HONDA CB500F - LONG TERM REVIEW 

The 2019 model has a gear indicator as well as increased power and a few other good things

@@delwilliams9042 exactly im waiting it to be available here so i can get one of those new models :D

Thank You, I am glad that you liked it. :)

Danke dir. :)

I chose the CB500F for its design and the LED headlights. I just fell in love with the new F-model that they put out in 2016. If Honda had not updated their lineup I probably would have gotten one of the older SV650's with the full fairings. Those are pretty bikes too! The current SV does not appeal to me in the looks department. The sound of the SV is unbeaten in its category. But they had some issues with the front cylinder of the V-motor previously. I commute on the bike throughout the year. The "boring" but reliable Honda-parallel-twin is just what I need haha. The LED headlights were also part of the decision. The added benefit of seeing more and being seen more easily sealed the deal for me. I rarely ever have people not noticing me in the dark. LED headlights really should be on ALL new bikes. In regards to power... well I found out that I do not need more of it for what I am doing. At least for now. ;) If you buy a bike for the weekend thrill only, then there are options that might suit your needs better. You can always restrict a more powerful bike and derestrict it when you acquire the A-license (within certain parameters of course). Thank You for the compliments. I am glad you enjoyed the video. :)

Thank You, I am 1,84 m (about 6 ft) tall and my inseam is about 80 cm.

It revs up to a bit over 8500 rpm. The NC certainly has got serious torque down low but it behaves a bit... car-like. Sometimes I wish that my CB would just forget about its rev limiter and go all the way up to 10k... but yeah... it is not really made for that. xD

@@icecreamgecko A bit over 8500 for me too. In 6th gear, that's about 186 km/h. Hitting the rev limiter at that speed is a bit scary.

@@tempeleng Absolutely. The first time I hit the limiter at top speed I thought that the tank was suddenly empty.

Yes indeed.

@@icecreamgecko After months of deliberating I called my dealer today to order and... SOLD OUT. :[

@@jeffg6861 That's annoying. :/ I had a similar thing going on prior to getting mine. I had to wait for a couple of months the get the bike in all matte-black. ALL other colour-schemes were available! I think it's worth the wait though. When you finally get it you're happy to have made the right choice everytime you look at your bike. :)

​@@icecreamgecko Exactly. I'm willing to wait for the "Matte Gunpowder Metallic". :D I settled on the 500f as a first bike.

That's a great choice! ;D

I calculated for 10miles so a little bit more than what I said

it's 7.5k miles

Yes, it is quite steep for me atm. I am turning 23 this year and it is steadily coming to a more reasonable sum. :)

@@icecreamgecko I wish I was 23 lol, been riding at my younger years now at 42 I'm about to get a bike again after 15 years. I'm eyeing the CB650r but it depends on the insurance as well. Never been to Germany it looks lovely 👍😊

The CB650R certainly seems to become prettier by the year. It's quite alright during the summer. :D

😖

I agree. Sadly, in spring of 2017 the CB500X was still not updated. If they had put out the new X-model a year earlier it would have been a likely option.

@@icecreamgecko ok I see, I have seen some videos on RU-vid where X is finally updated for 2019. Nice video good luck

@@icecreamgecko I doubt the updated 500 would work well for you. The update uses the engine from the Rebel 500 cruiser. They traded high rpm smoothness for a little more power down low. Above 6000 they vibrate. My 17 is smooth at 6000 and above. I would rather have the smoothness than 4% more power.

Yeah, the 19 got many subtle but small detail performance upgrades. Would get that or the '18 for cheaper price.

Thank You!

it's just money, only live once ;)

I am glad that I could help. :)

Same for me ✌🏻 I will get the 2021 model next month

😅

I bought it on ebay from a seller called "Motea". They have their own website as well.

Thank You! :)

Thank You. The seat is suitable for the everyday stuff but could use a bit more padding for the longer distances. I have got more of a problem with the lack of leg-room so I rarely complain about the seat. haha General handling on the twisties is nice. While those are not my usual territory (sadly) I have no complaints whatsoever when I get into the mountaineous areas from time to time. She is predictable in both handling and power delivery. I do not know if they still put the Dunlop 222's on the bike from the factory but they have been okay as long as it stays warm and dry. That being said... the Michelin Pilot Road 5's that are on her right now play in a completely different league. They have been a great improvement in every way, so far. Grüße in die Schweiz. :D

I live in the mountains of British Columbia Canada. With stock gearing the 500F rides and handles outstanding in the mountain twisties. I've been riding for 50 years and that's why I bought it. If I'm riding at the highway speed limit in the mountains, I drop it down to fifth and 6000 rpm then I have all the power I need. That bike can comfortably cruise all day at 6000 rpm.

I feel you, i am between these two also... but leaning more on honda

Thank you. :) These drive systems are called everything under the moon over here rather than CVTs so that's where that comes from on my side. Sorry if it came across as if I wanted to bad-mouth scooters alltogether, that was not my intention. I actually like that they are mechanically simpler and easier to work on but they simply do not fit the bill for most people in the western world who are looking for a two-wheeled machine for recreational use. Motorcycles (in general) are not seen as a common agreeable mode of transportation for the vast majority of people over here. Therefore the practial advantages that modern scooters offer are not as important as the feel of a tank between ones legs that you grab onto in corners, the excitement of shifting gears manually right before the engine redlines and after all (even though I dislike that very point) the "image" a traditional motorcycle delivers, regardless of its size or performance. I have ridden other scooters before that I found to be fun (although a bit ridiculous) even another 125cc one but none of them were modern ones. The one I rode/ride occasionally is a Vespa PX125 with a manual transmission and I have got a little Vespa PK50XL (from 1986) myself. Although the 2-stroke engine paired with a classic transmission is everything but practical and possibly slower than that modern PCX 125 I referred to previously it does deliver a sensation that their modern counterparts have trouble offering no matter how much storage space or electronics they come with. Here in central Europe scooters are also seen mostly as a cheap mode of transportation and truth be told they excel at that. But unless their common image changes you will not see many more people buy larger displacement scooters for recreational use. In southern Europe they are much more common but that has also got something to do with a different lifestyle, narrow roads of very old towns and brands like Piaggio being based there. Every time I am in Italy I want to hop onto one of those Beverly 300s or Aprilia Atlantics and just ride around the marble-lined city centres... one day I will... I need this pandemic to stop. 😄

Thank You! :) I will record a 30.000 km review once the number appears on the odometer. That should be the case within the next few months. Since this video there have been a few "not so great"-things coming up about the bike but nothing major.

@@icecreamgecko Great, looking forward to seeing it! Hopefully you haven't had any engine/transmission issues, even if it's under warranty.

No, just a bit of engine-oil sweating at a single point on a crankcase-cover-gasket. Other than that no issues with either the engine or the transmission.

Thank You, I am glad that I could help. :) I'm sure that you'll have a lot of fun with the machine! :)

So what?

I ended up keeping it stock. Here in Germany this sort of mod must be approved by the "TÜV" or a similar institution and requires a proper entry into the vehicles registration documents, since it changes the top-speed and the noise at a certain RPM. I did not want to deal with that at the time and ended up forgetting about it. Maybe it is for the better.

The rear brake felt a bit better after another service but it might just be in its nature to be a bit... "unenthusiastic". 😅

Prices are crazy over here alright. A new Royal Enfield costs 4000 in Germany; 5500 in Ireland. Crazy rates of tax to pay for all the no-hopers here. Terrible.

Thank You! That might actually be the perfect height for this bike. Still, only taking a seat on it will clear that one up for sure.

nah i have one and its perfect

I’m 5’6 too and it’s perfect

It's a very short bike

@Redrum hard to compare the two, totally different experience

@Redrum not sure if you're bragging or what

Yes, I can.

I am glad that I could help you. :) Mine has got over 32000 km on the odometer, by now. So far there were no major machnical issues. The fuel-gauge "dried-up" once which left me stranded on the Autobahn. It has been working fine since but the trust is gone. There is also a small oil-leakage on the left crankcase-cover (not dripping just "sweaty"). The mechanic said it would not be worth replacing the seal as long as it does not worsen. Apart from that there is a bit more rust than I'd like her to have (but she is ridden through the winter with all the salt on the roads) and a few indicator bulbs that needed replacing. Not much more pops into my mind right now. I will upload a 36000 km review after the next service (probably at the end of the summer). Greetings to the US! Stay safe!

Yes, I noticed that later on. It is quite interesting. I have not ridden anything before that hit the rev limiter in top gear. 😄

We are about the same height, so for regular riding the F-model should be just fine for you, too. When it comes to the X-model however... I cannot really say anything about it because I have never even sat on one. Judging from the images it should not bee too different when it comes to leg space but again, I never sat on it and cannot compare the two. Sorry. :/

I ended up getting the "Michelin Road 5". I have got my second set by now.

@@icecreamgecko cool, imma upgrade to those after my dunlops wear out.

Thank You! :)

Thank You! I am glad that I could help. :)

Thank You! :) The microphone is an affordable "speedlink" 3.5 mm lavalier microfone that is directly plugged into the audio-port on the camera. I bought the original microphone from 'Drift' (the company that made the camera) as well but that one only outputs the audio to one of the stereo channels.

It really is a great city bike! The short gearing makes very capable of taking on almost anything in real world conditions within city parameters.

Thank You.

I am living in the West of Germany. Thank You. :)

@@icecreamgecko Wow me too :D

Als ob. O.o xD Jeder zweite, der meine Videos kommentiert, kommt mittlerweile aus Deutschland. Das bestärkt mich irgendwie in dem Vorhaben vielleicht doch mal Videos auf Deutsch zu machen. xD

@@icecreamgecko Das würde mich freuen :D

So far I did not need to have anything replaced out of schedule. Once, two blinker bulbs went out in rather short succession which got me anxious at first. Quite some time has passed since so I think it was just their cheap nature and not an electrical issue. I did have an issue with the fuel gauge once when it was not showing the sheer magnitude of the absence of petrol. I think leaving it on the center-stand for a week on a basically empty tank was not the best of ideas. Considering that these are the only things that pop into my mind after about 37,000 km it has been quite a reliable companion, so far.

@@icecreamgecko thanks for the update. Beautiful bike .. should get mine here in a few weeks. Honda's are famous for their reliability and it doesn't appear they let you down...

Thank You! The new ones are Michelin "Pilot Road 5"s. They have been great so far. :)

That's great! I am glad to hear that both of our little cuties are still doing fine! 😁

@@icecreamgecko how many k's have you got on yours now considering you had 12k in the video?

I am approaching 47k atm. I am hoping to keep her far beyond the last scheduled maintenance interval at 48k.

It's a sweet looking bike but I have no experience whatsoever with it. Well... other than looking at it. :D

I forgot to mention the biggest single improvement I made. I replaced the standard brake pads with HH rated Ferodo Sintergrip pads as the standard rear brake in particular lacked "bite".

Yes, the rear brake certainly lacks a bit. I thought about switching the rear-brake-line to a steel-braided one. It is quite squishy. I have not yet gotten around to doing that though.

While I think about it I changed the silencer for a much louder Delkovic one on my 2015 model. The original was not only ugly but very quiet which meant that overtaking cars they were not aware I was there and would pull out. The louder silencer is definitely much safer.

Why do you need to know what gear you're in? As long as you're not in 1 until you're coming to a stop it's all good. You're probably not going to approach a red light in 6th, and if you're going too slow for a certain gear, you can hear and feel it

@@TronciM Without the gear indicator you are constantly looking for top gear when you are already in top gear. A 16 tooth front sprocket helps as well.

I am right there with you at 184cm. It certainly is a bit small at this height. On longer rides it gets uncomfortable around the knees. The added benefit of the small size is the unlikelyness of dropping it in slow manouvers. This was (and still is) nice when you suddenly step on wet autumn leaves while coming to a stop, especially for a beginner like myself. That being said, the size of the bike is the only valid reason for me to get a different one at some point.

@@icecreamgecko I am 1.74 m and this bike is just perfect for my size :D I have tested it a few months ago and I wouldn't recommand to anyone above 1.75-76 m (just too small) . it is for smaller people.

I think it is fine. It could use some improvement for really long distance rides but I have not had issues with it, so far.

@@icecreamgecko ok great - thanks

Thank You :D

I am glad you liked it. :) The camera is a Drift Ghost-S. The image quality is decent at 720p but at 1080p it just gets more granulated and you don't get that much more detail in the picture. The microphone is an 8€ Speedlink lavalier-mic that I bought on Amazon. (www.amazon.de/gp/product/B004YEWC22/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) I had to solder the cable to size though. There is no way to fit that long of a cable neatly inside of my helmet.

When I tried it out with the bike standing still I found it to be okay. Though I never took anyone for a spin. I would imagine it being a bit too cramped for anything longer than a 30 minute ride. In terms of storage bags... the space back there is quite small. I would say that there is not enough room to secure anything solidly enough to lean on it safely.

@@icecreamgecko thank you, appreciate it

@@icecreamgecko I'm still searching for something to take me and my girl on a weekend rides to the seaside, but still sporty enough for me to have fun. in the 500-800 ccm range

The 650s of the usual manufacturers should be perfect for that. It just depends on your engine-setup-preferences. Honda is going for the inline-four while the others stick to parallel-twins. The Suzuki 650 seems to be similarly small like the CB500F though.

It is sold by Fechter.de over here and the brand is called "Bodystyle". www.fechter.de/de/complete/honda/cb500f/2017/bodystyle-hinterradabdeckung-sportslineblack/ You have to remove the metal brackets that hold the rear-brake line in place and instead fix it to the tyre hugger. That sounds more sketchy than it is though. Just make sure that you do not squeeze the brake line too tightly. Otherwise the sharp edges of the cable-ties could chew into the brake line and/or could induce high-pressure spots that wear out a safety component prematurely. 😅 ~All the best

Thank You! :)

Thank You. :)

was wigst du eigentlich, weil du das mit suspension aufgelistet hast. bzw. can you make a video about suspension adjustment when you come to tune yours?

yallah habibi 140 für den schmutzfänger?

Derzeit bin ich bei knapp unter 80kg (Ohne die Montur). Jo mache ich. Dauert aber wahrscheinlich noch was.

@@icecreamgecko ok dann nimm 13kg zu, ich hab kaum probleme mit den dämpfer haha

@@icecreamgecko wo hast du das teil geholt? weil sieht nice aus

Danke dir! :) Die Maschine hatte ich mir genau aus den Gründen zugelegt für die du nun auch etwas suchst. Für die täglichen 40 km (eine Richtung) auf der Autobahn ist die Sitzposition mMn okay (liege selbst bei 1,84 m). Mittlerweile, insbesondere bei längeren Touren, könnte ich allerdings mehr Beinfreiheit à la F800GS vertragen. Im Stadtverkehr finde ich es dennoch angenehm durch die geringe Sitzhöhe, beim abrupten Stoppen, immer sicheren Halt zu finden. Bezüglich Sitzerhöhung o.Ä. kann ich dir leider nicht weiterhelfen. "Damals" hatte ich zwar mal aus Jux nachgeschaut, aber nicht viel gefunden und mich dann mit dem gegebenen arrangiert. Mit Sozia/-us bin ich bis jetzt immer noch nicht gefahren. Es fehlt immer an Helmen und Schutzkleidung. Dadurch, dass die Sitzbank allerdings unterteilt und höhenversetzt ist, wird die Geschichte vielleicht unangenehmer sein als bei den durchgehenden Sitzbänken vieler vergleichbarer Modelle. Da kommt es aber eher auf die Erfahrung und den Geschmack des Beifahrers an, als auf meine Vorstellungskraft. :D

Yeah I know. Sometimes I wish I would have cut it out, back then. I did not think anyone would really care. I always used to hear Americans say the same thing to Canadians who also use metric so I wanted to join in on the fun. haha This little banter won't leave us anytime soon. 12000 km are just under 7500 miles. Thank You very much! :D No, sadly I have no connections to any English-speaking country in that regard. I just spend way too much time on the internet esp. RU-vid. I need to go on a trip to the British isles sometime soon to finally put it to practice. :D

@@icecreamgecko I know it was tongue in cheek, I'm only joking. I'm even more impressed with your English in that case. You need to come visit mate, we're not as bad as they say you know. If you do come you need to spend time in Cornwall and Scotland, the top and bottom of the UK are beautiful, the rest is so so. I visited Germany last year and I loved it, some of the most beautiful places I've ever seen happened in that week. I can't wait to come back. Thanks again for the video.

Yes, indeed.

Why can't you join the majority and use the metric system? It simply makes more sense and would put an end to converting stuff. Do you still measure weight in stones?

@Dyn y Jawa 🤨