Is this the perfect beginner's bike?

Honda recently introduced a few "standard" models overseas that are pretty interesting, particularly the CBF 500. It's nice to see what appears to be a thoroughly modern, clean-sheet design in a smaller street bike. The specs show 41mm forks, single-shock rear suspension, 5 gallon tank, liquid-cooled parallel twin motor, 6-speed gearbox, full-size tires (radials hopefully) and a fairly low seat height. More details about it can be found here: http://www.motorbikes.be/models.asp?id=3856



From a styling perspective there's no new ground broken, but it's nicely proportioned. The tail section appears to be patterned after the current VFR Interceptor.

Let’s hope that Honda brings this one to North America. 8)

40 + viewings already and nobody has an opinion? (nudge, nudge :wink: )

Most of us here have long since moved past the need for this sort of bike, but for the new riders there aren't a lot of good choices anymore. The only serious problem this Honda might have is the price point; it's hard to justify spending money on a new bike that will get you a bigger used bike, even if that's not what you really need.

Howdy,

I think the biggest issue is seat height. New riders need to be able to plant both feet solidly on the ground. Unlike experienced riders, they have not yet developed the sense of balance used to keep a motorcycle upright. Even with the ball of both feet on the ground, it can be easy for a newbie to fall over. The unfortunate reality is that most of the non-cruiser bikes suitable for beginners still have the 30+" seat heights. The bike you show here is a great bike, but I have to wonder if the seat is still as high as my VFR? The Non-US markets seem to get so many of the smaller 400cc sportbikes and stuff that many inseam challenged people here would like to be able to chose from.

As for the bike in the pic, needs better rims and an underseat exhaust and it would look great

Adios,

There is a simular version being sold in the US but it is a 599cc.
They call it the cb600..
http://powersports.honda.com/motorc...?ModelName=599&ModelYear=2004&ModelId=CB600F4

I really like the look of the CB600, esp. in yellow, but I'm thinking that's less of a beginner's bike than the CBF500, since the 600 is a slightly detuned F4 engine, and one ride report says it's plenty fast...

Tourmeister said:

I think the biggest issue is seat height...

Click to expand...

Agreed; particularly if you consider women riders. And while it's not by a whole lot, the new Honda does have a lower seat height than the two bikes it would be most competitive with:

Suzuki GS 500 - 31.1"
Kawasaki EX 500 - 30.5"
Honda CBF 500 - 30.3"
'98 - '01 VFR - 31.7" (since you asked :wink: )

Baby steps maybe, but they went in the right direction.

It looks like a come back of the old CB500F. It was a great bike. Not considered a beginner bike in it's day. In the late 70's, a 3/4 litre bike was considered a big bike.

I think bikes have probably reached a plateau in horse power. How many people can use over 100 hp on a day to day basis on the street?
Now what they need to do is make these 100+ hp bikes get 100+ mpg. Wouldn't that be cool. You could reduce weight by shedding the extra 40 lbs of gas most people wouldn't need. Or you could build bikes that had true 500 mile range.

mrr1150gs said:

It looks like a come back of the old CB500F. It was a great bike. Not considered a beginner bike in it's day. In the late 70's, a 3/4 litre bike was considered a big bike...

Click to expand...

I know what you mean - a 500 might be too much for many people if they don't have any prior experience on two wheels. After starting this thread, I thought about modifying the title to indicate that this bike might be right for the beginning street rider, assuming that they had some previous experience with dirt riding. That used to be the way a lot of folks began years ago (myself included) but I'll bet that's not the case anymore. Too bad, really.

By the way, welcome to the forum, Chris. 8)

Thanks for the welcome.

As to learning to ride in the dirt, I think there is a lot of value in that. You can learn things in a much more forgiving envirionment, usually on a bike that is a whole lot lighter and not travelling 100mph.
You can learn how to react to skids while pushing traction to it's limits, you can get used to being bounced around and still maintain control, you can crash and usually get up, dust yourself off and go ride some more. Most importantly, you can learn to wheelie!

The streets are a lot more unforgiving place to learn. Especially around Houston.

So, how many times do I need to post to get rid of that "Newbie" label?

So, how many times do I need to post to get rid of that "Newbie" label?

Click to expand...

hehe... it's a secret to avoid people post whoring. Of course, you can always send money and have it changed to forum supporter

Adios,