HONDA CB500F (2019 - on) Review

Overall rating

With its extra grunt, weight loss, big-bike build quality and refinement the A2-ready 2019 Honda CB500F is anything but a cheap and cheerful workhorse, or stepping stone to better things.

• Related: 2021 Honda CB500F becomes Euro5 compliant
• Related: Best A2 motorbikes

Whether for the daily commute, weekend fun or your first taste of life without L-plates, it’s a simple, but vibrant, involving machine in its own right - practical, easy to ride, fast and thrilling.

It’s not lacking in power on everyday roads, or poise in the corners and is thoughtfully lavished with the kind of touchy-feely quality and detailing that makes you realise that Honda really does care.

Honda says that 46% of CB500F buyers are new riders. Learn to ride a motorbike with MCN.

Ride quality & brakes

Arms, legs, wrists, neck and bum (knees and toes) all get a easy time on the long haul and with a seat height of just 785mm and squishy suspension, it’ll be easy for most to get their feet anchored down at a standstill.

A new slip and assist clutch is the smallest ever fitted to a Honda and is 45% lighter at the lever. Gears now feature nine smaller ‘dogs’ instead of six for a slicker changes, but it sometimes finds a false neutral if you hammer the revs between first and second.

Showa forks have new progressive springs (soft at the top and bottom, hard in the middle) and there’s a new single tube rear shock. Ride quality and overall balance is spot on and the CB500F manages to keep its composure when pushed hard. Michelin Pilot Road 5 tyres are grippy, wet or dry.

A single disc front brake set-up is friendly and won’t have you rolling over the bars when you yank on the lever, but stopping power is there when you really need it, especially if you stamp on the back brake too. A new ABS pump has less intrusive settings and automatically flashes the hazards as it starts to lock.

Engine

Peak power remains at the allotted A2 licence-friendly 47bhp, but beneath that power ceiling is a bubbling cauldron of grunt…relatively speaking, of course. A 4% gain in power and torque comes from new inlet cam timing, a bigger airbox and straighter inlet tracts.

The extra midrange boost is amplified by new mapping that’s slightly less ‘top-endy’ than the 2019 CBR500R’s and a 2kg weight loss, gained from lighter gears and subframe, a smaller battery, ABS pump and thinner plastics.

A wider, friendlier spread of power gives the parallel twin cylinder motor the feel of a bigger bike, but its delivery and soft throttle pick-up would make a Blade’s green with envy. Newer riders will feel immediately at home, but it’ll impress with those who just want a light, fun, sub-six grand naked, too.

For 2021 the CB500F's engine is upgraded to Euro5.

Reliability & build quality

Our Honda CB500F owners’ reviews are varied, with one reader complaining about corrosion and poor build quality, and another waxing lyrical about this being the "best CB500 ever". 

Value vs rivals

With its aggressive creases and sharp edges the CB500F’s new bodywork, drenched in deep paint, has more than a sophisticated air of Italian design about it. The general finish, including the engine and Autosol-shiny exhaust headers, are more like you’d get on a 10 grand super naked, let along a machine costing nearly half that.

Twin test: Honda CB500F vs Kawasaki Z400 Performance

In June 2019 we took the CB500F around the fabled MCN250 test route alongside the Kawasaki Z400 Performance to see which one shined the brightest.

Here's our verdict: There is a bit of a stigma attached to so-called ‘learner’ bikes such as these two A2 machines, which is totally unjustified. These are not learner bikes, they are smaller capacity machines that deliver a rewarding riding experience. Both the Z400 and CB500F’s parallel twins have more than enough grunt to allow riders to safely negotiate fast-moving commuting traffic while also providing ease of use thanks to their light weight and effortless clutch actions.

Not only this, you also get economy figures of over 55mpg irrespective of how you ride them and all for no more than £85 a month. Overall, the Honda is the more complete package. Its motor isn’t as fast as the Zed’s and its handling is a touch slower, but it feels far more refined and assured whatever the pace and for me that’s what I want in an A2-legal bike. The Z400 is a real hoot, and some will love its edgeof-seat feel, but long-term the Honda is the better option. If you are after a machine to just ride and enjoy, whatever the occasion, the CB500F won’t disappoint.

Other rivals include the Yamaha MT-03 and the KTM 390 Duke.

Equipment

How’s this for detail? The back edge of the front mudguard is lipped to deflect air over the Euro 4-compulsory reflectors. Honda fits a normal mudguard to non-reflector bikes. An aggressively angled new exhaust can features revised internals and twin exit pipes.

It gives the parallel twin cylinder engine a dark, rumbling soundtrack on the throttle and a gentle race bike-like pop and bang on the overrun. All 2019 CB500 models get the same new digital dash, but on the CB500F it also acts as your only defence from the wind (it doesn’t do a bad job). A gear position indicator has been added for the first time, along with fuel consumption info.

The 2021 model year CB500F gets new colours - Candy Caribbean Blue Sea and Candy Moon Glow Yellow.