Intro
Honda’s little CBF 500 has been produced between 2004 - 2008, but as you may know it’s the successor of the well known CB500, which has been roaming the roads virtually unchanged since 1993. Sharing the same 499cc, 180 degree parallel twin pumping out around 56 brake horsepower at the crank, that even Honda claimed can do 200,000 miles without an engine rebuild. This proven reliability made this bikes a weapon of choice for countless couriers and commuters all around the world.
In my case, I had a 2004 model (non ABS) with around 60,000Kms on it. Our relationship started off with a bit of a hiccup, namely, my right cylinder randomly stopped firing. That turned out to be an easy roadside fix as the culprit was a loose ignition coil cable.
Aesthetics
First let’s talk about aesthetics. I know it is a very personal matter, but for me the little Honda is quite an eye pleasing package. Certainly, it is a big improvement from the CB 500, with the old model having those dated looking, double rear shocks and that bicycle sized rear tyre. On the contrary, this model boasts a nice rear mono-shock and a 160 rear wheel, that still retains the legendary manouverability and cheap tyre replacement and at the same time looks up the par with modern bikes. In fact, if you are not familiar with the model, you might just mistake it with a CBF600 Hornet (which seem to happen to a lot of people). The obvious clue that it is not a Hornet is the tail section with its large and comfortable step-up seats and tremendous horn looking pillion grab rail + the single disc brake on the front.
General comfort
Talking about seats; let’s focus a bit on riding comfort. Aforementioned seats are very comfortable and the riding position is neutral, meaning you are fairly upright. It is great around town and make filtering easy with a nice overview of the traffic - what you would expect from a general naked themed bike. Because of this, wind protection is sort of non-existent. But if you are looking for these type of bikes, that is just something you cannot expect. Aftermarket windshields are obviously available. For a 500 the CBF is quite a heavy bike with its 206Kg curb weight, but weight distribution is very good, so you don’t feel it that much. I am only 176cm tall which in men's height counts as a dwarf, I could still nearly flatfoot the bike, which gives the rider an extra sense of safety in slow moving filtering.
How is it to ride the little Honda?
Even though it is considered and entry level to the world of big bikes, it can be quite a blast to buzz down some twisties and crack that throttle open. The power delivery of the carbureted twin is predictable, smooth with a nice high end rush. The engine loves to be over the 9000 rpm mark, but still has enough torque to haul ass from the stop with a pillion, without the need of reving it too much, like a 600 inline four would.
Generally speaking, she won’t be even nearly as fast as a 600 when it comes to sheer speed, but somehow it makes you feel like you are hitting way higher marks on the speedo. And it is not because the suspension or the breaks don’t feel adequate. Quite the contrary, the front brake disc with the double pot callipers can safely and quickly bring the bike to a stop and even though the front suspension is not adjustable, the bike feels planted in the corners as well. So unless you are a speed demon, and all you lust for is the speedo climbing higher than Mount Everest, the CBF can deliver you the thrill of a good ride even at much lower speeds. You know the saying: “it’s better to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow”. If you need proof of the fun you can have on this little bike just hit YouTube and search for Schaaf’s channel where he leaves even big bikes in the dust with his old CB 500. Here is one vid to show what these little bikes can do.
How it goes with Maltese conditions
What I have just discussed above, is a very important factor in Malta and in other such places where you do not have open roads and you spend most of your time in stop and go traffic and the longest stretch of straight road you see is shorter than an average one line joke.
The engine displacement and power figures are big advantage when it comes to insurance as well. As my esteemed friend Jamie used to say “cheap and cheerful”. Being a twin helps a lot with the dense traffic where you need low end torque over horsepower. Also maintenance is relatively easy (don’t forget you only have 2 spark plugs, 8 valves and 2 carburetors - so half the job as an inline four. All in all, it packs enough punch to have some fun despite local road conditions, but not too much to easily tempt you into trouble. Therefore, I think it is a good choice for a first big bike for beginners.
Fuel consumption - in theory - should be quite good too, but due to local conditions (heavy traffic all the time) it is pretty much the same as a 600, maybe a tiny bit less.
Cons
- After reading all the article before, you would think that this is the best bike ever and even though IT IS a great bike, it does have its shortcomings.
- Despite how I said it can make you feel like going fast, it will never be the same sensation as if you are used to an inline four 600 or a larger liter bike. For me that mostly boiled down to the fact that my friends had large displacements sports bikes and I needed to work hard just to barely catch up.
- As I said the suspension is adequate but unadjustable meaning if you need to tailor the bike to you needs, you are either looking a fork rebuild with progressive springs or a full on swap out.
- Normally I wouldn’t grumble about it on a bike, but since even Honda marketed these bikes as commuters it lacks fuel gauge and the centre stand,which is quite funny if you consider that the CBRF3 - which is a full on sports bike - has a center stand and even way older bikes have fuel gauges
I have a generally large complaint about the engine design though. You may or may not know but japanise bikes in general are famous for weak cam chain tensioners (cct). In the case of the CBF, the cct is in between the two cylinders which not only makes it harder to reach but is quite a labour intensive work to do. So if you are buying one of these bikes (to be fair - any bike)don’t forget this if the bike is closing the 60,000 mile mark as this is usually the point where they are starting to fail. Bear in mind, that I am talking about spring actuated cct’s and not oil pressure ones.
- This is also personal preference, but the 180 degree parallel twin sound is not my thing, although mine had a Yoshimura RS3 with some sweet backfires, but overall it's nothing exciting. Wish it was a 270 degree crank to give it that V-twinn sound! ;)
The technical Mambo Jambo (Specs)
If you’re interested in a more detailed specification sheet, check out this link below:
https://motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/Honda/honda_cbf500_04.html
Note: For a pillion review about the Honda CBF500 please click on the following link - https://theislandridermalt.wixsite.com/islandrider/post/honda-cbf500-wife-s-pillion-review
But if you are interested, check out this vid taken with my actual CBF:
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