Two wheel good. N+1. 2021 OPPO year of the motorcycle
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Incase you haven't gathered by my post title I bought a second motorcycle, a 2013 Honda CB500X ABS. Now for those of you who don't know, I'd been looking for a second bike for a few reasons;
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We have three riders at home (me, my dad, and my brother) and only have two bikes, so the math doesn't work out there.
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My 250cc 2009 Kawasaki Super Sherpa can't keep up with my dad's 673cc 1982 Suzuki GS650E
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While my Super Sherpa is a good dirt bike and can do highway speed (120kmh Vmax). It has no fairing, limited fuel range (240km), and no speed reserve for passing or emergency maneuvers. So I had been wanting something more touring capable.

The CB500X was on my list of potential bikes, this example popped up on Kijiji with 4500km priced at $5000, initially I was uninterested because of the black/grey colorway, it had no Honda accessories or aftermarket equipment, and was located in Prince Albert (140km from Saskatoon). Then on Sunday May 30th it was a perfect day for a motorcycle ride, so I planned to go for a ride with my dad later in the afternoon, but then at 12pm my brother asked to ride my bike so I said yes, well he was gone for four hours this delaying my ride. So I think to myself, can't let that happen again need to get another bike sooner than later. I check Kijiji again and the price has been dropped to $4300 which makes it the cheapest CB500X on Canada I've seen this year. I contacted the seller and arranged to meet Saturday.
So this morning I loaded my ramps into the truck and set off. Meeting the seller in an abandoned industrial park in Prince Albert, I checked to see if I actually fit on the bike. (830mm seat height identical to my Super Sherpa, with stiffer suspension but I can get the balls of both feet on the ground, reach to the handle bar is good, the foot controls are too big for my feet) I then test ride the bike around the block to confirm it was mechanically as stated. Talking with the seller I find he works at the Honda dealer, the bike was maintained at the dealer exclusively, there was two people who test ride the bike already and another was booked after me if I didn't buy the bike.
I was happy with how the bike fit me and how it ride and the price being asked so I bought and loaded it into my truck. I got it home, and after the temperature went down me and my dad decided to go for a ride, of course it started raining then hailing while we were getting ready so we waited the 15mins for the weather to subside. We set out to put the bike through its paces, and two hours later I couldn't be happier.
This bike is going to fit my needs perfectly, it can get to highway speed quickly and will keep going if needed. The clutch pull is light, smooth, and linear, making it easy to leave stops. The engine offers 75% of available torque from 2500rpm, and doesn't care what gear it's in. Engine is quiet at low rpms and produces a nice bark at high rpm. The mirrors are huge and don't show any vibration. This bike should have a theoretical max fuel range of 500km which is well more than I would ever need in one sitting.
The suspension does have adequate travel, but the components are cheap. The windscreen is a bit too small. The tires may be a problem the front is the original Pirelli Scorpion Trail doesn't seem well suited to gravel roads, the rear is a 2015 date code Metzeler Tourance Next seems to have poor wet road grip and terrible gravel performance. -
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@longtime-lurker nice acquisition! I have a 2015 CB500x and it's a great all around bike.
I just put tires on mine, shinko 705. They handle both road and gravel quite well so far.
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@jminer When I replace the tires I'm thinking Avon Trailriders because that's what I have on the Sherpa and I like them.
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@longtime-lurker Awesome! Congrats! That looks like a blast. I gotta get a moto one of these days.
Also unrelated but I like the profile picture change haha
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@longtime-lurker Nice! I took a look at these, they're neat little bikes.
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@longtime-lurker nice bike! I’m very curious to know what tires you go with as I’m needing to replace the tires on my KLR… the knobbies that the previous owner put on there aren’t great for the highway and so I want something a little more pavement focused
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@beefchips I put shinko 705 tires on my cb500x and like them so far, more like an 80/20 but they're pretty good on pavement so far.
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@beefchips I have Avon Trailriders on my Sherpa, I like them, and they're likely what I'd put on the CB500X.
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Good buy. If I had to actually daily a moto as my only vehicle it would probably be a 500X. My buddy bought one, so it’s one of the handful of bikes I can say I’ve actually rode. He was also making it a bit more trail based but I haven’t seen it in 2-years now.
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@longtime-lurker Nice buy!
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@longtime-lurker Nice purchase! You should definitely put some tires on it ASAP.
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My son had one and the rubber mounted windshield kept getting loose, if this one has the same mounting keep eyes peeled. he ended up replacing mounting with solid bolts and spacers, and getting a larger aftermarket one
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jminer
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jminer