Honda CB500E
Honda CB500E | |
Manufacturer | |
---|---|
Production | 1993 - 94 |
Class | [[:Category:Standard motorcycles|Standard]] [[Category:Standard motorcycles]] |
Engine | Four stroke, parallel twin cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder |
Compression ratio | 10.5:1 |
Top Speed | 186.4 km/h / 115.8 mph |
Ignition | CDI |
Transmission | 6 Speed |
Suspension | Front: 37mm Telescopic forks Rear: Twin shock adjustable. |
Brakes | Front: Single 296mm disc 2 piston caliper Rear: 160mm Drum |
Front Tire | 110/80-17 |
Rear Tire | 130/80-17 |
Seat Height | 775 mm / 30.5 in |
Weight | 170 kg / 374.7 lbs (dry), |
Recommended Oil | Honda GN4 10W-40 |
Fuel Capacity | 18 Liters / 4.7 US gal |
Manuals | Service Manual |
It could reach a top speed of 186.4 km/h / 115.8 mph.
Engine
The engine was a Liquid cooled cooled Four stroke, parallel twin cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder. The engine featured a 10.5:1 compression ratio.
Chassis
It came with a 110/80-17 front tire and a 130/80-17 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via Single 296mm disc 2 piston caliper in the front and a 160mm Drum in the rear. The front suspension was a 37mm Telescopic forks while the rear was equipped with a Twin shock adjustable.. The CB500E was fitted with a 18 Liters / 4.7 US gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 170 kg / 374.7 lbs.
Photos
Overview
Honda CB 500E
A JACK of all trades, according to the old adage, is master of none and
Honda's all-new CB500 does nothing to shake the old theory.
That said, if a Jack of all trades is what you're into, the CB500 should suit
you just fine. It's one of those nicely produced, user friendly, well behaved
bikes Honda is so good at turning out.
Aimed primarily at new licence holders, but with anyone else who'll buy it in
mind, the CB neither threatens to tempt you into behaviour rash enough to lose
that crisp licence, nor looks boring enough to be overlooked.
Honda's design team have gone for the "muscular" look. Just how successful
they've been is a matter of opinion, but when I think muscular I think CB1000,
not a middleweight parallel twin producing 58bhp.
For new licence holders though, there's enough readily available power to
frighten the foolhardy and force lessons by inevitable mistakes, but with a dry
weight of just 170kg (3751b), the CB can be pulled out of toe-curling scrapes
fairly easily.
The all-new ("new generation" in Honda-speak) eight-valve liquid-cooled twin
throbs away and makes its two pistons felt with a quick thud-thud when blipping
the bike off tickover, but a counter-balance shaft, driven directly off the 180
degree crank, smoothes out vibes as soon as you pull away.
Gussets
Ease of riding was one of Honda's main design objectives and it's fulfilled
the brief comprehensively. The motor pulls strongly from standstill and the
claimed 351b.ft of torque is spread pretty evenly through the revs, peaking at a
buzzy 8000rpm. Cable-controlled clutch action is light and progressive but the
lever, along with the brake lever, is non-adjustable, a pointless economy
robbing the bike of a feature which should nowadays be standard. The comfortable
seat sits 30in high, which shouldn't split too many trouser gussets.
Pottering through town, the twin can be eased down to around 2500rpm in sixth
before threatening to shake itself to bits, and accelerates cleanly back up the
revs, although it's generally happier kept above three grand. This sometimes
means changing down to fifth or even fourth to stay in the really useful power
on the high street.
Low speed steering is excellent -but deteriorates significantly two-up when
the front wheel goes light and the riding position is upright enough to keep
weight off your wrists. You lean into the wind enough for legal-limit cruising
to be perfectly comfortable.
ST 1100 switchgear is user-friendly and could never reduce even an
entry-level rider in the middle of Spaghetti Junction to a flustered,
button-pressing ball of sweat. Clocks and idiot lights are equally inoffensive,
all moulded into a single module with the temperature gauge incorporated at the
bottom left of the rev counter.
Get out of town and two 34mm flat-slide Keihin carbs (similar to those on the
CBR600 and Fire-Blade) feed the motor freely to give brisk acceleration and
snicking up through the sweet gearbox reveals no nasty clunks or graunches.
The CB pulls up to a comfortable 70-80mph cruising speed surprisingly
quickly, with a noticable but unobtrusive patch of vibes coming in at around
6000rpm (about 75mph in top) and clearing soon after as the motor pulls to the
10,500rpm redline.
The bike should be good for about 110-115mph, and the four gallon (18 litre)
fuel tank should give a range, claims Honda, of about 200 miles, at a fuel
economy of 50mpg. The half-gallon (2.5 litre) reserve is easily found thanks to
one of the slickest petrol taps my fingers have ever had the pleasure to fiddle
with.
What the engine refuses to deliver in top end, the rolling chassis makes up
for on the twisties. The frame is a curious, though successful mix of tubular
and box-section steel. A tubular double-cradle passes beneath the .engine, (the
left cradle splits for easier engine removal) while above, 30mm by 45mm box
section perimeter rails give good rigidity.
The sub-frame is also box section steel, as is the swing-arm, worked by
preload adjustable twin shocks. Forks are 37mm and unadjustable but despite the
traditional set-up handling is positive, predictable and confidence-inspiring.
Charging at bends, the single 296mm front disc with dual piston caliper copes
well despite a slightly vague, spongey feel at the lever and as hero blobs hit
the deck mid-corner there's no sign of protest or panic from either rider or
bike.
Reassuringly, considering Honda's target market, the hero blobs (lean-angle
indicators, or something, in Honda-speak) are the first to touch down and during
the brief test session nothing else came close.
I must admit that seeing the bike shod in Dunlop Arrowmax rubber (110/80-17in
front, 130/80-17in rear) was anything but reassuring -it's a long-standing and
probably undeserved mistrust of the marque with memories of wet-weather
nervousness and all-weather tracking. But Dunlop has given them a new tread
pattern and they held rocksteady all day. It never did rain though. Bridgestone
Exedras will also be fitted as original equipment.
Ease of maintenance was also an objective and Honda seem to have made more
than a token effort at fulfilling the brief. The double overhead camshaft
directly operates a bucket and shim set-up for valve operation with a service
interval of 15,000 miles. The shafts are driven by a central chain which will
cause problems when renewal looms, a side-located chain being far easier to
replace if you insist on the endless variety, although on a smooth, 58bhp motor,
replacing the central chain with a rivet-link item wouldn't be out of the
question, though Honda would never condone such rash action. Primary drive is by
gear.
The airbox sits below the carbs and gives easy access through a panel on the
left hand side to the filter cartridge. The oil filter is the familiar
screw-on/off (read skewer with a screwdriver and stain the road outside your
neighbour's house) cartridge type sitting at the front of the engine just above
the sump. Equally easy to get to are both the oil and cooling system fillers,
neither being hidden behind fixed bodywork. (And it's about the subtlest bit of
liquid cooling I've seen, with finning on the cylinder head and barrel giving a
more familiar and acceptable look to the lump than some retro kettles.) The rear
single leading shoe drum brake is another sensible, low-maintenance option and
provides ample back-up for the front disc.
The ignition key unlocks the seat which then hinges back to reveal a deep
(about 12in) storage box for your chips, lock, waterproofs or whatever with the
toolkit sitting under the rear tailpiece. Removing the seat altogether, should
you wish to lob it over the hedge in a temper, is just a matter of pulling it
free of its rear hinge.
Finish is generally high quality with Honda UK offering Tasmanian Green
Metallic (seen here), Solid Black or Fighting Red paint options - ask for them
by name. Engine casings come in a durable-looking gun metal finish, but the matt
black paint on the exhaust downpipes may not last a British winter after a few
thousand miles of stone chips.
Obvious competitors for the CB are Yamaha's XJ600S Diversion (£3999),
Suzuki's GS500E (£3299) and Kawasaki's GPZ500S (£3740) and KLE500 (£3840). My
guess is it will stand up well in such company and although the price is still
to be released I reckon £
Source Bike Magazine
Make Model | Honda CB 500E |
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Year | 1993 - 94 |
Engine Type | Four stroke, parallel twin cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder |
Displacement | 499 cc / 30.4 cu-in |
Bore X Stroke | 73 x 59 mm |
Cooling System | Liquid cooled |
Compression | 10.5:1 |
Induction | 2X 32mm Keihin CV carburetors |
Ignition | CDI |
Starting | Electric |
Max Power | 58 hp / 42.3 kW @ 9500 rpm |
Max Torque | 47 Nm / 31.6 lb-ft @ 8000 rpm |
Transmission | 6 Speed |
Final Drive | Chan |
Front Suspension | 37mm Telescopic forks |
Rear Suspension | Twin shock adjustable. |
Front Brakes | Single 296mm disc 2 piston caliper |
Rear Brakes | 160mm Drum |
Front Tire | 110/80-17 |
Rear Tire | 130/80-17 |
Seat Height | 775 mm / 30.5 in |
Dry Weight | 170 kg / 374.7 lbs |
Fuel Capacity | 18 Liters / 4.7 US gal |
Consumption Average | 18.1 km/lit |
Braking 60 - 0 / 100 - 0 | 12.9 m / 40.2 m |
Standing ¼ Mile | 13.1 sec / 156.0 km/h |
Top Speed | 186.4 km/h / 115.8 mph |
Road Test | Tuttomoto 1994 |