CBR 500

[dogpoo]

I've got the Forza, just completed a 1400km trip on it, it was great but speed wise not so great, would the CBR500 be a better touring bike, what speed will it maintain easily, I have seen a CBR 500 with all the gear on it, side panniers, top box etc! Love the Forza but would like a little bit more speed and hopefully a bit more comfort! anyone have the 500 and can give a little info.

[ll2]

i did a lot of touring with my cbr500r.

it can maintain speeds around 180 kph with panniers and a passenger in a very stable way with no shake etc.

Also can accelerate to 165 kph easily fast and lots of rolling power above 130 kph if needed

it climbed mountains, go through inclines and bike performed great all teh time and no glitches.

cbr500r is also a lot comfy to tour especially with a higher wind screen besides it is sporty too!

but if touring and more comfort with commanding relaxed position, i recommend honda cb500x. if touring with more sporting intentions than cbr500r.

you cannot go wrong with any of those 500 series.

you can commute to work, ride to track 200 kms and do track day at the same day with honda cbr500r which is great!

check one of my threads from before about a tour i made with my cbr500r to my gf's village close Lao border with my cowboy bags

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/632528-my-steed-is-ready-to-go/page-2?hl=%2Bmy+%2Bsteed+%2Bis+%2Bready+%2Bto+%2Bgo#entry6318942

Edited December 9, 2013 by ll2

[dogpoo]

Cheers for that!

[robblok]

@dogpoo

You seem to change a lot maybe next time do a bit more research.

I too changed my bike once but even though i went from a CBR250 to a Ninja 650 I don't go faster cruising speed. I just use the torque more and its a lot more fun to ride.

II2 talking about 180Kph.. i would be scared going that fast around here.. fastest i have ever gone must have been 160 (not sustained) the bike is able to go much faster as that but I just would not feel safe. Others might have no problem with those high speeds.. power to them... for me with the state of most Thai roads.. nope.

I advise you to rent a bike first before switching.. it would be a much wiser thing to do.

What kind of speed are you talking about.. top speed or acceleration ?

[dogpoo]

@dogpoo

 

You seem to change a lot maybe next time do a bit more research.

 

I too changed my bike once but even though i went from a CBR250 to a Ninja 650 I don't go faster cruising speed. I just use the torque more and its a lot more fun to ride. 

 

II2 talking about 180Kph.. i would be scared going that fast around here.. fastest i have ever gone must have been 160 (not sustained) the bike is able to go much faster as that but I just would not feel safe. Others might have no problem with those high speeds.. power to them... for me with the state of most Thai roads.. nope.

 

I advise you to rent a bike first before switching.. it would be a much wiser thing to do.

 

What kind of speed are you talking about.. top speed or acceleration ?

Thanks for the fatherly advice, I'm a bit old for a lecture don't you think!! I'm not talking about a high top speed just a more reasonable cruising speed of around 140kph, also a bit more comfort would be nice!

[robblok]

@dogpoo

You seem to change a lot maybe next time do a bit more research.

I too changed my bike once but even though i went from a CBR250 to a Ninja 650 I don't go faster cruising speed. I just use the torque more and its a lot more fun to ride.

II2 talking about 180Kph.. i would be scared going that fast around here.. fastest i have ever gone must have been 160 (not sustained) the bike is able to go much faster as that but I just would not feel safe. Others might have no problem with those high speeds.. power to them... for me with the state of most Thai roads.. nope.

I advise you to rent a bike first before switching.. it would be a much wiser thing to do.

What kind of speed are you talking about.. top speed or acceleration ?

Thanks for the fatherly advice, I'm a bit old for a lecture don't you think!! I'm not talking about a high top speed just a more reasonable cruising speed of around 140kph, also a bit more comfort would be nice!

Ah some people are never too old to learn, and listen to advice.

Anyway renting one would give you a much better idea how else can you compare.

[dogpoo]

 

@dogpoo

 

You seem to change a lot maybe next time do a bit more research.

 

I too changed my bike once but even though i went from a CBR250 to a Ninja 650 I don't go faster cruising speed. I just use the torque more and its a lot more fun to ride. 

 

II2 talking about 180Kph.. i would be scared going that fast around here.. fastest i have ever gone must have been 160 (not sustained) the bike is able to go much faster as that but I just would not feel safe. Others might have no problem with those high speeds.. power to them... for me with the state of most Thai roads.. nope.

 

I advise you to rent a bike first before switching.. it would be a much wiser thing to do.

 

What kind of speed are you talking about.. top speed or acceleration ?

Thanks for the fatherly advice, I'm a bit old for a lecture don't you think!! I'm not talking about a high top speed just a more reasonable cruising speed of around 140kph, also a bit more comfort would be nice!

 

Ah some people are never too old to learn, and listen to advice.

 

Anyway renting one would give you a much better idea how else can you compare.

I'm able to test drive the CBR at the big wing shop!

[dave_boo]

Rather than repeat what I've already wrote, just click this link to see what I've said about the 500X. A couple of addendum; the fairing, although it doesn't bother me, is not as good as the R's full version and the bike will easily keep accelerating at 140 even sitting bolt upright (sitting like that had the Ninja 250R maxed out at 134 km/h).

[ll2]

@dogpoo

You seem to change a lot maybe next time do a bit more research.

I too changed my bike once but even though i went from a CBR250 to a Ninja 650 I don't go faster cruising speed. I just use the torque more and its a lot more fun to ride.

II2 talking about 180Kph.. i would be scared going that fast around here.. fastest i have ever gone must have been 160 (not sustained) the bike is able to go much faster as that but I just would not feel safe. Others might have no problem with those high speeds.. power to them... for me with the state of most Thai roads.. nope.

I advise you to rent a bike first before switching.. it would be a much wiser thing to do.

What kind of speed are you talking about.. top speed or acceleration ?

Thanks for the fatherly advice, I'm a bit old for a lecture don't you think!! I'm not talking about a high top speed just a more reasonable cruising speed of around 140kph, also a bit more comfort would be nice!

cbr500r can do a 140 kph cruise all week long. And it has a lot of passing power after 140 kph as well until 165 kph which is more than enough for Thailand. I cruise around 160 kph most of the time and if i see a clear road for kilometers, i go until 190 kph sometime. but not for a long time which is the max of this bike. I am not a crazy rider man as i want to ride until i am 100 years old.

as robblok stated, why dont you rent one for 500 thb and test by yourself? it is the best way to figure it out.

[guzzi850m2]

@dogpoo

You seem to change a lot maybe next time do a bit more research.

I too changed my bike once but even though i went from a CBR250 to a Ninja 650 I don't go faster cruising speed. I just use the torque more and its a lot more fun to ride.

II2 talking about 180Kph.. i would be scared going that fast around here.. fastest i have ever gone must have been 160 (not sustained) the bike is able to go much faster as that but I just would not feel safe. Others might have no problem with those high speeds.. power to them... for me with the state of most Thai roads.. nope.

I advise you to rent a bike first before switching.. it would be a much wiser thing to do.

What kind of speed are you talking about.. top speed or acceleration ?

Thanks for the fatherly advice, I'm a bit old for a lecture don't you think!! I'm not talking about a high top speed just a more reasonable cruising speed of around 140kph, also a bit more comfort would be nice!

Well how old are you?

If you want to cruise at 140 km/h I think you should consider either the Kawa 650 or Honda 650, those bikes will give you some spare power at that speed if needed, not so much on the CBR500.

Nice to see that you grown out of the Forza, one of the most ugly scooters on the market.

The Kawa 650 is often on sale as 2nd hand bikes and can be had at a steal sometimes and below new CBR500 prices.

I agree on robblok's advice, renting/testing a bike before purchasing makes a lot of sense since we are all different and prefer different bikes so our recommendations here will be based on personal preferences.

[robblok]

@dogpoo

You seem to change a lot maybe next time do a bit more research.

I too changed my bike once but even though i went from a CBR250 to a Ninja 650 I don't go faster cruising speed. I just use the torque more and its a lot more fun to ride.

II2 talking about 180Kph.. i would be scared going that fast around here.. fastest i have ever gone must have been 160 (not sustained) the bike is able to go much faster as that but I just would not feel safe. Others might have no problem with those high speeds.. power to them... for me with the state of most Thai roads.. nope.

I advise you to rent a bike first before switching.. it would be a much wiser thing to do.

What kind of speed are you talking about.. top speed or acceleration ?

Thanks for the fatherly advice, I'm a bit old for a lecture don't you think!! I'm not talking about a high top speed just a more reasonable cruising speed of around 140kph, also a bit more comfort would be nice!

Well how old are you?

If you want to cruise at 140 km/h I think you should consider either the Kawa 650 or Honda 650, those bikes will give you some spare power at that speed if needed, not so much on the CBR500.

Nice to see that you grown out of the Forza, one of the most ugly scooters on the market.

The Kawa 650 is often on sale as 2nd hand bikes and can be had at a steal sometimes and below new CBR500 prices.

I agree on robblok's advice, renting/testing a bike before purchasing makes a lot of sense since we are all different and prefer different bikes so our recommendations here will be based on personal preferences.

Just a testdrive.. in my opinion just does not cut it at honda Big Wing.. its not a small thing to buy. Renting one for a few days and test it in real life traffic and on a trip is mch better.

I learned a lot about my ninja in the fist week.. thinking you know most of it or all in a short drive on a track is not logical.. that is my opinion anyway.

[dogpoo]

 

@dogpoo

 

You seem to change a lot maybe next time do a bit more research.

 

I too changed my bike once but even though i went from a CBR250 to a Ninja 650 I don't go faster cruising speed. I just use the torque more and its a lot more fun to ride. 

 

II2 talking about 180Kph.. i would be scared going that fast around here.. fastest i have ever gone must have been 160 (not sustained) the bike is able to go much faster as that but I just would not feel safe. Others might have no problem with those high speeds.. power to them... for me with the state of most Thai roads.. nope.

 

I advise you to rent a bike first before switching.. it would be a much wiser thing to do.

 

What kind of speed are you talking about.. top speed or acceleration ?

Thanks for the fatherly advice, I'm a bit old for a lecture don't you think!! I'm not talking about a high top speed just a more reasonable cruising speed of around 140kph, also a bit more comfort would be nice!

 

Well how old are you? 

 

If you want to cruise at 140 km/h I think you should consider either the Kawa 650 or Honda 650, those bikes will give you some spare power at that speed if needed, not so much on the CBR500. 

 

Nice to see that you grown out of the Forza, one of the most ugly scooters on the market. 

 

The Kawa 650 is often on sale as 2nd hand bikes and can be had at a steal sometimes and below new CBR500 prices. 

 

I agree on robblok's advice, renting/testing a bike before purchasing makes a lot of sense since we are all different and prefer different bikes so our recommendations here will be based on personal preferences.  

I haven't grown out of the Forza and I certainly do not think it is ugly, it was great on the long drive but over such a long distance I now want something with a little bit more power, I'm in no hurry to change!

[ll2]

@dogpoo

You seem to change a lot maybe next time do a bit more research.

I too changed my bike once but even though i went from a CBR250 to a Ninja 650 I don't go faster cruising speed. I just use the torque more and its a lot more fun to ride.

II2 talking about 180Kph.. i would be scared going that fast around here.. fastest i have ever gone must have been 160 (not sustained) the bike is able to go much faster as that but I just would not feel safe. Others might have no problem with those high speeds.. power to them... for me with the state of most Thai roads.. nope.

I advise you to rent a bike first before switching.. it would be a much wiser thing to do.

What kind of speed are you talking about.. top speed or acceleration ?

Thanks for the fatherly advice, I'm a bit old for a lecture don't you think!! I'm not talking about a high top speed just a more reasonable cruising speed of around 140kph, also a bit more comfort would be nice!

Well how old are you?

If you want to cruise at 140 km/h I think you should consider either the Kawa 650 or Honda 650, those bikes will give you some spare power at that speed if needed, not so much on the CBR500.

Nice to see that you grown out of the Forza, one of the most ugly scooters on the market.

The Kawa 650 is often on sale as 2nd hand bikes and can be had at a steal sometimes and below new CBR500 prices.

I agree on robblok's advice, renting/testing a bike before purchasing makes a lot of sense since we are all different and prefer different bikes so our recommendations here will be based on personal preferences.

so you say we are reading the odo wrong? and do you own a cbr500r?

there are lots of power above 140 kph on these bikes.

but if you insist that you know it better that a cbr500r owner while you own a kawa, i have no words to you.

dogpoo, kawasakis are heavy and feel more agricultural if you compare with cbr500r but yes faster maybe 25 km more.

i preferred honda cbr500r as it is nimble and outhandles kawa and better for the city and petrol.

just test and see by yourself.

[dogpoo]

 

 

@dogpoo

 

You seem to change a lot maybe next time do a bit more research.

 

I too changed my bike once but even though i went from a CBR250 to a Ninja 650 I don't go faster cruising speed. I just use the torque more and its a lot more fun to ride. 

 

II2 talking about 180Kph.. i would be scared going that fast around here.. fastest i have ever gone must have been 160 (not sustained) the bike is able to go much faster as that but I just would not feel safe. Others might have no problem with those high speeds.. power to them... for me with the state of most Thai roads.. nope.

 

I advise you to rent a bike first before switching.. it would be a much wiser thing to do.

 

What kind of speed are you talking about.. top speed or acceleration ?

Thanks for the fatherly advice, I'm a bit old for a lecture don't you think!! I'm not talking about a high top speed just a more reasonable cruising speed of around 140kph, also a bit more comfort would be nice!

 

Well how old are you? 

 

If you want to cruise at 140 km/h I think you should consider either the Kawa 650 or Honda 650, those bikes will give you some spare power at that speed if needed, not so much on the CBR500. 

 

Nice to see that you grown out of the Forza, one of the most ugly scooters on the market. 

 

The Kawa 650 is often on sale as 2nd hand bikes and can be had at a steal sometimes and below new CBR500 prices. 

 

I agree on robblok's advice, renting/testing a bike before purchasing makes a lot of sense since we are all different and prefer different bikes so our recommendations here will be based on personal preferences.  

 

 

 

so you say we are reading the odo wrong? and do you own a cbr500r?

there are lots of power above 140 kph on these bikes.

but if you insist that you know it better that a cbr500r owner while you own a kawa, i have no words to you.

 

dogpoo, kawasakis are heavy and feel more agricultural if you compare with cbr500r but yes faster maybe 25 km more.

i preferred honda cbr500r as it is nimble and outhandles kawa and better for the city and petrol.

 

just test and see by yourself.

 

Cheers mate I will do just that, I'm not keen on the Kawasaki as I had one before, the CBR seems a very nice bike at a much better price!

[robblok]

@II2

The fuel.. im pretty sure you are right.. the bike drinks a lot as for the other stuff no idea.

[guzzi850m2]

so you say we are reading the odo wrong? and do you own a cbr500r?

there are lots of power above 140 kph on these bikes.

but if you insist that you know it better that a cbr500r owner while you own a kawa, i have no words to you.

dogpoo, kawasakis are heavy and feel more agricultural if you compare with cbr500r but yes faster maybe 25 km more.

i preferred honda cbr500r as it is nimble and outhandles kawa and better for the city and petrol.

just test and see by yourself.

Ohoo, are we a bit sensitive today?? Sad to see you so angry just because I said that the CBR 500 lacks power over 140 km/h, peace my fellow bike brother

No I never owned nor tried a CBR500, my recommendations are purely based on +30 years experience riding bikes and I don't own a Kawasaki as well.

As I wrote in my post: Test or rent (depending of circumstances) the bike you are interested in, there is no other ways to find out if the bike suits you or not.

As for test rides, I only tested a bike at Ducati Pattaya and none from Honda big wing, the test provided from Ducati Pattaya was excellent and I went on a 20 min ride by myself.

[meechai]

dogpoo, kawasakis are heavy and feel more agricultural if you compare with cbr500r but yes faster maybe 25 km more.

Cannot agree with that at all

Kawasaki is only 30 lbs more than the CBR500 yet has 25hp more.

That is near 1hp per extra pound.

Also 25kph faster is way short too.

With 25 more hp it is going a lot faster than 1kph per hp

But I agree as yo & others have said.

dogpoo should rent both bikes for at least a day each & decide.

It will be money well spent & only then can he know which "he" prefers

without other brand loyalty colored opinions.

Edited December 9, 2013 by meechai

[ll2]

so you say we are reading the odo wrong? and do you own a cbr500r?

there are lots of power above 140 kph on these bikes.

but if you insist that you know it better that a cbr500r owner while you own a kawa, i have no words to you.

dogpoo, kawasakis are heavy and feel more agricultural if you compare with cbr500r but yes faster maybe 25 km more.

i preferred honda cbr500r as it is nimble and outhandles kawa and better for the city and petrol.

just test and see by yourself.

Ohoo, are we a bit sensitive today?? Sad to see you so angry just because I said that the CBR 500 lacks power over 140 km/h, peace my fellow bike brother

No I never owned nor tried a CBR500, my recommendations are purely based on +30 years experience riding bikes and I don't own a Kawasaki as well.

As I wrote in my post: Test or rent (depending of circumstances) the bike you are interested in, there is no other ways to find out if the bike suits you or not.

As for test rides, I only tested a bike at Ducati Pattaya and none from Honda big wing, the test provided from Ducati Pattaya was excellent and I went on a 20 min ride by myself.

guzzi, i am not offensive man! dont get me wrong.

i am just saying i own that bike and i also ride for 25 years and it is good for 140 kph and above and has good rolling power above until 165 kph.

i just state my real experience but once you say cbr500 does not have enough power to cruise 140 kph and above, it sounds like you know better than the actual owner and misleading so i corrected it.

[dogpoo]

Just a quick moan, had the Forza serviced this morning, do the mechanics here have no understanding of correct tire pressures!! It should have 25psi in the front, it was way over 50psi the rear should be 33psi with a passenger it was way above 50psi!! Maybe they can not read!!

[moe666]

Just a quick moan, had the Forza serviced this morning, do the mechanics here have no understanding of correct tire pressures!! It should have 25psi in the front, it was way over 50psi the rear should be 33psi with a passenger it was way above 50psi!! Maybe they can not read!!

Is this your first experience with thai mechanics, immediately after taking from the shop I stop at the first Petrol station and check the air pressure and the oil level, hehehehehe

[dogpoo]

No it's not my first experience, I guess it's just easier to pump away rather than look at the gauge, bless them!!

[guzzi850m2]

guzzi, i am not offensive man! dont get me wrong.

i am just saying i own that bike and i also ride for 25 years and it is good for 140 kph and above and has good rolling power above until 165 kph.

i just state my real experience but once you say cbr500 does not have enough power to cruise 140 kph and above, it sounds like you know better than the actual owner and misleading so i corrected it.

OK that is cool, if you say that the cbr is okay for cruising up to 140 and rolling power is good to app. 165 this is fine by me.

I always try listing to others people opinions and their recommendations based on ownership, nothing beats an owners input and I will only look stupid if I discuss the subject further having not even tried a cbr500 , lol.

So dogpoo it looks like the cbr500 is the bike to get for your needs and it will will be cheaper to maintain than a 650.

It should be easy to rent one if you are based in Pattaya.

I think the cbr 500x looks very nice and gets very good reviews all over the board.

[ll2]

dogpoo, kawasakis are heavy and feel more agricultural if you compare with cbr500r but yes faster maybe 25 km more.

Cannot agree with that at all

Kawasaki is only 30 lbs more than the CBR500 yet has 25hp more.

That is near 1hp per extra pound.

Also 25kph faster is way short too.

With 25 more hp it is going a lot faster than 1kph per hp

But I agree as yo & others have said.

dogpoo should rent both bikes for at least a day each & decide.

It will be money well spent & only then can he know which "he" prefers

without other brand loyalty colored opinions.

just a quick search over google says gps top speed of kawasaki 650 is around 200 - 205 kph and cbr500r is around 180 - 185 kph so...

what gives kawa the edge is nice torque levels not top speed.

so do you really need that much torque or lets say 20 km more top speed to ride a nearly 20 kg heavier bike and use a lot more petrol in central flat lands of Thailand like congested pattaya or bangkok, or should OP needs a light bike that is cheap to run, smooth and mentally light for the traffic which has a great low speed ride and handles better than a kawa, it is for OP to decide.

Edited December 9, 2013 by ll2

[dogpoo]

Cheers everyone, the Kawasaki is a non starter due to the price, I will at first test drive at Honda and depending on how long the test drive is make a decision what to do next! saw one being put through its paces at the Honda dealer, sounds great, looks great and seems to have loads of power! I am not looking for a very fast bike top speed wise, love the Forza but after my 1400km drive I would like a little bit more cruising speed, and hopefully a little bit more comfort! again I'm in no hurry to change, is there a CBR 650 available?

Saw the Suzuki V Storm today, looks very nice but a lot more than the Honda.

Edited December 9, 2013 by dogpoo

[RubberSideDown]

dogpoo, kawasakis are heavy and feel more agricultural if you compare with cbr500r but yes faster maybe 25 km more.

Cannot agree with that at all

Kawasaki is only 30 lbs more than the CBR500 yet has 25hp more.

That is near 1hp per extra pound.

Also 25kph faster is way short too.

With 25 more hp it is going a lot faster than 1kph per hp

But I agree as yo & others have said.

dogpoo should rent both bikes for at least a day each & decide.

It will be money well spent & only then can he know which "he" prefers

without other brand loyalty colored opinions.

just a quick search over google says gps top speed of kawasaki 650 is around 200 - 205 kph and cbr500r is around 180 - 185 kph so...

what gives kawa the edge is nice torque levels not top speed.

so do you really need that much torque or lets say 20 km more top speed to ride a nearly 20 kg heavier bike and use a lot more petrol in central flat lands of Thailand like congested pattaya or bangkok, or should OP needs a light bike that is cheap to run, smooth and mentally light for the traffic which has a great low speed ride and handles better than a kawa, it is for OP to decide.

YES- you need that much torque and horsepower- actually you need way more- the best amount of power you can have is WAY TOO MUCH- you want your eyeballs to flatten and your stomach to drop every time you pin the throttle- on the street, a one-horsepower (or more) increase in exchange for a one-kg increase is a more-than-fair trade-off.

Somebody had to say it...

[dogpoo]

Yes it's always best to have to much power but power comes at a price, some off us have budgets!!

[meechai]

what gives kawa the edge is nice torque levels not top speed.

There is much more to it than numbers alone.

Things like power to weight the Kawasaki has a 50% advantage.

That translates to many attributes the 500 will not approach

But I own neither & was just pointing out some facts not colored

by brand loyalty to either one.

Edited December 9, 2013 by meechai

[dave_boo]

Cannot agree with that at all

Kawasaki is only 30 lbs more than the CBR500 yet has 25hp more.

That is near 1hp per extra pound.

Also 25kph faster is way short too.

With 25 more hp it is going a lot faster than 1kph per hp

But I agree as yo & others have said.

dogpoo should rent both bikes for at least a day each & decide.

It will be money well spent & only then can he know which "he" prefers

without other brand loyalty colored opinions.

F_D=¹/₂pv²C_DA. Force of drag is equal to 1/2 air density times velocity squared times coefficient of drag times surface area. Assuming the exact same surface are and coefficient of drag between the two bikes (which isn't the same but we'll plug one into all the variables with the exception of top speed), than a 650 that maxes out at 190 km/h will have approximately 33% more drag than a 500 that maxes out at 165. Since the 650 has 45% more hp and an unknown area and coefficient of drag for both of them, it is possible that II2's estimation of a 25kph greater top speed isn't terribly far off (if the bikes have exactly the same area/coefficient of drag than theoretically the 650 would hit 198). Of course the greater torque of the 650 is nice to have also.

As an aside, during a shoot-out between the Ninja 300, CBR500 and Ninja 650 the CBR500R had the highest average rating followed by the Ninja 300 and the 650 (!) closing out the rankings.

[ll2]

dogpoo, kawasakis are heavy and feel more agricultural if you compare with cbr500r but yes faster maybe 25 km more.

Cannot agree with that at all

Kawasaki is only 30 lbs more than the CBR500 yet has 25hp more.

That is near 1hp per extra pound.

Also 25kph faster is way short too.

With 25 more hp it is going a lot faster than 1kph per hp

But I agree as yo & others have said.

dogpoo should rent both bikes for at least a day each & decide.

It will be money well spent & only then can he know which "he" prefers

without other brand loyalty colored opinions.

just a quick search over google says gps top speed of kawasaki 650 is around 200 - 205 kph and cbr500r is around 180 - 185 kph so...

what gives kawa the edge is nice torque levels not top speed.

so do you really need that much torque or lets say 20 km more top speed to ride a nearly 20 kg heavier bike and use a lot more petrol in central flat lands of Thailand like congested pattaya or bangkok, or should OP needs a light bike that is cheap to run, smooth and mentally light for the traffic which has a great low speed ride and handles better than a kawa, it is for OP to decide.

YES- you need that much torque and horsepower- actually you need way more- the best amount of power you can have is WAY TOO MUCH- you want your eyeballs to flatten and your stomach to drop every time you pin the throttle- on the street, a one-horsepower (or more) increase in exchange for a one-kg increase is a more-than-fair trade-off.

Somebody had to say it...

yes, who does not like that feeling of torque and speed but if that is the case all the time, we dont have any bikes apart from liter bikes in this world.

like owning a wave to go for 7/11 where you really dont need your eyeballs flatten or like owning a light trail bike such as honda cfr250r which a liter bike cannot even catch it on a trail.

different bikes for different needs in life that fit different folks with different strokes.

Edited December 9, 2013 by ll2

[ll2]

what gives kawa the edge is nice torque levels not top speed.

There is much more to it than numbers alone.

Things like power to weight the Kawasaki has a 50% advantage.

That translates to many attributes the 500 will not approach

But I own neither & was just pointing out some facts not colored

by brand loyalty to either one.

but there are other factors in life than performance.

Of course kawa 650 is a better bike in terms of power and torque, no one can argue that. but cbr500r also has some different attributes like city practicality, nice handling, great low speed riding, light weight and low fuel usage etc that kawa cannot match as well.

it is all about what are your needs in life. if it is only for fun as a weekend toy, i say i go for Kawasaki ninja650 but if it is for everyday use then i prefer honda cbr500r frankly.