Honda CB 500 in the 50,000 kilometer test

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Honda CB 500 in the 50,000 kilometer test
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Honda CB 500 in the 50,000 kilometer test

Honda CB 500 in 50,000 kilometer test (1996)
Classic bread-and-butter motorcycle

So small, the part, and yet so fast: the Honda CB 500 completed the 50,000-kilometer long-distance test at a pace that would have looked good even on many larger machines.

Michael Schafer

02/06/1996

Of course it is CB 500 a classic bread-and-butter middle-class motorcycle: with popular ancestors such as the CB 400 N, the 450 S and the not-so-famous CB 450 N in the family tree. But a whole host of voices in the logbook of the CB 500, which came up in March 1994 at the beginning of the 50,000-kilometer long-distance test in the editorial office in Stuttgart, suddenly spoke of strange things for such a “sensible” motorcycle: A comfortable seating position Even on twelve-hour day trips there was talk that the CB 500 was “a super great thing”, the engine and chassis “ran like clockwork”, and the engine, everyone agreed, went like the famous ball. And that should be Honda’s mid-range 08/15 mass-produced motorcycle?

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Wolfgang Murrmann, Sales Director of Honda Germany in Offenbach, was drawn to the remark in 1990: “In three years there will be no more motorcycle from Honda Germany in the price range below 10,000 marks.” Well – other than him will soon have too Have to understand that the economic future was not as rosy as the times shortly after the fall of the Wall in Germany might suggest. And when the CB 500 was finally available from the Honda dealer from the end of 1993 for only 8990 marks plus 270 marks for ancillary costs, even the greatest optimists had to admit: Times had become tough. Just not for Honda. In the registration statistics, the CB 500 was able to move up to eighth place among the best-selling motorcycles in Germany within just two years.

Finally, on October 8, 1995, the odometer on the long-term test machine jumped the “50,000” mark. In just 17 months, the small CB 500 had navigated a cliff without major problems, on which many larger machines had already failed. There could be no question of sparing on these 50,000 kilometers. It began with countless cold starts after nights spent in the open air at temperatures of up to ten degrees below zero for the daily way to the editorial office, went through messenger trips at full throttle on the autobahn, short strolling excursions and brisk country road chasing to vacation trips to France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland, Hungary, Romania and Greece.

Just as a reminder: we are not talking about a disguised 1000 supertourer for over 20,000 marks, but rather an undisguised 500 cubic centimeter entry-level motorcycle for less than 10,000 marks. But even the stricter manners hardly took any toll on the CB 500. Sure, the fuel consumption of 5.3 liters per 100 kilometers on the test average is slightly higher than one might have expected for a motorcycle weighing 193 kilograms. However, this reflects both the long journeys with a lot of luggage and the fast country road pace, to which the handiness and the lively engine seduced the drivers of the CB 500 again and again. Also some light bulbs in the instruments, the taillight and the headlight were not able to cope with the very fine, high-frequency vibrations of the counter-rotor armored with balancer shafts and had to be replaced.

In terms of tire wear, Honda’s little twin turned out to be a real quiet stepper despite all the liveliness – even though MOTORRAD, in order to try out all homologated tire pairs in everyday life, afforded the luxury of changing the tires in pairs with one exception as soon as the rear tire was worn out. But what does “soon” mean? The rear tires on the CB 500 lasted between 10,000 and 12,000 kilometers, regardless of make. The single, longer-run Bridgestone front tire G 601 G achieved over 21,000 kilometers of mileage.

It soon became apparent that the driving behavior of the twin strongly depends on the type of tire used. With the first tires Dunlop F 103 F / A Arrowmax, of all things, the CB 500 has the most uncomfortable driving characteristics: from “A” for tilting when braking in an inclined position to “U” for unwieldy, from “G” for low rolling comfort to “W” for little wet grip the alphabet is enough. The tire alternatives from Metzeler – ME 33 and ME 55 A – and Pirelli – MT 09/08 Match – have clear advantages in terms of grip, maneuverability and rolling comfort, with the Pirelli focusing on maneuverability, but a bit more nervous at high speeds is as the butcher. The Bridgestone pairing G 601/602 Exedra offers the best price / performance ratio with skilfully combined all-round properties (MOTORRAD, issue 18/1995: Tire tips for Honda CB 500).

The basic concept of the rather simple chassis with a double loop frame made of tubular steel with partly round and partly rectangular cross-section, a swing arm made of square steel tube, two spring struts and a telescopic fork without adjustment options held a surprise in store for the MOTORRAD riders. Oh, not that rust bothered the steel of the frame. On the contrary. The frame paintwork was still flawless after a tough year and a half.

The chassis was also fully up to the task at hand. The surprise lies in the coordination of the spring elements. The fork and struts of the long-term test CB 500 were rock hard at the beginning of the test. So tough that MOTORRAD had them checked for proper function during a 6000 inspection. The investigation did not reveal anything abnormal, however, and so MOTORRAD continued to bumble through the country with the CB 500 until the fork and struts paid tribute to the natural wear and tear and gradually adopted gentler manners.

Other CB 500s that MOTORRAD had in the editorial team for comparison tests over the years had a completely different chassis set-up: much softer, easier to swallow, but also with more noticeable vibrations in pillion mode. Even Honda was unable to clear up this contradiction when asked directly. The only possible explanation, but not confirmed by Honda, would be that the CB 500 of the first production batch of 400 machines delivered to Germany in 1993, from which the endurance test machine originated, had a tighter damping than copies produced later. Owners of CB 500 with a first registration from 1993 could help MOTORRAD to clarify this point. A postcard with the keyword “CB 500 suspension” to the editors is sufficient.

MOTORRAD tried out two different carrier and case systems on the CB 500 over long distances. However, the KAPPA system made few friends. The cases have a usable interior and are easy to carry away from the machine. However, the cumbersome closing and the very unstable carrier, which lacks a lower support for the motorcycle or at least the suitcases between each other, caused harsh criticism in the logbook. The Hepco and Becker system offered by Honda itself, on the other hand, received good marks from all test drivers, although the interior of the suitcase is a bit rugged.

During the entire 50,000 kilometers, the CB 500 only had to go to the workshop once, out of schedule. A check in the workshop revealed that the timing chain tensioner, which was no longer functioning, was the cause of a rattle and rattle noise from the cold engine that was initially not exactly definable. The MOTORRAD endurance test machine is not alone in this. Other CB 500 also struggled, sometimes several times, with jammed timing chain tensioners. But this point, according to Honda, is far from being a chronic problem. Of the total of 8,500 machines sold in Germany, less than 40 machines are said to be affected, according to Honda. After all, the jamming tensioner on the endurance test CB 500 did not result in any further damage.

When the CB 500 was dismantled and measured in the MOTORRAD workshop, only a single component came to light that could not have been reinstalled and reused. The steering head bearing was worn out; Run-in marks in the bearing shells let the steering lock into place. Only the valve guides, even if they were still true to size, could have been replaced by an overly cautious fitter. Otherwise, the balance sheet after 50,000 kilometers: nothing except expenses. With a kilometer cost of only 18 pfennigs without and 27 pfennigs with depreciation, the Honda CB 500 is in the absolute top ranking of all motorcycles ever rated in the MOTORRAD endurance test. Only the in-house competition, the NTV 650, managed to cover the kilometer a few pennies cheaper in 1989.

And so that the fun on the CB 500 remains inexpensive, Honda is slowly even becoming an Italian motorcycle brand. In order to shorten the transport routes – but of course mainly to take the mercilessly favorable exchange rate of the lira to the mark with you – the CB 500 has been manufactured exclusively at the Atessa Honda plant on the Italian Adriatic coast since mid-December 1995; the factory from which the Enduro Dominator 650 comes. Only the engines are still being delivered from Japan. The rest of the machine, on the other hand, is entirely Italian.

So if you are considering buying an Italian motorcycle with a Japanese engine, you can of course still use a Bimota. Or: You pick up the Honda CB 500, save an incredible amount of money in purchase and maintenance – and as a bonus you also have a lot of fun with it.

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