CB500X Vs ER6N... a newbie's comparison...

WarProfiteer

WarProfiteer

Senior Member
Joined
May 17, 2013
Bikes
currently renting & deciding
So I am now in the process of trying out different beginner bikes and have thus far only tried a few. The two main contenders offer great bang for the buck, imo.

For the Honda, the riding position is very upright & comfortable, there's enough power to get the job done without being too much for a newer rider, it's very maneuverable once you get a feel for it, seemed to do very well on gas and for the price I think it's a great bike. Not a fan of the white & red, but the black & grey color scheme looks good, but slightly like a little cousin to something Adam West would drive at night.

batman-pow.jpg


For the Kawi, the power is quite noticeably increased. The saddle is pretty comfy. There is just a huge difference in fun factor here... the ER6N is just a very, very fun bike for me. I even liked the exhaust note when revving. And it looks very cool all on it's own, no Bat-mods required.

The weaknesses were few. It could be just the one I was on, but the CB500 had a gear shift that felt like jelly... any time I hit a good bump at speed (happened twice), if my foot just tapped the lever it would downshift. Minor complaint at best. It was nice to have something that shifted so smoothly and easily for the most part. And for the ER6, I'm not sure why, but my right foot hurts today if I point my toes towards my shins... as in, tendon issues. Could be because of the way the brake lever is placed, could be my own issues. Also, I had to actually look down every damn time I wanted to use the horn or turn signals... placement didnt seem natural the way it does on the Honda.

Anyway, to wrap this up in a nutshell the Honda is a great bike and perfectly suited for a new rider, imo. The ER6N is more sporty, more powerful and loads more fun... yet still also good as a beginner bike. Just more a spirited ride, though it handles and feels good. The real question is, is the sportiness and fun worth the extra $$$??? Honestly, I cant say for sure... that Honda is a LOT of bang for the buck... in terms of pure value for money, I'd say it's probably the better deal. But the ER6N is a lot easier on the eyes and bucket loads more fun to ride. A definite toss up, imo...
 
I would agree with your impressions and did come round to the idea that for a newer rider the torque and easiness of the Honda does have some appeal..

That said you soon grow into a bike, and buying bikes is a heart not a head decision.. The bike you enjoy, the one that gives you that grin factor, thats the one I get every time. I never look at economy, and while it bites me in the ass a lot, parts supply, ease of service, etc come very much second place to 'does it make my heart beat that bit faster' ??
 
Ecomomy wise the Honda is the best deal going atm in cash for amount of CC
But if it doesnt give you that wow feeling, go with the one that does.
 
LivinLOS said:
buying bikes is a heart not a head decision.. The bike you enjoy, the one that gives you that grin factor, thats the one I get every time. I never look at economy, and while it bites me in the ass a lot, parts supply, ease of service, etc come very much second place to 'does it make my heart beat that bit faster' ??
Click to expand...

Well said...... couldn't agree more.
 
Very well wriiten comparison, makes a lot of sense, thanks for writing it Kevin.

Never sent from an I-Phone
 
Not a problem Phil. I figure even if it helps just one person out there that's looking around and trying to figure out some of the things I've been working through, if this saves them some effort then it was worth writing up. Shared info has helped me many, many times... just looking to pay it forward.

Speaking of, thanks for this forum... just today I was picking up a bacon cheeseburger from you-know-where when I ran into The Bigfella... he showed me some pix on here from his trip out to Mae Hong Son, talked about some cool things to do, etc... nice guy (great haircut too!), and it's just nice that you have this forum to help share the info and give us a place to interact online. Hell, if it werent for this forum, I wouldnt have known Lightmeup (another great guy) was going to ride the Somoeng Loop 2 days ago and we both would've ridden it alone, not knowing the other was going to do it that day.

Anyway, thanks again for everything... it's been great getting to know you and some of the other guys better, getting pointers, learning, etc...

tumblr_lmka1dEGLv1qii6tmo1_400.gif
 
Also, I stopped into Pops today because I saw they have a few brand new Honda CB500F's, the naked version of the CB500... the bikes are supposedly just 2 months old. I may rent one to try it out for a day, but it looked like a much more forward learning riding position than the ER6N, so it would probably wouldnt be as comfortable. That said, there's an easy, cheap fix for that... swap the bars, using the ones that come on the X version... they come up and much further back and thus should provide a much improved riding angle (in theory, this is just my thinking, not science). Ya might need to cut down on their width a little, but that shouldnt prove too difficult.

2013-Honda-CB500F-black.jpg


As usual, I liked the way that naked version looks... I think both the CB500F (why didnt they just call it an N version?) and the ER6N are good looking bikes. The ER6 looks a little better to me, but either would be fine. I'll probably rent the Honda soon and see how I feel about it after doing the Somoeng Loop the way Keld does it... start south, circle around, get all the way to the elephant camp at Mae Rim, then instead of just coming south through the trafficky straight road, turn around and ride the loop back south... makes a short ride into a decent one and the roads are fairly good.

BTW, the asking price for the rental from Pops was 1400/day... wasnt sure how I felt about that as the X version of the same bike is 1200/day.

Also, I noticed one had the CB500F stickers peeled off... or missing... however you want to say it. I asked had it been down already and of course they swore it hadn't. The reason they gave was "sometimes we want to get the bikes so fast the dealership doesnt have to finish everything". I gave the Thai nod that gives the basic appearance of agreement but also shows I dont truly believe what I'm being told.
 
Just wanted to follow up on this rather than make a new thread...

I've now taken the CB500X on a three day ride and I have to admit, I was comfortable the whole time. Well, on the long day (9-10 hours on day 2) we were stopping every hour towards the end, but we'd dealt with some seriously ugly road conditions between Mae Hong Son & Mae Sot. Great road in some parts, but terrible in others. Still, every day when I woke up, I didnt have any reluctance (pronounced lingering soreness) to jump back on the bike. It got great mileage, though not as good as advertised, and I felt completely at ease on it... a good balance between fun & comfort.

Then recently I did rent a CB500F from Pops and me and the she-wok did a run up to Pai & back. It sucks that I like the way this naked version looks so much better, because the X version is just so much nicer of a ride. It's like being torn between what looks good Vs what feels good. The riding position is indeed much more forward and the saddle is definitely not as comfortable. Swapping the bars and getting a nicer (gel?) seat could easily solve those issues. Something I didnt expect was how much I disliked the tires. I had 3 small slips on the trip, and I had a passenger so I was far from pushing the pace. If it were once, I could attribute it to some sand or oil I didnt see, but it happened 3 different times, 2 times the rear and once the front, and they happened during both right and left turns. At that point I could only assume it was a tire issue. Even the she-wok said on our last break "hun-nee, I think the tires on this not vely good, na?"

As the bike only had 6K on the odo, it wasnt a case of them being old & worn either.

So I had a bit of a disappointing ride on the CB500F, when comparing it to the comfort & confidence inspiring CB500X. That said, there was once place the F really, really shined... surprisingly, it was on the most unenjoyable part of the trip; Mae Rim to Chiang Mai on that trafficky, red light infested road. It was here and only here that the little F version finally gave me a few grins. It had enough power to easily maneuver through and around the other vehicles, but not being quite so high up and not having those huge wide bars meant that I could really feel where the bike was at all times. In fact, there was nowhere I could put my Click that I didnt feel I could also put that 500F. It would make an awesome in-and-around town bike for this reason... traffic presented no more issues for it than it would for the average scooter rider.

So it's not all bad news for the 500F... I did really like the way it looked and the price point is great for what ya get. It was also super maneuverable in small spaces. That said, if I got one I'd want to change the bars and tires before I ever even rode it. Sadly, if I ever took it on any multi-day trips, I'd probably always be thinking of how much more comfortable the X version was too.

IMG_1533_zps5992941e.jpg
 
I have been told that it is easy & cheap to put the handle-bar and cables from the X on the F.
You problem with the tyres could also be the pressure, Thai people tend to over-pressure tyres.

Chang Noi
 
Yeah, the bar swap would probably be very simple... I really did like the bike for zipping around traffic, so it would make a great daily rider... but for longer trips that X version would be light years ahead in terms of comfort.

Forgot to mention one thing... both gave off only minimal heat, imo. The X less so than the F, but both were barely noticeable. Compared to my friend's ninja 250, which was warm in the inner leg region (chestnuts roasting?), the CB500's were great.

As for the tires... it's possible. I'll admit, I forgot to check (I usually do) the pressure when gassing up. Didnt know higher pressure would make them more slippery...
 
I think long term you would be happier with the CB 500 X for what you intend to do with it, good info, thanks.



WarProfiteer said:
Just wanted to follow up on this rather than make a new thread...

I've now taken the CB500X on a three day ride and I have to admit, I was comfortable the whole time. Well, on the long day (9-10 hours on day 2) we were stopping every hour towards the end, but we'd dealt with some seriously ugly road conditions between Mae Hong Son & Mae Sot. Great road in some parts, but terrible in others. Still, every day when I woke up, I didnt have any reluctance (pronounced lingering soreness) to jump back on the bike. It got great mileage, though not as good as advertised, and I felt completely at ease on it... a good balance between fun & comfort.

Then recently I did rent a CB500F from Pops and me and the she-wok did a run up to Pai & back. It sucks that I like the way this naked version looks so much better, because the X version is just so much nicer of a ride. It's like being torn between what looks good Vs what feels good. The riding position is indeed much more forward and the saddle is definitely not as comfortable. Swapping the bars and getting a nicer (gel?) seat could easily solve those issues. Something I didnt expect was how much I disliked the tires. I had 3 small slips on the trip, and I had a passenger so I was far from pushing the pace. If it were once, I could attribute it to some sand or oil I didnt see, but it happened 3 different times, 2 times the rear and once the front, and they happened during both right and left turns. At that point I could only assume it was a tire issue. Even the she-wok said on our last break "hun-nee, I think the tires on this not vely good, na?"

As the bike only had 6K on the odo, it wasnt a case of them being old & worn either.

So I had a bit of a disappointing ride on the CB500F, when comparing it to the comfort & confidence inspiring CB500X. That said, there was once place the F really, really shined... surprisingly, it was on the most unenjoyable part of the trip; Mae Rim to Chiang Mai on that trafficky, red light infested road. It was here and only here that the little F version finally gave me a few grins. It had enough power to easily maneuver through and around the other vehicles, but not being quite so high up and not having those huge wide bars meant that I could really feel where the bike was at all times. In fact, there was nowhere I could put my Click that I didnt feel I could also put that 500F. It would make an awesome in-and-around town bike for this reason... traffic presented no more issues for it than it would for the average scooter rider.

So it's not all bad news for the 500F... I did really like the way it looked and the price point is great for what ya get. It was also super maneuverable in small spaces. That said, if I got one I'd want to change the bars and tires before I ever even rode it. Sadly, if I ever took it on any multi-day trips, I'd probably always be thinking of how much more comfortable the X version was too.

IMG_1533_zps5992941e.jpg
Click to expand...
 
So, now I have taken the main contenders for multi-day rides... the ER6 on a modified Nan loop for 3 days and nearly 1200 kilometers, and the 500X on the Mae Hong Son loop twice- this last time with the she-wok on the back. Prior to this I had taken both on multiple single day rentals and gone to Somoeng or Chiang Rai or Doi Inthanon. I have had ample time on them to feel I am making an informed decision.

Most of my thoughts now are still the same as my initial ones... the ER6N is more powerful and more fun. The seat is comfy and I enjoy the exhaust note. And I just genuinely love the way this bike looks.

That said, after riding both multiple times, the 500X is the winner in terms of bang for the buck and versatility. Around Hot this past weekend there were stretches of road work where you were on dirt beside the 'road' and even a few bridges out where you go around on the wooden terrifiers... handling both on the 500X was no issue at all. I'm not sure I would've felt anywhere near as confident on the ER6.

The high seating position of the 500X is better for taller guys like me. The saddle itself is good for long rides and even the she-wok had zero seat complaints after 2 full days on the back. She actually likes that it's high up as she can see over my shoulder and look forward easily.

The Honda's fuel economy blows away the ER6N, but that comes at the cost of power of course. However, my friend RB made a very good point once. I asked him why he bought a 250 ninja instead of the 650, as he could have easily afforded either. He said "for me it was a question of how much of the bike's potential am I likely to commonly use on the roads here in Thailand. It's great to have a bunch of power, but how often do you really use it here? That being the case, is it really worth paying the excess cost for something you really wont even use?"... I was forced to admit he was right. There's 2 things to consider imo... the bike's potential and the rider's ability level. I think we can all agree that it's pretty dumb for novice riders to jump right on to liter bikes... way too much bike and not enough ability. At the same time, there's also the consideration of how the bike will be used and in what local riding conditions... even if I had much more ability than I do, I wouldnt own a liter bike here as there's no track and the local road conditions are such that I dont think I'd ever come close to using the bike's full potential- probably not even half! For where am I at right now, I just dont see much need to go above about 120 or 130 kph in Thailand. I could be wrong, but with the dogs and kids on motorbikes in the villages and truck drivers doing un-announced U-turns across ALL lanes of traffic... I just dont think it's wise to go very fast here.

That being the case, do I need the extra power of the 650? While it does make me grin at times, how often do I use that extra power? Honestly... not that much. And is my ability level at a place where I would honestly feel confident pushing the 650 to it's full potential? Honestly... no. So in the end, I will choose the Honda 500. It's just the better overall choice.

Now, that said, I need to see how this latest job search shakes out before pulling the trigger... obviously if I dont find something rotational, there's no point in buying a bike here. I wouldnt be here to use it. But if indeed I can find a rotational financial gig somewhere, then I will definitely buying the Honda 500X.
 
I think your making the right decision Kevin....talk to Sefton about the F with raised bars before you pull the trigger.
 
Been trying to meet up with him to return his riding jacket but hes a busy fellow, that one...
 
Re power,i feel like i`m ringing the neck of my 800 at times out on the open road and it`s going nowhere until i have a quick look at the speedo on exit of a corner,or GPS later,and find i was doing 160k`s/hr up a winding piece of mountain road and loving it.
Doesn`t happen often but there are places you can ride like that.

After a while the power and torque can feel quite mild through familiarity and experience but it`s nice to have it there when the time comes...especially for a bigger bloke and 2 up.
 
Having taken both the 500X and F models out for a test ride I prefer the F model and have put a deposit down on one which I will get as soon as a red one arrives here in the UK. I found the seat comfortable on the test ride but I have an Airhawk if needed for longer rides, changing the bars might also be an option
 
I have tried both the ER6 and a Honda 500 F , for me the Kawasaki wins as i like POWER and like to ride hard , the Honda is sweet , but lacks character , its a good general purpose bike and well made , ER6 is not as well finished but the extra power and ability to get custom race parts easily would be the main advantage ,,
 
Agreed the power and fun vote goes to the Kawi... but for me, the versatility, fuel efficiency and cheaper cost make me want to give the 500X the nod.
 
Theres a super clean 2013 ER6N on mocyc for 220..

Shaves the cost saving element a little ;)

Theres also a interesting 400 monster for just +- 80k (unplated) which would make a great round town and short hopper with a bent cambo plate / reg on it.
 
Glad I found this thread, currently torn between the ER6N and CB500F also. Will be going to BKK this weekend where hopefully Big Wing will let me test ride one. Have ridden the Versys and Ninja but not the ER6N, I presume it is the same as the Ninja.

I'm leaning towards the Honda at the moment as it is 100k cheaper and I can spend that on some decent panniers and riding gear. The only problem is that I live about 500km away from the nearest Big Wing so it is a long trek for a service if I end up with the Honda. Do you think it would be possible to service it or at least get the oil changed at a regular Honda dealership?
 
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