Im 65 years old, I've been on two wheels for 52 years. I've owned and ridden over 80 motorcycles of all brands, sizes and types. I ride a 2018 Rebel 500 and I love it, it's more than a beginner bike but it's great for a beginner. Bigger is not always better, this 500 has plenty of power for real world riding.
You old fart! Thank God I'm only 64. I have a 2018 Rebel 500 too. It's my first bike, and we get along very well. I'm keeping her forever. Happy riding r80rt.
Oh my god I looooove this bike. Bought it in April and can't stop riding it! Super super super bike. Best bike of all 9 bikes I rode in almost 30 years.
@@DrJones-wi4rs i am 5 ft but last February I trade it in for the Kawasaki Vulcan S with the ergo fit package for short persons. But the Rebel rides smoother than the Vulcan.
This bike is for people who ride alone whenever they want to. I'm old. I've had Hondas most of my life. I love my 500. I won't winterize it. It is too light for rough rain, but I did 82 miles in constant rain trying to get to a funeral and had to give up. I got stiff. It wasn't the bike's fault. Although my previous bike was the Honda Interstate and I once road from Bandon Oregon to San Leandro California in the rain at night on HWY 101 with ease, so maybe the 500 is not your first choice if rain is part of your life. What I like best is the versatility of this bike. You can get it and out of the house in less than a minute. I keep mine in the patio level mudroom. It does 60 to 70 mph all day long. I just walk it up and down. My Interstate was a fantastic cruiser but really sucked at low speeds and stop signs. I like the 408 lb weight better than the heavier 700 to 900 lb bikes I've had. Even when I was in the Army, my favorite bike was my Kawasaki 500. As I said I'm a loner type. I never ever ride in groups. At 65 years old, this seems like the smartest bike I've owned.
I think it's a friendly bike for everyone, even it doesn't intimidates none biker but rather entice them with extreme attraction. It's ladies man and men's friend.
I'm a beginner rider. Just took my MSF (Ohio) class at the end of June. Bought a 2022 Honda Rebel 500 in the beginning of July and have been riding it everyday since! I've put over 1600 miles on it in just over a month! I absolutely love this bike! I got it for its looks and well because I'm short 😄 but I definitely agree that's its a good bike for beginners but it's not just a beginner bike. I got the 500 instead of the 300 because I commute to work on it so I needed something that can get on the freeway. I'll eventually get the 1100 but I definitely want to have more experience on a bike before jumping up to that size of a bike 🏍 Thanks for sharing, Great video! 👍
This seems like the perfect modern bike. It satisfies veterans, gives new riders a warm welcome, has plenty of power available to tap into if you want to, it's comfortable, it's easy to maintain...? The list goes on. I'm sure people will disagree. But surely those people would agree that this is potentially the best 'all around' bike? Well done Honda.
I bought a rebel 500, used with 850 miles on it. Great bike but I'm a big guy and need something a little bigger. My wife saw the bike first and thought it was a good looking bike. Looks great very comfortable easy to ride. At the end of the day it's an all around great bike.
it absolutely is a beginners bike but if you are not comfortable on powerfull or heavier bikes then there is no reason for you to go for something "bigger" I had a cx500 for a while and i absolutely loved it, that doesnt mean that the cx500 isnt a beginner bike. A beginner bike just gets its name because it is easy for beginners to start on, thats it. Its not a dick measuring contest.. My friend who has been into racing like me rode a 125cc supermoto for a long time and he loved it. Hell i would even ride a honda ST (dax) clone minibike or something like that I do love that my nakedbike can go over 270-280kph when its needs too since i only live like one hour from the german highway.
You sell a bike every year? You must be single dude! 😂 I had a 2020 Rebel 500 and loved it! So much fun to ride. Like you said, the bike is excellent for beginners, but I wouldn't classify it as a beginner bike (yes, maybe so for the 300). I fell in love with the Triumph motorcycles so I sold my 500 and moved over to Triumph.
@@macjoseph2375 I hope you didn't understand me. The Rebel 500 is an EXCELLENT beginner bike. Something you won't get tired of too soon, and very easy to maneuver. I can't think of a better bike to purchase for a beginner rider.
I was close to buying this bike. It rides nice and looks good. My only problem was that all I could find were dealership bikes and I just couldn’t justify paying all the dealer fees. The total cost was getting up near the 9k mark and I just couldn’t justify it. It looks nice tho.
Had been searching for this bike as well. I feel like the only place I’ve been able to find them is at Dealers, but even then they’ve been scarce due to high demand. Any other places where you might find this without all the fee’s?
@@patrickhaverty1847 I had a Rebel 500 before the bike I have now and what I did was to mod mine in this style. The cowl is about $100 and I found a pretty comfortable diamond stitch seat. The only pain is installing the cowl because it requires that you remove the front wheel due to the shock piston nuts that are in the way. It was worth it though. The bike looked solid.
I have bought all dealer bikes since I was 18 years old and unless you buy a bike that is new but dated you will be charged these add ons. A new bike is worth it. I have never wore out a Honda, wrecked a few, but they really last.
I absolutely love your bike. I’ve been thinking about getting one myself. It’s crazy, all these minor mods you’ve made, are exactly what I have in mind. I’m getting the black with brown seats. Wanna add those same brown Vans grips, mirrors and that short pipe - man it sounds so good. Awesome!
Greatly appreciate the details ie: your size and position on the bike, also instrumention and control setup while stopped at red light. Nice detail on longer freeway miles or riding with larger bikes. You made that bike look like a fun ride. Excited to get into the Saddle. So. Cali Bry
Ohhh Nice. Finally Someone as the same height as me reviewing the bike. All I see are Women, Guys who are 5'7 and below or Really tall ones who are accustomed to bigger bikes like Harleys. Thanks for the reply my man! More power to you!
I'm 5'9, ok for short rides, anything beyond 50 miles my knee would hurt since it is bent like a pretzel, mind you I am not that tall. I like the small CC power since its a cruiser but it gets cramped after a while.
The Beginner bike designation is just a term invented by the big corporate company fooling you to purchase a more expensive bike :D You are either a beginner or a a master, don't matter if you ride a bicycle or a Hayabusa :D
I can’t wait to get a bike :) I just need it to go to work and I also want to visit a friend in Arizona it will definitely show me how well the 500 can do
I was looking for places that i could recognize, though Saratoga springs area.. and then you mentioned the alpine loop and utah.. Howdy southern neighbor! From the Ogden area.
@@ItsJustJakeYT Yeah ! Not so much power but it was nice ! When i took the first turn i was a little skeptical but when turning it was so smooth and feels lite ! around 7.3k the price here in Greece. But man, few days ago i test ride the CB650R and the power that thing had was amazing.. but it's a different style of motorcycle .
An easy bike to ride Yes-- why would anyone want to ride a bike that's difficult to ride-- I'm 74 had loads of different bikes and love this bike-- its more than enough bike for anyone.
Nice man I really want a rebel would stick to the 500 for me because in my country anything over 600cc you have to pay an extra 100 or so in registration
Does it have clearance problem going up and down a normal curb/sidewalk? I have to park up a sidewalk where I am and I want to confirm this before I purchase this bike. It is now my concern after looking at the beginning of your video
the term beginner bike does not mean you're not having fun on that bike anymore so you have to move up to something more powerful the term needs friendly for people on the throttle because if you give somebody a Superbike and they never even rode a moped they're going to kill themselves it's about learning the power in your hand and what's between your legs the weight of the bike that maneuverability there's a lot of factors it has nothing to do with if you're having fun on it still you can buy a sur on electric e-bike from China which is sold in California and other places now in America and you can upgrade it and do 81 miles an hour and I guarantee you you're still going to be having lots of fun and it weighs 120 lb what's funny is I have never owned one of my life I read one a couple times and I was younger and I still know what the term beginner bike means now you do!
To be honest. the 500cc rebel is the perfect size bike for a daily commute. You would get great gas mileage and plenty of power for 55mph speed limit areas. to be honest it would probably go over 100 if you pushed it.
Great in depth video, very nice quality! I am planning on having my first bigger bike (after a 75cc cafe) for commuting, getting in and out of the big city (I live 45 minutes from the capital city) and if I want to get home to my parents for the weekend (its a 2 hour ride on the highway). I know it's a great commuter bike but do you think the rebel500 can handle 2 hour rides on the highway safely?
Hey i personnaly own a rebel 500 and took a 6 hour roadtrip with it (stock) and it went great. Only thing is i advise you to take a break because unless you have a touring bike your behind is not going to like long drives ;)
@@screoxi7424 Thanks so much for the input! Yeah, I heard the stock seat is not tender on the bottom at long distance. Isnt there any alternative seat to increase the comfort?
I just got this bike a little over a month ago. Its my first bike and i absolutely loveee it!!!!! Im still learning but I am in love. My husband has been riding for years and totally agrees its so much fun to ride lol I do have a question thl about what do u mean by winterizing your bike? I live in florida so never heard of doing that.
Winterizing basically means just getting it ready for storage. Fresh Oil so it doesnt sludge up over the months, pull the batter and hook it up to a tender, and lube the chain so it doesn’t dry out. Theres alot more steps if you want to be in depth about it but those are the main ones
Hey Jake, great video. I noticed you have the Shorty GP, how do you like it? I thought about buying one for my ‘21 Rebel 500 this spring. I want a louder exhaust but don’t want to drop $600 CAD on a Vance & Hines. It’s been a while since you posted this video, are you still using the exhaust? How has it held up with time? I heard you have to drill your exhaust pipe to install it (rivet it on). Any input you might have would be greatly appreciated! I love my rebel, looking forward to year 2 on my iron horse 🐴
Hey thanks for watching the videos! I actually have a full video on the exhaust on the channel. Yes i am still running it on the rebel and dont have plans to take it off anytime soon! As far as the install there is no drilling or modification needed. Just remove 1 bolt and 1 clamp from the stock exhaust, And there is only 1 clamp to intall the shorty. Should be about 15 minute install total. Ive put a little over 1000 with it on and no issues or complaints. Hope this helps👍🏼
@@ItsJustJakeYT Thanks for the reply! I appreciate the extra info, I will look for your video on the exhaust and watch that next. I’m gonna get one of these for my machine soon! Counting down the days when the snow disappears and riding season starts again, Canadian winters are so long! Ride safe and have a great day!
I’m not a speed demon I’m only looking to do daily commutes to and from work on I-83 and its a 50 MPH speed limit on I-83 but the pendejos that live in my state mistake 50 mph for 70 and above. So I might have to speed up to 60-65 mph range just so people won’t cut in front of me and do dumb road rage stuff. Can this bike handle 60-65 mph for a 20-30 minute drive ???
Getting my license soon and the Rebel 500 will be my first bike.. I'm not sure whether to go with the ABS option or not. Kind of feels like a cheat code. Like riding with training wheels. Opinions on that? Is it better to learn on a bike without abs or with? Will it cheapen the learning experience?
Go with ABS, no matter what. You need it, especially as a beginner rider. It's not a cheat code, it's a "be safe" code. Bikes without ABS can skid very ugly and when someone pulls in front of you(which they will most certainly do), you need to be able to stop fast.
@@umeshdhondNo problem. ABS is good but if you find a bike that also has traction control, it's even better. Just remember to take a bike that it's fun to use. Not a sports bike because it looks nice and use it for commuting(you'll have your back pain ready in no time) and so on. For me personally, besides choppers, I like bikes that can do more and have high maneuverability, something like adventure bikes or sports touring. I currently ride a chinese bike called CFmoto 650mt and it's good for most things.
You need to ride it yourself and decide. I owned one of these and stand 5' 10" and it was comfortable. But if I was 5" taller, I think it would be a bit cramped.
short rides, I'm a short 5'9, after 50 miles I need to take a loooooooooooong break, don't want to be compressed like that, my dad bod cannot handle it.
Beginner here, Honda rebel > MT07/03 but both my dream starter bikes. Advanced and probably stupid question. Can you rip wheelies with a rebel 500? Oh and subbed! :)
Sure you can. Come here down to Florida and be prepared to pay $1000 per each wheelie you pop and a third pop is a 3rd degree felony; no ticket but jail! And if you decide to go over traffic court don’t be surprised if you see yourself caught on a video from the LEO helicopter popping your wheelies. Sure the judge will laugh at it!
