Honda CBR500R

A KTM Duke 690 will likely be faster everywhere but the track and freeways (and the latter requires a traffic lawyer on retainer)." wait, wait, wait....I thought that it was about what was more fun to ride...and as you should know very well, in life timing is everything :)Love the looks of the new 500R, very nice bike. My first street bike way bak in 83 was a VFR 750 Interceptor. Would have gone with the 500 but being 6'2", it was just too small for me size wise. I like the more "upright" riding position of this type of bike, my current ride, an 09 Aprilia DD 750 is perfect for comfortable riding. And when I jump on my 08 Husky TE 250, the feel is very similar. I think Honda made a great decision on bringing the 500's back, the styling is great, and the pricing is even better! I remember the "tiered" licensing system when I was stationed in Vicenza Italy with the 509th ABCT, being a US soldier though exempted us from that, so my Interceptor was shipped over and ridden in Italy for a year and a half, best riding ever!Modern 600's are ripping fast and high strung. I find them harder to put around on than a liter-bike (but not go fast on). Actually, any sport bike is a chore at low speeds due to having a tiny turning circle and low clip-ons." Indeed, I find my CBR600F4i that has a considerably more upright position than the race replicas (and does not smash my thumbs at full steering lock) not much fun to ride around town (I would rather ride ride my NT700V or TW200). Being crouched over is great for high speeds on the track and attacking corners, but bad for everything else - especially keeping an eye on traffic behind and to the sides. As is a power-band that does not come on until one is at 50-mph in 1st gear. If I had only a CBR500R and a CBR600RR in the garage, the 500 would get ridden 95% or more of the street miles.This looks like a great bike! I have heard too many people say "I just got my license so I'm gonna start with just a 600." Modern 600's are ripping fast and high strung. I find them harder to put around on than a liter-bike (but not go fast on). Actually, any sport bike is a chore at low speeds due to having a tiny turning circle and low clip-ons. This Honda is great for a beginner, but I suspect fun for riders of all skill levels; plus, being a 500, it can handle a freeway commute. The styling is nice and so is the proper sized rubber. I think Honda hit the nail on the head here. Really i dont know where all the hate is coming from im in australia we have the tiered licencing (i currently ride a 08 600rr and orginally learnt on a 250rr 15 years ago). For a noob it looks the part and thats what alot of noobs just want, and will probably easier to go fast on than a 4 cylinder of the same hp due to twins torque. The other thing it will be good for would be a good commuter, i would rather this than a scooter, and i have a wrx yet would still rather ride even if its cold or rainy so that to me rules out the its still not a car complaint. Too many noobs are too keen to hop onto bike more powerful than they can handle, even if the people are older. Originally over here there was a 250cc limit when i started riding so we all went out and go rgv's and rs 250 2 strokes to get the hp, then they changed the laws so if you held a full car licence you could go straight up and get an open licence bike. This only lasted a little while cos gixxer 1k's were the rage and people who never spent any time on bikes were killing themselves them left right and centre. Now the rule is 100kw per ton with a max of 650cc works out like the eu hp rule. end of the day i think a modern 600cc supersport has more power than any noob can handle effectively let alone a 1k so i agree with the tiered licencing making this a good first bike in a tiered licencing system.