CBR 500

[RubberSideDown]

I have a Wave and an MSX-125 to run to 7/11- we're talking about motorcycles here, specifically ones to tour on.

I'm joking a bit, but the guy was considering a VFR1200- there are several fast bikes in that price-range- personally, I would take a serious look at the new Z1000.

Edited December 9, 2013 by RubberSideDown

[dogpoo]

Who was considering the VFR? If you mean me I was simply saying it was a good deal at the moment.

[RubberSideDown]

Who was considering the VFR? If you mean me I was simply saying it was a good deal at the moment.

You said you were very tempted by it, and the deal-breaker was that you couldn't test-ride it- to me, that means you were considering it.

Edited December 9, 2013 by RubberSideDown

[dogpoo]

Who was considering the VFR? If you mean me I was simply saying it was a good deal at the moment.

You said you were very tempted by it, and the deal-breaker was that you couldn't test-ride it- to me, that means you were considering it.

Of course tempted but I am tempted by a lot of things, even at that discounted price it is too much for me, I thought about it, I wrote about it and decided it was a no go, the 500 CBR makes more sense and a great price.

Edited December 9, 2013 by dogpoo

[RubberSideDown]

Who was considering the VFR? If you mean me I was simply saying it was a good deal at the moment.

You said you were very tempted by it, and the deal-breaker was that you couldn't test-ride it- to me, that means you were considering it.

Of course tempted but I am tempted by a lot of things, even at that discounted price it is too much for me, I thought about it, I wrote about it and decided it was a no go, the 500 CBR makes more sense and a great price.

OK, I get it, but that's not what you said on the other thread. The Z800 is a nice bike at 375K- it looks small, but I sat on one at the show and it felt pretty good- it's worth checking out. There's nothing wrong with Honda's 500cc range, or the 650cc Kawasakis, but you've previously indicated your love of the power of literbikes, and the Z800 is pretty close.

[Briggsy]

OP, if the CBR 500 series is not to your liking and the Kawasaki 650 series is too pricey, maybe you could be tempted by the Honda CTX 700 or the Honda NC 700. They use the same engine, I believe. Admittedly they are more expensive than the Kawasaki 650 series but the depreciation should be less.

Just thought I would throw them into the mix.

[dogpoo]

Who was considering the VFR? If you mean me I was simply saying it was a good deal at the moment.

You said you were very tempted by it, and the deal-breaker was that you couldn't test-ride it- to me, that means you were considering it.

Of course tempted but I am tempted by a lot of things, even at that discounted price it is too much for me, I thought about it, I wrote about it and decided it was a no go, the 500 CBR makes more sense and a great price.

OK, I get it, but that's not what you said on the other thread. The Z800 is a nice bike at 375K- it looks small, but I sat on one at the show and it felt pretty good- it's worth checking out. There's nothing wrong with Honda's 500cc range, or the 650cc Kawasakis, but you've previously indicated your love of the power of literbikes, and the Z800 is pretty close.

Yep you are right I have a soft spot for Supersports none of which I have ever kept for long, I love them, I love the look, the sound but have always sold them quickly, the Forza is great but I now want something with a little bit more power, the CBR is right for me depending on the test etc. saying this I saw the Suzuki Hiabusa it's lovely, only 200bhp!!

Edited December 9, 2013 by dogpoo

[A1Str8]

The Honda cbr500 is a great bike but its a sportbike. It won't fit your touring purposes when it comes to 'comfortable'. Its powerful enough for touring and is a fun bike but the seating position is not for touring. Sportbikes aren't comfortable. And their balls braking ability is exceptional.

[dogpoo]

The Honda cbr500 is a great bike but its a sportbike. It won't fit your touring purposes when it comes to 'comfortable'. Its powerful enough for touring and is a fun bike but the seating position is not for touring. Sportbikes aren't comfortable. And their balls braking ability is exceptional.

These things are all to be considered, whatever bike I decide on will only be used for a touring distance maybe 4 times a year, the V Storm looks very good, again no hurry!!

[Gweiloman]

I am naturally biased of course but in my opinion, the best bike for touring in Thailand is the Versys. It has great fuel economy, it's very comfortable even riding two up, plenty of accessories for panniers, top box and tank bags, more than enough power to cruise comfortably at 140+ kph and even some slight off road capability. It's also great in town - the high handlebars mean that you split traffic quite easily as it can clear most of the car's side mirrors.

[pastafarian]

Did I just read someone claiming a Honda 500 will cruise comfortably at 180kph with panniers and a pillion?! 555

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[BSJ]

"the Kawasaki is a non starter due to the price" So that knocks out the Suzi V Storm. Ok, just learn to be happy with mediocre!

[Wong!]

To be honest, my 500F feels a bit sluggish once it gets to 140kph, but that is probably because I'm a big bloke who doesn't bother tucking in.

It's happy to sit at 110/120, but the R is probably happier.

I would definitely wait for the 650 to be released and get one of them.

[yankee99]

Reading this post seems the 500 struggles on hills.... http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/showthread.php/39276-Riding-the-Mae-Hong-Song-Loop-with-20-ACEMTSG-bikers-from-Vietnam!

"The 1150 is a fantastic roller coaster of a road and I really enjoyed chasing Nik on his new Hypermotard. Even though he's still breaking it in and running it in "touring mode" we'd enter corners together but he'd pull away from me quite easily powering out of the corners on his torquey (is that a word?) new Ducati

That was a fun whack and we stopped at the PTT in Phrao to wait for Viethorse and Hanh who were a bit frustrated trying to get up and over the mountain on their underpowered and poorly suspended Honda 500's. (Viethorse rides a Honda VFR 800 and BMW 1200GS back home while Hanh was missing his CBR1000RR). Lalo had just picked up a second hand Honda CRF250L the day before and he's quick on descents but struggles on the hills with the Honda's 18 Hp..."

[dave_boo]

Reading this post seems the 500 struggles on hills.... http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/showthread.php/39276-Riding-the-Mae-Hong-Song-Loop-with-20-ACEMTSG-bikers-from-Vietnam!

"The 1150 is a fantastic roller coaster of a road and I really enjoyed chasing Nik on his new Hypermotard. Even though he's still breaking it in and running it in "touring mode" we'd enter corners together but he'd pull away from me quite easily powering out of the corners on his torquey (is that a word?) new Ducati

That was a fun whack and we stopped at the PTT in Phrao to wait for Viethorse and Hanh who were a bit frustrated trying to get up and over the mountain on their underpowered and poorly suspended Honda 500's. (Viethorse rides a Honda VFR 800 and BMW 1200GS back home while Hanh was missing his CBR1000RR). Lalo had just picked up a second hand Honda CRF250L the day before and he's quick on descents but struggles on the hills with the Honda's 18 Hp..."

So Viethorse, who has bikes that put out over 275% the horsepower of the 500, and Hanh who has a bike that puts out 350-400% more horsepower were chasing another bike that has 200% the horsepower of the 500 and anybody is surprised they were 'a bit frustrated' the bikes didn't motor along like they were used to?

[dogpoo]

I have seen the new Suzuki V Strom 650, a great looking bike and I know the people at Suzuki plaza(Phuket, the bike is just over 400,000฿ with everything, side panniers, top box etc, haven't ridden it yet but will be sorting that out soon, watched a few YouTube reviews on the bike and it looks like what I am after! It's also a great off road roader which makes it perfect for the <deleted> roads in this country, I went down some horrendous holes on the Forza coming back from Cha am, this Suzuki would cope with this much better, if I decided to go for this my lovely Forza will have to be sold, love it but it's not ideal for long distances!!

Edited December 10, 2013 by dogpoo

[yankee99]

Reading this post seems the 500 struggles on hills.... http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/showthread.php/39276-Riding-the-Mae-Hong-Song-Loop-with-20-ACEMTSG-bikers-from-Vietnam!

"The 1150 is a fantastic roller coaster of a road and I really enjoyed chasing Nik on his new Hypermotard. Even though he's still breaking it in and running it in "touring mode" we'd enter corners together but he'd pull away from me quite easily powering out of the corners on his torquey (is that a word?) new Ducati

That was a fun whack and we stopped at the PTT in Phrao to wait for Viethorse and Hanh who were a bit frustrated trying to get up and over the mountain on their underpowered and poorly suspended Honda 500's. (Viethorse rides a Honda VFR 800 and BMW 1200GS back home while Hanh was missing his CBR1000RR). Lalo had just picked up a second hand Honda CRF250L the day before and he's quick on descents but struggles on the hills with the Honda's 18 Hp..."

So Viethorse, who has bikes that put out over 275% the horsepower of the 500, and Hanh who has a bike that puts out 350-400% more horsepower were chasing another bike that has 200% the horsepower of the 500 and anybody is surprised they were 'a bit frustrated' the bikes didn't motor along like they were used to?

My point is to show that it doesnt seem to maintain 180kph for everyone as in post 2 of this thread.

[meechai]

This guy has good videos on a few bikes.

Always clear easy to see & judge.

He is pinned & tucked. You can see his reflection in the speedo

The bike will do 188 but it is not what you would call a sustainable cruising speed.

Video of the Ninja 300 goes well under same circumstance

[blackpanda]

Here is a head scratcher

I can easily do 130-140 on my CBR 150 with out tucking. Yes it doesn't feel very stable and I usually don't drive at those speeds for long. I usually just cruise at 120, no tuck, easy. IMO anything with 250cc or more can easily cruise 140km/h

[BirdsandBooze]

Here is a head scratcher

http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtube_gdata_player&v=wYU_LqUhGok&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DwYU_LqUhGok%26feature%3Dyoutube_gdata_player

I can easily do 130-140 on my CBR 150 with out tucking. Yes it doesn't feel very stable and I usually don't drive at those speeds for long. I usually just cruise at 120, no tuck, easy. IMO anything with 250cc or more can easily cruise 140km/h

Depends on the power and gear ratio.

[ll2]

Reading this post seems the 500 struggles on hills.... http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/showthread.php/39276-Riding-the-Mae-Hong-Song-Loop-with-20-ACEMTSG-bikers-from-Vietnam!

"The 1150 is a fantastic roller coaster of a road and I really enjoyed chasing Nik on his new Hypermotard. Even though he's still breaking it in and running it in "touring mode" we'd enter corners together but he'd pull away from me quite easily powering out of the corners on his torquey (is that a word?) new Ducati

That was a fun whack and we stopped at the PTT in Phrao to wait for Viethorse and Hanh who were a bit frustrated trying to get up and over the mountain on their underpowered and poorly suspended Honda 500's. (Viethorse rides a Honda VFR 800 and BMW 1200GS back home while Hanh was missing his CBR1000RR). Lalo had just picked up a second hand Honda CRF250L the day before and he's quick on descents but struggles on the hills with the Honda's 18 Hp..."

So Viethorse, who has bikes that put out over 275% the horsepower of the 500, and Hanh who has a bike that puts out 350-400% more horsepower were chasing another bike that has 200% the horsepower of the 500 and anybody is surprised they were 'a bit frustrated' the bikes didn't motor along like they were used to?

My point is to show that it doesnt seem to maintain 180kph for everyone as in post 2 of this thread.

Really?

I really cannot understand people who do not own this bike but coment from someone elses posts at other forums. Maybe they guy does not know how to use the power band etc. How do you know yankee? It is like me saying you cannot do 180 kph with z1000 from the comments saying wind force makes the rider shaking?

Cbr500r can go well at 180 kph. Stable and no problems. But you dont go at 180 kph for hours in thailand or nowhere in this world! Only at some long flats for some time.

For cbr500r the best cruising speed for me is around 160 kph which bike goes smoothly.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[wantan]

Here is a head scratcher

http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtube_gdata_player&v=wYU_LqUhGok&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DwYU_LqUhGok%26feature%3Dyoutube_gdata_player

I can easily do 130-140 on my CBR 150 with out tucking. Yes it doesn't feel very stable and I usually don't drive at those speeds for long. I usually just cruise at 120, no tuck, easy. IMO anything with 250cc or more can easily cruise 140km/h

180kmh on a CBR150Fi? Do you believe that? I can "easily" do (real) 120kmh on my CBR150 without tucking. OK, i am much bigger than the average thai and have a top box mounted, but still this is what i would expect from a 150cc bike with 16hp.

The CBR500 has a top speed of 175kmh written in the official german license papers.

[yankee99]

Reading this post seems the 500 struggles on hills.... http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/showthread.php/39276-Riding-the-Mae-Hong-Song-Loop-with-20-ACEMTSG-bikers-from-Vietnam!

"The 1150 is a fantastic roller coaster of a road and I really enjoyed chasing Nik on his new Hypermotard. Even though he's still breaking it in and running it in "touring mode" we'd enter corners together but he'd pull away from me quite easily powering out of the corners on his torquey (is that a word?) new Ducati

That was a fun whack and we stopped at the PTT in Phrao to wait for Viethorse and Hanh who were a bit frustrated trying to get up and over the mountain on their underpowered and poorly suspended Honda 500's. (Viethorse rides a Honda VFR 800 and BMW 1200GS back home while Hanh was missing his CBR1000RR). Lalo had just picked up a second hand Honda CRF250L the day before and he's quick on descents but struggles on the hills with the Honda's 18 Hp..."

So Viethorse, who has bikes that put out over 275% the horsepower of the 500, and Hanh who has a bike that puts out 350-400% more horsepower were chasing another bike that has 200% the horsepower of the 500 and anybody is surprised they were 'a bit frustrated' the bikes didn't motor along like they were used to?

My point is to show that it doesnt seem to maintain 180kph for everyone as in post 2 of this thread.

Really?

I really cannot understand people who do not own this bike but coment from someone elses posts at other forums. Maybe they guy does not know how to use the power band etc. How do you know yankee? It is like me saying you cannot do 180 kph with z1000 from the comments saying wind force makes the rider shaking?

Cbr500r can go well at 180 kph. Stable and no problems. But you dont go at 180 kph for hours in thailand or nowhere in this world! Only at some long flats for some time.

For cbr500r the best cruising speed for me is around 160 kph which bike goes smoothly.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Calm down no one is disagreeing with you....The op want info about the bike so i am showing him two different opinions, Now its up to him to decide whos review he likes. He didnt say only 500 owners respond did he?

I honestly wouldnt know how slwo a 500 will go as they are like seeing a fly in my rear view mirror

[Briggsy]

I own a CB 500X. I don't think 180 kmh could be described as a comfortable cruising speed. Even if you can find the perfect weather, road surface, traffic conditions, lack of side turnings and you get lucky with no animals crossing the road, it would still take you a considerable time and distance to get up to this speed and you would have to be tucked right in, not seated comfortably, in order to both attain the speed and not be battered by the wind.

Might be better if the OP could give an idea of what he considers an acceptable cruising speed. However it looks like has plumped for the Suzuki V-Strom. This has better touring capabilities than a Forza which is what he wanted.

[blackpanda]

Here is a head scratcher

I can easily do 130-140 on my CBR 150 with out tucking. Yes it doesn't feel very stable and I usually don't drive at those speeds for long. I usually just cruise at 120, no tuck, easy. IMO anything with 250cc or more can easily cruise 140km/h

 

180kmh on a CBR150Fi? Do you believe that? I can "easily" do (real) 120kmh on my CBR150 without tucking. OK, i am much bigger than the average thai and have a top box mounted, but still this is what i would expect from a 150cc bike with 16hp.

 

The CBR500 has a top speed of 175kmh written in the official german license papers.

I guess for the average falang weighing in around 100kg with their travel box can't get up to speed.

I only weigh 72kg and only travel with a backpack that weighs no more than 5kg. That maybe why it's so easy for me to get up to speeds of 130-140. Also my bike isn't the average 16hp CBR 150 on the road. My bike is probably weighing in under 138kg.

Everyone has their own preference on how they travel and keep their bike.

I bet that kid on the video wasn't even wearing a helmet.

[dogpoo]

I own a CB 500X. I don't think 180 kmh could be described as a comfortable cruising speed. Even if you can find the perfect weather, road surface, traffic conditions, lack of side turnings and you get lucky with no animals crossing the road, it would still take you a considerable time and distance to get up to this speed and you would have to be tucked right in, not seated comfortably, in order to both attain the speed and not be battered by the wind.

 

Might be better if the OP could give an idea of what he considers an acceptable cruising speed. However it looks like has plumped for the Suzuki V-Strom. This has better touring capabilities than a Forza which is what he wanted.

For me not being a fast driver an acceptable cruising speed would be 140kph but not for prolonged periods, the Forza can not do this with the tall front screen, I am also looking for a bit more comfort, the Forza is okay but It's not ideal, I don't want a super fast bike as I would be scared to drive at high speeds given the condition of the roads here, I have never in over 40 years been above 120mph on any bike I have owned, the couple of times I did go to 120mph it was for approx 1 mile just to see what it was like, I did not like it and have never been that fast since!! I have been looking for a suitable tourer and it looks like the Kawasaki Versys could be the one, the price is right and the bike looks great, still looking and will decide soon.

[ll2]

I own a CB 500X. I don't think 180 kmh could be described as a comfortable cruising speed. Even if you can find the perfect weather, road surface, traffic conditions, lack of side turnings and you get lucky with no animals crossing the road, it would still take you a considerable time and distance to get up to this speed and you would have to be tucked right in, not seated comfortably, in order to both attain the speed and not be battered by the wind.

Might be better if the OP could give an idea of what he considers an acceptable cruising speed. However it looks like has plumped for the Suzuki V-Strom. This has better touring capabilities than a Forza which is what he wanted.

For me not being a fast driver an acceptable cruising speed would be 140kph but not for prolonged periods, the Forza can not do this with the tall front screen, I am also looking for a bit more comfort, the Forza is okay but It's not ideal, I don't want a super fast bike as I would be scared to drive at high speeds given the condition of the roads here, I have never in over 40 years been above 120mph on any bike I have owned, the couple of times I did go to 120mph it was for approx 1 mile just to see what it was like, I did not like it and have never been that fast since!! I have been looking for a suitable tourer and it looks like the Kawasaki Versys could be the one, the price is right and the bike looks great, still looking and will decide soon.

get acb500x and save yourself a 100 k dogpoo. With 30 k of that 100k, you can get protection bars, sliders, panniers and a top box besides a pipe with the change left and keep 70 k in your pocket.

i think a cb500x fits your needs well at 140 kph cruising speeds and also for low speed rides but sure versys is a better bike than a cb500x if you need that much power.

[dogpoo]

 

I own a CB 500X. I don't think 180 kmh could be described as a comfortable cruising speed. Even if you can find the perfect weather, road surface, traffic conditions, lack of side turnings and you get lucky with no animals crossing the road, it would still take you a considerable time and distance to get up to this speed and you would have to be tucked right in, not seated comfortably, in order to both attain the speed and not be battered by the wind.

 

Might be better if the OP could give an idea of what he considers an acceptable cruising speed. However it looks like has plumped for the Suzuki V-Strom. This has better touring capabilities than a Forza which is what he wanted.

For me not being a fast driver an acceptable cruising speed would be 140kph but not for prolonged periods, the Forza can not do this with the tall front screen, I am also looking for a bit more comfort, the Forza is okay but It's not ideal, I don't want a super fast bike as I would be scared to drive at high speeds given the condition of the roads here, I have never in over 40 years been above 120mph on any bike I have owned, the couple of times I did go to 120mph it was for approx 1 mile just to see what it was like, I did not like it and have never been that fast since!! I have been looking for a suitable tourer and it looks like the Kawasaki Versys could be the one, the price is right and the bike looks great, still looking and will decide soon.

 

 

get acb500x and save yourself a 100 k dogpoo. With 30 k of that 100k, you can get protection bars, sliders, panniers and a top box besides a pipe with the change left and keep 70 k in your pocket.

i think a cb500x fits your needs well at 140 kph cruising speeds and also for low speed rides but sure versys is a better bike than a cb500x if you need that much power.

Cheers, no I don't need a lot of power just enough would be fine, I will have another look at the CBR, the big wing center in Phuket has one on display with everything fitted, top and side panniers, crash bars with spot lights, hand guards etc I think that would be around the 300k mark so yes a very good deal, I am not interested in big top speed just a bike that can easily cope with 140 kph for periods on a long drive! I'll let you know how I get on!

[mark131v]

I have just picked up my red CBX this week and for the bike with the protection bars and 40 litre topbox, extended windscreen and first class insurance it was B250k, it is a bargain and there is way enough power for 2 up and safe overtaking. It is really comfortable and easy to get through traffic and will get up to 140 really quick and easy. The CBR is the same engine so it should be basically the same, there was also a tricked out CBF at Pattaya Big wing with the bars and panniers and it looked really good and I was tempted to get that instead, if you are not a speed freak there is plenty of power and speed in the new 500's

[bramds]

It's funny, because I saw these guys arrive in Chiang Mai after their Mae Hong Son loop and they were pretty happy with the bikes.

Maybe you should have also read this part:

At the first riding segment, I was trying to push the bike several times, but it seemed not be able to go higher than 150kmh. However, my riding sucks, I know, so I was trying to blame the bike instead.