Back into riding | GTAMotorcycle.com

Back into riding

B

brij52

New member
Live in Caledon and I have gotten back to riding during COVID after getting my initial license 20 years ago. Riding a 2018 CB500X. Last year did a 2 week trip to South Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado. Am planning a trip this year to Tennessee, Blueridge Parkway and Skyline Drive.

Have followed along this site for various research over the years but have just joined. Seems like a lot of great information, discussions and varying levels of humour!
 
Welcome, looks like a great trip. Enjoy and ride safe!
 
Welcome..
I miss my CB500x - I had the same bike and year. Took it across Canada when I was in my 70s.
Great bike for the solo rider and insanely good fuel economy and range.
 
I had planned a 30 day trip from Kingston to Tampa last year but was not able to make it.
route maps
Individual maps are based on about 350km per day including gas stops, restaurants and points of interest.
I can send you them in .gps or .kml format. There are about 30 of them.
Look into "The Back of the Dragon"
 
Welcome!

I'm looking at the cb500x as well and i am coming off a 37 year break from owning a bike.
My question to you as you have done some touring on the cb500 , did you find the vibration bothersome ? How comfortable did you find it also i'm 6'2 with a 32" inseam so i'm wondering how the legroom is? basically I'm looking to do shorter day trips but still want the ability to tour comfortably if I decide to do any longer trips. The more I research I do the more questions I have lol. Also how did you find the power for crursing on the hi-way ? Did you consider any other bikes before you decided to get the Honda, I'm also considering possibly the the vstrom 650. Hopefully you can shed so light on my questions?
Cheers
 
brij52 said:
Am planning a trip this year to Tennessee, Blueridge Parkway and Skyline Drive.
Click to expand...
Can't really go wrong with the Smokie mountains. And don't forget that the roads up to the Ridge and back down into the valley are great too.
 
kjonesversa said:
Welcome!

I'm looking at the cb500x as well and i am coming off a 37 year break from owning a bike.
My question to you as you have done some touring on the cb500 , did you find the vibration bothersome ? How comfortable did you find it also i'm 6'2 with a 32" inseam so i'm wondering how the legroom is? basically I'm looking to do shorter day trips but still want the ability to tour comfortably if I decide to do any longer trips. The more I research I do the more questions I have lol. Also how did you find the power for crursing on the hi-way ? Did you consider any other bikes before you decided to get the Honda, I'm also considering possibly the the vstrom 650. Hopefully you can shed so light on my questions?
Cheers
Click to expand...
The CB500x is known for its fuel efficiency and easy handling. It might feel a bit cramped for someone your size, I know a few 5’6ish riders around here fit it perfectly. Power is the trade off. It will cruise at highway speeds all day, but the Honda 500 is quite buzzy and the vibrations can be annoying at or above 120, and passing at that speed asks you to downshift then wring its neck.

I personally prefer the bigger Vstrom. It’s larger in the cockpit and longer wheelbase make it more stable yet just as easy to ride. 50% more power is nice if you enjoy touring.

Few riders of these bikes do any hardcore off road, both are good on gravel and hydro roads.

Finally, if you look at migration patterns, most riders move Cb500x to Vstrom, very few the other way.

Welcome aboard, either bike will be a good choice for a returning rider..
 
Welcome! Jump in to the threads, glad to see some new faces here recently.
 
Thanks for the advice , the more i look at different reviews it makes me think something a bit more substantial than the cb500x might fit me better
I'd rather have a little more power on tap when needed ! Also at my age I dont want to be flipping bikes to find the " perfect" one , Lots of things to consider thats for sure .
 
Went to take a look at a new tiger sport 660 today and was quite impressed and in my price range . Leg room seemed good felt pretty light from the saddle ! I've checked out quite a few reviews and mostly positive but my only real concern is that it has some vibrations that a few reviewers mentioned as a concern .If there are any tiger sport 660 owners who could comment on this that would be great .
 
I am not familiar with the Triumph 660 but have seen comments of vibrations in Moto Guzzi.
This is often caused by trying to accelerate with the revs to low.
Too much fuel at low revs leads to bad combustion.
Down shifting may make that go away.
I drive a manual transmition car and it will do the same thing if you try to accelerate from 30kph in 4th gear.
On my 2017 KTM 390 Duke trying to accelerate hard from 2000 RPM would cause the engine to stall.
 
guzzirider said:
This is often caused by trying to accelerate with the revs to low.
Click to expand...

Common if the rider is previously used to low-revving engines, especially V-Twins.

Everytime I ride my wife's Spyder I always feel like I'm about to blow up the engine because it sounds like it's screaming when in reality it's only turning 5000RPM (of it's 9500RPM redline), but when you're used to torquing your way along with an engine turning 2000rpm (and redlining at something like 4500 RPM), it requires thought to physically rev the engine to it's proper operating bands.

My buddy has offered to let me ride his new ZX14R once day when we're out together and I'm going to have to really concentrate on actually revving the thing lol. Meanwhile he'll be bouncing off the rev limiter on my bike wondering why it's not accelerating.
 
Last edited:
the vibration or buzzing from what ive read is also a common complaint on the cbx500 at hiway speeds in the 115 and up kph or at certain rpm's
depending on the bike. It seems to be bothersome to some riders but not to all .
 
kjonesversa said:
the vibration or buzzing from what ive read is also a common complaint on the cbx500 at hiway speeds in the 115 and up kph or at certain rpm's
depending on the bike. It seems to be bothersome to some riders but not to all .
Click to expand...
Grip Puppies and a Throttle Rocker eases vibration issues.
 
kjonesversa said:
my only real concern is that it has some vibrations that a few reviewers mentioned as a concern .If there are any tiger sport 660 owners who could comment on this that would be great .
Click to expand...

Yes, I had an issue with handlebar vibrations in my tiger 660. For me it was only evident on 5+ hours rides, as my hands were getting a little numb.

I installed grip puppies and the issue went away.
 
How do you find the heat coming off the engine?
 
None of the bikes you are looking at should generate enough heat to be an issue.
The liter+ inline fours were real cookers.
The Tracer 900 is nice fit for you both ergonomics and a smooth motor...not quite as turbine like as a four cylinder VFR 800 or inline 4s. Seems a mixed bag online about vibration on the triples.
This bike would be a very good fit for you ergonomically - both seat and footpeg.
The riding position was designed to accommodate riders of varying physiques and includes a two-level adjustable main seat. The handlebars and footpegs can also be adjusted to two different positions, allowing riders to set a position that gives them a secure feeling the moment they get on the bike. The handlebar clamps can be rotated 10mm forward changing the bar position 9mm forward and 4mm up, and the footpeg mounts can be raised 14mm higher as well as 4mm rearward.
Click to expand...

and you will never lack for power.
1710657822155.png

lots of info here from owners..
www.advrider.com

Yamaha Tracer 9 GT & Tracer 9 GT+

[ATTACH] [ATTACH]
www.advrider.com www.advrider.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom