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New Honda CB 500 S
Means of transport
A half-fairing should ennoble Honda’s rather homely half-liter twin to the eye-catcher CB 500 S.
Sometimes, everyone who knows longer stretches of the motorway knows that a small piece of plastic makes enormous use of it and increases comfort. Sometimes, everyone who has to sell motorcycles knows, it also makes a cheap selling aid. And after the Honda salesman was barely able to define the difference between the in-house CB 500 and Kawasaki’s ER-5 in the current year, he is now pointing to the CB 500 S: With a sleek half-shell, at 9790 marks only 850 more expensive than the basic model, the only available from us, not from the ER, not even from Suzuki’s price breaker GS 500 E, at most from the significantly sportier, hardly pillion-friendly Kawa GPZ 500.
The customer will be delighted, and even a small test drive reveals real advantages, because from speed 120 the S is clearly quieter than on its undisguised and still offered sister. Of course, nobody expects complete protection à la ST 1100, but the smooth, almost eddy-free air flow that the CB shell forwards to the driver also makes it a lot easier. It hits taller riders in the upper chest area, while smaller riders face the head – and are thus somewhat disadvantaged.
Sometimes, by the way, everyone knows that since Formula 1 details have dominated our everyday lives, even small plastic particles cause more downforce and noticeably influence driving behavior. The S-fairing does not manage that: As before, the CB oscillates easily and harmlessly under a soloist above 150 km / h.
Italian workers have been assembling the two-cylinder all-rounder in the Honda Atessa factory since the start of sales. So it made sense to ask European suppliers about a braking system. Brembo was awarded the contract, the inconspicuous but neat drum at the rear replaces an equally working disc brake. At the front, the conversion was not quite as elegant: There was nothing wrong with the old system, now a reasonably clearly defined pressure point is missed even with moderate sporting use. Targeted harder braking is quite difficult with these double piston calipers, and such a doughy thing doesn’t exactly calm you down on slippery roads.
A.Otherwise, the CB 500 remains exactly the same, with an agile engine, very handy chassis and a good finish. First choice (see also comparison test in MOTORRAD 22/1996). And the very first cream would be if Honda would finally replace the slack rear struts for ones with more spring progression and tighter rebound damping. So that it no longer breaks through and wobbles in two-person operation. A European supplier could certainly be found for this too.
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