Test riding a new bike

Nov 21, 2010
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As I sold my Versys I am considering to buy a Honda CB500F, with a low seat height of only 785 mm. As I was in Chiang Mai it was a good moment to rent a CB500F for a day and have a play with it. I had a bit of trouble finding a CB500F but POP of course had one, but I do not like that they do not have insurance for their bikes. Putting all the risk of THEIR business on the customer. But there seems not to be much choice for big bikes.

Riding the bike was fun. And it is surprising (at least to me) that the bit lower and lighter bike did give me so much more riding confidence. I could ride it in Chiang Mai traffic like a Honda Wave, I did make manoeuvres I would never do with the Versys. What I did not realise is that a naked bike indeed has almost none wind protection, a little wind-shield would be nice on this bike. And the exhaust pipe is a huge thing on the CB500F, I did never realise that on the Versys I had so much rear-space. The handle bar is a bit low but a riser could solve that problem.

For me the CB500F did ride fine, but like the good old CB400 Four what was my first big bike you can hardly consider the CB500F a real highway bike. But that is OK with me, as I am not a highway biker. I am sure I will be missing the acceleration from 120 to 150.
 
Sep 19, 2006
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www.chiangmai-xcentre.com
Plenty of After Market Exhausts avalible from around 6000 Baht up. Why don't You Try the 500X! It has a Better Seat and Higher Handlebars and You can get a Lowering Link for them on Line if You think it is too High? Actually Everything You complained about with the F is fixed with the X so the Obvious Choice!!! Also avalible in a Nice Red Colour now!
 
Nov 21, 2010
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Haha you might be right Ian. But the X is a bit longer, a bit wider, a bit higher (seat & handle bars), a bit more weight and other caster angle / Trail. I find it also a bit ugly, but then again the Versys was also ugly so that cannot be a reason for not buying a motorbike. When I sit/ride a bike I do not see the bike so I do not really care about that (my wife does).

In Chiang Mai I saw a new colour of the F ... in white. But I thought that is a non-abs model?
 
Sep 13, 2010
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A couple of points...

I found the seat on the F much more comfortable than the X, hence I bought one (I'm 6'2" btw).

I thought I could swap the bars from the X to the F, but some of the cables on the F will need replacing. You can get a riser off Ebay which I know someone has and he said it only needed a little bit of fettling to get everything to fit ok.

All the CB500s have ABS in Thailand as standard.
 
Nov 21, 2010
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The seat of the F was good enough for me, at least the 3hr I did ride the bike.

The sales guy in CNX said it would be no problem to put the handle-bar from the X on the F. And that the cables would be the same. That is in contradiction of what I did read on internet, but maybe they did find a way to hide the extra inch of cables somewhere.

End this week I might be of to Udon to have a look (and maybe buy one).

Is it possible to install the centre-stand on the F? Honda pretends not, but others say yes.
 
Jun 14, 2009
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Nice report and thanks for sharing.

If I were going to remain in Thailand maybe I would upgrade to one of the CB500s. If I had one, then I'd probably have a Wave for short trips around town, so I would be a two bike man, some thing I have always resisted.

Probably the best "Universal" bike that I owned here in Thailand was my trusty carb model CBR150r. As easy as a Wave to maneuver in traffic, but still some power for a road trip (enough for me that is...)

Bought her for 35,000; owned for 11 months and ridden 10k+. Sold her for 34,000. That sorta spoiled me in terms of ownership costs...
 
Sep 13, 2010
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Honda Udon told me the X cables are longer and I would need to buy some of them to do the job correctly. To be honest, I find the bike comfy and just wanted to see what difference X bars would make. Big Wing in CM would tell you grass is pink if they though that's what you wanted to hear.

I believe you can put the X's centre stand on it, but you need to weld the 'stop' onto the F to stop it bashing the exhaust pipe under the bike.