2023 Honda CBR500R ride review

And to be fair, it does have the style of a sport bike, the name of a sport bike, and even some history of being used as a sport bike. But do clip-ons, a sleek fairing, and famous initials maketh a sport bike?

To get to the bottom of this — perhaps the most important question of our generation — I’ve spent the last few months riding the newly updated CBR. This includes (but is not limited to) multiple track days, over a thousand miles of street riding, back-to-back testing with competitor machines, multiple rides with a passenger, and at least one instance of riding down a dirt road next to some railroad tracks, as is tradition on Daily Rider. 

Here’s what I’ve learned.

Model history and what's new for '22

The CBR500R has been kicking around since 2013 and shares the same engine, electronics, and a majority of its chassis components with the rest of Honda’s half-liter litter. There’s the CBR500R (sport), CB500F (naked), and CB500X (adventure) — all produced in Honda’s Thailand manufacturing facility. By no small coincidence, these machines are perfectly compliant with the restrictions of Europe’s A2 learner’s license. That means a minimum of 245 ccs and a maximum of 47 horsepower. Honda doesn’t claim performance figures for the CBR, but the general consensus is somewhere around 44 horsepower and 30 foot-pounds of torque. 

When the 500R first came out, it was praised for Honda’s typical build quality, but criticized for being heavier, slower, and more expensive than much of the competition. So, recent efforts have been made to chip away at the machine’s sport-bike-in-name-only reputation. In 2019, the 471 cc parallel twin received a slight bump in mid-range power, a slipper clutch was added, the dash was updated, and just to make sure all that performance could be utilized, the styling was refreshed to include — but of course — winglets. 

Lucky for us, competition springs eternal and the update fairies sprinkled dust over the CBR yet again in 2022. The 41 mm fork is now inverted and upgraded with Showa SFF-BP internals and the former single-disc, single-piston, axial-mount front brake has been replaced with radial-mount, two-piston calipers, and dual 296 mm discs. There are also lighter wheels, a lighter swingarm, lighter footpegs, not to mention new LED headlights. At 422 pounds with a full tank of gas (according to our scales), the new machine weighs about four pounds less than its predecessor but still far more than most bikes in the class. 

According to Honda, “There’s probably never been a better sport bike at this price point…” and the price in question for 2023 is $7,299. Meanwhile, Kawasaki’s Ninja 400 ABS costs $5,699, a KTM RC390 is $5,899, and just for fun I’ll point out that a brand-new Suzuki SV650 is $7,849. 

Whether or not that price represents a good deal is between you, your bank account, and your priest, but what’s undeniable is that Honda has doubled down on the idea that this is a sport bike. And, as they see it, possibly the best one available for less than $7,300. 

Naturally, my research began at the racetrack 

Track performance

I rode the CBR through fits and spurts of rain at Buttonwillow Raceway and then, a few weeks later, on a postcard day of sunshine at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. On both occasions, my friend Andrew tagged along with his Kawasaki Ninja 400 — more on that shortly.   

The first thing that stood out as I got warmed up and started to use the bike in anger is that the CBR500R, quite simply, does not get angry. Everything about the machine is smooth, steady, and polite. No matter how hard you twist the throttle, how abruptly you shift, or how badly you hamfist the brakes, the CBR abides. Zack (who was with us at Chuckwalla testing a CBR1000RR-R SP) said it best after taking the 500R out for a session: “It’s a lover, not a fighter.”

The downside to a zen-like disposition is that the bike does not provide a lot of feedback. There’s so little vibration and noise that you’d be hard-pressed to tell if you’re revving at 2,000 or 8,000 rpm. Either way, the rev limiter kicks around a fairly low 9,000 rpm, meaning that most of the fun is over before it begins. Add to that a relaxed riding position with footpegs and a kickstand that drag through lean-heavy corners and it’s hard to feel like the bike is sporty beyond what is skin deep. But perhaps the CBR’s biggest flaw around a racetrack is that it simply weighs too much and makes too little power to move around with much urgency.

Remember Andrew and his Ninja 400? I quickly became familiar with what the two of them look like from behind. While the Ninja and the CBR make similar power, the CBR weighs 50 pounds more. So even though the two of us are very similar in riding speed, and the Honda has almost 100 extra cc’s of displacement, the power-to-weight ratio kills the CBR. Lap after lap, the Kawi would slowly creep away from the Honda, giggling in shades of green as it railed through corners and revved all the way up to 13,000 rpm. 

I was ready to write off the CBR as being unworthy of the sport bike moniker until, for the last session of the day, Andrew and I swapped bikes — me on the Ninja 400 and him on the CBR500R. The differences were… surprising. While the Kawasaki is undeniably faster (quicker handling, peppier engine, more aggressive riding position) it felt far less refined than the Honda. The CBR has stronger brakes, a smoother transmission, and better stock suspension. Even Andrew, who worships at the altar of Team Ninja, came off the CBR with a grin from ear-to-ear. He described the Honda as “dreamy,” “relaxing,” and “at peace.” Those might not be words we typically associate with sport bikes, but unless you’re trying to win races or set lap records, perhaps they aren’t the worst traits to have in a bike you ride around the circles for fun. 

Clearly, more testing was needed.

Street performance

After serving its tour at the raceway, the CBR returned home and became my daily rider on the battleground of Los Angeles. It didn’t take long to discover that its easy going disposition, which makes the CBR a questionable track bike, also makes it a delightful machine for street duty. Even after months of commuting on the Honda, it’s still a bike I’m happy to roll out of the garage and swing a leg over.

Thanks to those low pegs and elevated clip-ons, the riding position is sporty without being cramped. And thanks to the upgraded hardware and standard ABS, the brakes feel responsive and safe without being intrusive. The suspension also feels soft, without feeling mushy, the seat is relatively low (31.1 inches) and comfortable, wind protection is decent, and the fuel economy is great (60 to 70 mpg). I can confirm that it’s not an ideal bike for passengers, thanks to a small seat and high pegs, and it’s even worse for tackling a dirt road, but the truth is that it can handle either one, or even both at the same time, if you possess the right kind of crazy.

On a more serious note, it would be nice if the CBR had adjustable levers and if the dash were a bit easier to read in direct sunlight. And for the love of all that is holy, I wish Honda would move the horn button to beneath the blinker button, so it was easier to access in an emergency and so I would stop accidentally harassing innocent bystanders while trying to turn left. But beyond these quibbliest of quibbles, the CBR500R is just nice. It looks great, is easy to ride, and is more than capable of cruising at highway speeds, dodging potholes, or maneuvering whatever twisty roads might come your way. 

Still, the question remains: Is the CBR500R a “real” sport bike. 

Final thoughts

In the end, perhaps the biggest challenge for the CBR500R is living up to its own expectations. By having the style of a sport bike, the name of a sport bike, and the price of a sport bike, it leads us to believe that the CBR will perform, above all else, like a sport bike. And admittedly, the updates in 2022 have helped the 500R’s sporting credibility. But I wish Honda had done even more to fix the criticisms that have followed this bike for almost a decade. I think it still needs to be lighter, faster, or less expensive to be highly competitive in this class. As it stands, the CBR costs $1,600 more than a Ninja 400. I don’t care what your priest tells you, it is most definitely not the performance bargain that Honda claims.  

On the other hand, the CBR is an undeniably good motorcycle and there’s something to be said for the idea that any bike is a sport bike if you believe it. In fact, if cents and tenths aren’t your biggest concern, I might even recommend the CBR instead of a Ninja. It’s more comfortable (especially for larger folks), has better fuel range, better components, and for my money, is better looking. 

In a perfect world, somebody would combine the best attributes of the CBR and the Ninja and sell it to us for less than $6,500. Then again, in a perfect world somebody would combine the best attributes of every bike on the planet and give it to us for free. Point being, every machine that rolls down the road will compromise on something — it’s choosing the compromises you’re willing to accept that’s the hard part. And when it comes to the CBR500R, who knows, perhaps it has just the compromises you’re looking for. 

2023 Honda CBR500R
Price (MSRP)	$7,299
Engine	471 cc, liquid-cooled, eight-valve, parallel twin
Transmission, final drive	Six-speed, chain
Claimed horsepower	N/A
Claimed torque	N/A
Frame	Diamond-type steel-tube
Front suspension	Showa 41 mm SFF-BP fork; 4.3 inches of travel
Rear suspension	Pro-Link single shock with nine-position spring preload adjustability; 4.7 inches of travel
Front brake	Dual 295mm discs with four-piston calipers, ABS
Rear brake	Single rear caliper, 260 mm disc, ABS
Wheelbase	55.5 inches
Seat height	31.1 inches
Fuel capacity	4.5 gallons
Tires	Michelin Road 5; 120/70R-17 front, 160/60-17 rear
Measured weight	422 pounds
Warranty	12 months
Available	Now
More info	powersports.honda.com