I think I'll just wait for the ride reviews to be published or maybe ride one myself before declaring it another fail from Honda. Numbers are great to look at and to speculate about, but they don't tell the whole story (as they don't with the CBR250r). The 500r is designed to do some specific things very well and a the right price point for what it does. The wieght and horsepower become significant talking points AFTER we learn what this bike is like to ride.
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Sweeping cobwebs from the edges of my mind
Had to get away to see what we could find
Hope the days that lie ahead
Bring us back to where they've led
Listen not to what's been said to you
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Thanks Empty Sea, I too would say it's a bit early to be calling the new 500 a "fail" from one of the world's best engine manufacturers. Also, with no solid proof as to where this thing falls in any performance numbers (HP, Torque, etc) we have no idea what is in store for us. I for one am very excited about this bike and from the long list of names I saw at the shop in Northern Virginia/DC area I went to, I'm not alone. The manager said he's never had so much interest in a bike so quickly before and he expects this to be a very hot seller. As a side note I trust this dealer's word more than most as they are a Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha and Suzuki dealer so he has no need to steer me towards one brand or bike from another.
So before the 500s are counted as a flop, let's let some people ride one and hear what they have to say about it. If you compare the CBR to the Ninja 250 on paper, it doesn't look nearly as appealing, but the CBR turned the market on it's head; I think this bike will do that too.
I would expect the motorcycle magazines to have their "First Riding Impressions" articles out in the next couple months, long before us regular folk even get a chance to just sit on one, let alone actually ride the bike.
Yeah I am looking forward to the official reviews, however I still have not seen many on the Ninja 300 and it's been available a while. I mean there are reviews but not as many as I would have thought. Hopefully we get to see some real reviews of the 500 sooner than later.
Only bit of useful(ish) info is that the 500F & X are going to be offered with ABS only. Why would they put it on the X? I thought ABS still wasn't good on dirt?
And why leave it as optional on the R? For trackday riders? Surely not...
Only bit of useful(ish) info is that the 500F & X are going to be offered with ABS only. Why would they put it on the X? I thought ABS still wasn't good on dirt?
And why leave it as optional on the R? For trackday riders? Surely not...
Doesn't make sense to me.
ahh, i just had a closer look at it, i first saw the cbr500r as "optional ABS" and thought it was the only one to have it as an option with the others not having ABS at all but upon closer inspection i see that it says ABS next to the "POT caliper" part for the 500f and 500x models.
the dirt is one example where ABS excels, and in the wet and gravel conditions, where the surface does not cotain as much traction in comparison to a dry bitumen road
some trackday riders may not want ABS because they already know how to brake properly, may want to save weight and don't see it as a necessity and may not like the idea of the combined braking system which comes with the ABS system
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2012 CBR250R ABS Red/Silver
- Black Adjustable Levers
- HRC Carbon Fibre Tank Pad
- Hotbodies FE Kit
- 16,000km's in 12 months
I would expect the motorcycle magazines to have their "First Riding Impressions" articles out in the next couple months, long before us regular folk even get a chance to just sit on one, let alone actually ride the bike.
If it's like every other motorcycle review they will never say anything bad about the bike.
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ahh, i just had a closer look at it, i first saw the cbr500r as "optional ABS" and thought it was the only one to have it as an option with the others not having ABS at all but upon closer inspection i see that it says ABS next to the "POT caliper" part for the 500f and 500x models.
the dirt is one example where ABS excels, and in the wet and gravel conditions, where the surface does not cotain as much traction in comparison to a dry bitumen road
some trackday riders may not want ABS because they already know how to brake properly, may want to save weight and don't see it as a necessity and may not like the idea of the combined braking system which comes with the ABS system
I thought ABS is great for wet bitumen but bad on gravel, the theory being that the top layer of gravel is so loose that you need to lock the brakes a bit to push through it and get to the harder, grippier stuff underneath. I know that's how it worked on cars - I remember having a bit of a lash on a dirt road in an ABS equipped car and braking into a corner I felt the ABS pulsing through the pedal and the brakes doing sweet f.a. (though it was '97 Falcon so they might be a bit better now). For bikes though I read a recent review where it was remarked that the ABS system on the BMW GS is now so good that reviewer didn't even turn it off on gravel anymore, suggesting that most systems still aren't great on gravel.
As for the trackday bit, I get that riders may not want ABS (or the extra 2kgs) for a trackday, but I don't get that those guys would buy a CBR500 in the first place. And if it's just to give people an option surely that option would be at least as valid on the X.
Whatever, after 62 pages of speculation, I'm really bored of these bikes. I wish Redline got banned before he started this thread.
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Her CBR
My CBR
