – note the conditional, because we have not tried them – erase two weak points of the small sporty Honda….

Posted at 6,149 €, or 550 € more than the "F", the "R" may therefore require a small extension or a small negotiation with the dealer? Everything will depend on the success of the motorcycle in France and the stock in the network. In the meantime, let’s complete our tour of – and with – the CBR500R…

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