Honda CBR500R

As per speculations, Honda is all-set to launch the 2016 CBR500R in India in a few months. Let’s check out this new bike in detail.

Design and Style

2016 CBR500R is a full fairing bike with twin headlights at front. The styling of its headlights, front cowl and visor looks perfectly aligned and gives it an attractive face. The graphics around its transparent visor simply gives it aggressive looks. The black colored rear view mirrors are mounted on its front cowl while the clear lens indicators get integrated in its side fairing. The bike has a very wide front fender which gets extended along its front forks and looks sporty with its black colored multi spoke alloy wheels. Move to the side of this bike and you will notice racy decals on its side fairing which complements the designing of its fuel tank. The black colored engine, split seat and side panel also suits the color scheme on this bike. The integrated under cowl also goes well with the styling of its side fairing. The chrome finished up-swept muffler and edgy rear cowl enhances the visual appearance of this bike. The LED tail light, short rear fender and wide rear tyre makes this bike look naked at the back.

Instrument Console

CBR500R uses a fully digital instrument console. Its big LCD displays its digital speedometer, bar style tachometer, odometer, 2-tripmeter, clock, mileage calculator and low oil indicators. The bike also features all essential LED indicators in its instrument console.

Engine and Gearbox

2016 CBR500R has parallel twin 471cc liquid-cooled engine. This DOHC engine produces a peak power of 46.9 bhp at 8500 rpm. The torque output of this PGM-Fi engine is of 43 Nm which arrives at 7000 rpm. This engine is matched with a six-speed manual gearbox with one gear down and five gears up-shift pattern.

Acceleration and Performance

The bike is quite enthusiastic from the very first move. The specialty of this engine is its strong low and mid-range which allows this bike to be even faster than its competitors. Moreover, its light weight helps it to get an impressive power to weight ratio. The bike reaches 0-100km/hr in less than 6 seconds and records a top speed of 180km/hr. The linear power delivery at low rpms helps this bike to get momentum easily. The bike can reach 0-100km/hr in its second gear without making any noise. Being a DOHC engine, it tends to be refined and that’s quite visible in its performance. The bike has short gear ratios to distribute the power of this engine. The bike feels best between 3000-7000rpm and enjoys instant throttle reaction. The bike picks up in any gear and performs brilliantly on highways. The six-speed gearbox requires minimal effort from your side and gives you easy gear shifts. It’s a very refined and powerful twin cylinder engine which gives you impressive fast rides.

Mileage

Despite a powerful performance, this bike manages to give you a fuel efficiency of around 20-25km/ltr which may also increase on long runs.

Comfort while Driving

The bike has a compact handle bar which easily fits in your hands and offers you firm palm grip. The split seat, rear set foot pegs and deep positioned handlebar helps you to get in to an aggressive position which also improves its aerodynamics. The sporty riding posture takes away the stress from your elbows and you can easily drive for hours. The deep cuts on its fuel tank give way to your knees so that you can grab this bike properly. The riding position also offers you clear vision of road and instrument console. The well-padded seat of CBR500R also adds to your comfort. Moreover, you will be pleased by the top quality of plastic buttons being placed on its handlebar which are quite easy to use and add premium touch to this bike.

Storage Space and Safety Features

Generally sports bikes don’t offer storage space and CBR500R is no different either. The pass button and powerful halogen headlights provide you clear view of roads at night which confirms your safety.

Suspension and Brakes

The bike features 41mm telescopic forks at its front while it features Pro-Link single mono shock with adjustable single preload at the back. Both wheels of this bike are equipped with single disc brakes. It features a 320mm disc brake with 2-piston calliper at its front while it has a rear disc brake of 240mm with single-piston calliper. Honda will also offer this bike an optional ABS.

Ride and Handling

The steel frame and strong suspension system enables this bike to take on sharp corners easily. Its wheelbase of 1409mm also adds to the stability of this bike and that’s quite effective when you frequently change lanes at high speeds. The bike always remains under control thanks to its braking system. The wide tyres hold this bike properly around corners and improve the ride quality of this bike. The steering response is quite positive and the bike never loses contact with road. The bike can be steered accurately and the slow speed stability is also quite impressive. The light handling makes it a perfect option for city usage.

Tyre Size, Shades and Variants

The bike is equipped with 17inches 12-spoke alloy wheels. The bike will be offered in two variants and three different colors out of which one will be a dual tone color.

Verdict

CBR500R is certainly a futuristic bike from Honda which looks perfect for international markets like India where people look for sports bikes at economical price. The bike handles brilliantly and comes with all modern features. Moreover, the bike performs incredibly well and still manages to return an acceptable fuel economy. There is no major flaw in this bike apart from its high level of resemblance with its younger sibling CBR400R which is also yet to arrive. Both bikes look identical and CBR500R can easily be mistaken as the cheaper variant and that’s certainly not cool. Still, with a price tag of around INR 4.25-4.75 lakhs, we feel it will be a value for money bike.

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