If you read our recent article on the upcoming 2014 Honda lineup, you might have gotten excited. Within that lineup is a trio of 500cc bikes aimed at beginning to intermediate riders, a segment that’s always been around but has had little choice when it comes to proper motorcycles. Honda’s diversified lineup creates plenty of choices for American riders.
In 2013, Honda surprised many by unveiling not one but three all new 500cc motorcycles that would go on sale in America. The lineup allows for a much more diversified offering for the automotive giant in hopes of getting more people onto Hondas and keeping their business for years to come.
It was a bold move for Honda, considering that the previous five years leading up to 2013 saw American motorcycling interest waning in the face of the recession. However, Big Red thought that if they segmented the market even further, offering fun, fuel efficient, cheap motorcycles they could draw in a new customer base.
The CBR500R looks like the popular Honda supersports, but is easier to handle for beginning riders.
With this in mind, Honda unveiled the CBR500R, CB500F, and the CB500X to much excitement from the motorcycle world. These 500cc bikes would all be similar underneath, with few tweaks to play to a specific strength. The fully-faired CBR500R was the sporty option, seating the rider a slightly forward lean that’s optimal for sport riding. The CB500F is the “naked” bike of the bunch, ditching the fancy plastic fairings and adding a full-length handlebar, compared to the aluminum clip-ons that are a weight saving feature on the 500R. Finally, the 500X is the adventurer of the three, with a 0.4” longer wheelbase for better clearance and mounting options for long-term luggage cases.
All three share a 500cc, parallel-twin engine that puts out a max of 43 horsepower. These numbers aren’t going to blow your socks off, but the importance of these machines should not be understated. Honda was going for the beginner and casual riding segments in the face of the rejuvenated excitement in motorcycling.
The CB500F is a clean, sporty option for anyone to have fun on.
In addition to the triplets, Honda continued their expansive lineup of existing machines including the CBR250R, NC700X — the big brother of the CB500X — CB1000R, and the always good lineup of supersport bikes including CBR600RR and CBR1000RR.
The aim of this diverse offering is that since you’re recovering from the recession and finally finding some extra spending money that you’ll get into motorcycling and reap the gas-saving benefits. Once you purchase a CBR500R you’ll realize how capable, fun, and cheap owning a motorcycle can be. From there you’ll move up to the CBR600RR or the CB1000R and continue your Honda-loving ways. The bikes are reliable and now with the expanded offering, potential motorcycle buyers have more choices, including choices within the Honda lineup itself.
You don’t have to be a Honda owner to realize why they’re so successful. The CBR600RR is consistently the best performer in its class and the pinnacle of motorcycle racing, MotoGP, features a (heavily) modified version of the CBR1000RR. Honda has won two of the last three MotoGP titles including the 2013 title thanks to prolific 19 year-old rookie Marc Marquez. With Marquez on board, Honda will be firmly in the minds of motorcycle enthusiasts for some time.
The CB1000R is fast, comfortable, and relative affordable.
Competitors like the Kawasaki Ninja 250R and Ninja 650 are more expensive and not as reliable while Suzuki has no 250 option and only offers a 650cc version of it’s semi-popular SV. Yamaha has a 600cc bike called the FZ6, and has been rumored to have a 250-300cc offering coming soon. Considering you have only four options outside the Honda moniker, Big Red is hoping that you’ll choose one of the four options they send your way. I do not own a Honda and never have, but there’s no denying the advantages it holds over the other three Japanese competitors.
Having ridden motorcycles for several years now, I’ve had my eye on the CB1000R for some time. Much like the KTM Super Duke we profiled last week, the big CB is fast, comfortable, and can keep up with anything. Unlike the Duke, it’s reasonably priced at $11,700.
In a few years, we will probably be thanking Honda for creating these middleweight semi-sport motorcycles because they will find success, forcing the other companies to come up with similar options or risk being left behind at the dealerships. That’s a win for everybody.