It's always been strange that Honda, inventor of the modern, high revving vertical twin, should've produced such a series of dogs in the seventies and eighties after perfecting the form in the late sixties. The editor still goes on at length about the 1965 Honda CB450 whilst few people have a good word for the Superdreams. Okay, newish ones might be quite useful but they lack both character and performance.
Honda's latest middleweight twin is totally new, sharing nothing, not even the chain driven balancers, with the Superdreams (thank god). It harks back to the original CB450, with an 180 degree crankshaft and twin cams but strangely develops more power (57 horses) at lower revs (8000rpm). Its more modern design is evidenced in its eight valves, single balance shaft and watercooling, though the latter is not immediately evident in the finned barrels and cleverly hidden radiator.
This is an engine formula used in the popular GPZ500 which develops slightly more power and has a usefully protective half fairing. The Honda's styling could be called modern retro, a blend of curved lines and classic silhouette. It's the kind of bike that race replica riders can yearn for but inevitably any prolonged exposure to a naked motorcycle at speed will have the rider screaming for some full dress tourer, especially in a wet and cold English winter.
Any reaction to a motorcycle is dominated by its riding position. BMW, for instance, have got away with murder for years just because they produce supremely comfortable cycles. Here, the CB500 will win many friends, having a natural riding position that allows fast cruising without undue discomfort whilst not sending me into a screaming fit after an hour or so battling through the snarled up battleground known as our capital city.
The CB500 immediately impressed me with its easy going nature, within five minutes it had become an old friend. It should make it as a perfect despatch bike, as long as no mechanical nasties turn up. It feels lighter than its 375lb dry weight, a figure that is no way impressive for a 500cc twin, or for a 57hp machine - British twins had the same power and weight some 30 years ago (and better economy).
What the old twins lacked, of course, was both the build quality and pure civilisation of the Honda. As well as an easy running motor the CB500 has a very slick six speed gearbox, although first was largely redundant and top turned performance rather constipated. I wouldn’t like to run the engine below 2000 revs in the taller gears, though, like the GPZ500, such lack of thought makes the chain feel like it's trying to leap off the sprockets - alas, Honda couldn't be bothered to equip the bike with full chain enclosure.
Twisting the bike through gaps in tight traffic was dead easy, the steering's light and precise, a function of both low weight and good geometry, with none of the suicidal tendencies of the Superdream, which just loved to fall into low speed corners. A bit of care was needed with the single front disc when banked over in slow speed corners as it would try to flip the wheel up, reminiscent of the old GS550, but the Honda's lightness meant it was easy to get back into control.
High speed braking wasn't a problem, with a mere top speed of 115mph and maximum cruising speed of 85mph, and only 375lbs to stop, the single front disc was still able to squeal the tyre. Backed up by a simple rear drum that was as much a joy to behold as it was to use (after suffering chronic caliper seizing in the past).
It's a set-up copied from the old GPZ500 which now, to its shame, sports a disc rear brake. Unlike that bike, the CB has a better pair of forks which resist the twisting action and have better damping, although more miles may well show it up as a load of crap. Twin rear shocks, in the mild conditions resultant from low weight and moderate power, work just as well as most mono-shock set-ups and, obviously, don't suffer from the linkage wear problems.
I really couldn't find anything wrong with the handling. It didn't wander at 90mph, could be thrown over until I thought I was going to scrape my knees and was so easy to chuck through a series of bends that I left my mates, on middleweight fours, for dead.
I was a bit disappointed with the top end performance. Felt more like 47 than the 57 horses claimed. Where, for instance, the GPZ500 was just getting into its stride at 85mph, the Honda was beginning to lose its puff. Breaking the ton wasn't particularly hard work but after that the bike just didn't want to accelerate rapidly, probably a result of its nakedness and the exponential effect of aerodynamic forces on the power output. Those who like cruising in the 90 to 100mph range will find the GPZ500 much more useful.
Such high speed abuse would get the fuel down to around 40mpg, against just over 50mpg for more moderate use. Achieving 55mpg required the kind of restraint that has you kicking the shit out of next door's dog upon return in sheer frustration. This is not progress, but with a four gallon petrol tank range is quite acceptable, with the nice riding position and good saddle I was quite comfortable doing 200 miles in one go and as much as 800 miles in a day. I was still quite coherent and quite able to hit the disco in the evening.
The only slight intrusion to my comfort were patches of vibration, mostly between 6000 and 7000 revs. Given the fearsome reputation of old British twins, that could only safely be used to half the Honda's 10,500 revs, this was nothing to worry about and could, at worst, be eliminated by a bit of action on the gearbox. Honda twins have something of a bad reputation, at least once they have done 25000 miles, but most of the CB500's engineering has been taken from their four cylinder bolides, which should make this one rugged enough. I've done 7000 miles without any cause for concern.
The Honda follows the standard set by the bigger bikes in regard to fit and finish, with excellent switches and an ease of control that would not worry a 125 graduate. The only sign of wear so far is on the matt black silencer which has a few patches of rust that keep coming back even when rubbed down and painted over. Oh, there was also a little rust on one of the welds on the upper section of the frame, which is square section, unlike the round lower half (one is easier to weld, the other nicer to look at).
The Honda lacks a hard edge, the kind of cammy power so beloved of old Bonnie owners, and even the CB450 or GPZ500 twin, and it would be easy to dismiss it out of hand as being bland. Too easy, for it's the kind of bike that's great fun to ride despite the obvious lack of gut churning power. It'd just about hold its own on the motorway, but anything with the slightest curve in it really gets the adrenalin going and proves that motorcycling isn't about excess but finesse!
It's also cheap to run, easy on tyres and chains, with minimal maintenance (valve sessions every 15000 miles, only two carbs and a single disc). Yes, ultimately, it's a complex watercooled eight valve engine, but that shouldn't matter because modern motors are so durable that they don't need much serious work.
It's easily the best Honda twin yet, although they could probably have made it ten years ago if they wanted to. It shouldn't take them long to come down to two grand on the used market, at which point I'd say buy if you like the style, for it has more substance than most such devices.
Kev