If you can afford to keep to keep the "old" bike when you buy a newer-to-you bike, it makes the situation so much better.
Several times, I have retained the old one when buying the new one.

Usually I eventually sell the old bike, but not until I am positive that I want to get rid of it.
It certainly allows me time to make the decision as which to sell.
Also, I always have at least 2 bikes. Right now, a small sports bike and a larger standard bike. I ride them both almost every week.


So, yes, I vote to keep the 500 when you buy the 650.

 

So, yes, I vote to keep the 500 when you buy the 650.

I vote for the same. You've got to have two bikes to have yourself covered. Also, the 500 is very cheap and easy to do maintenance on.

About the ABS, you are not missing a big thing. My 2018 CB500F has ABS, and in my opinion it is crap and fires too soon. I hope I didn't have ABS on my bike.

 

I went from a 2013 CBR500R to a 2015 VFR800 Deluxe. You might want to consider the VFR. There are some great deals out there for left over 2015's. I bought mine used wit 2000 miles on it and got a great deal. The deluxe has ABS, traction control, gear shift indicator and self cancelling turn signals. The sound is fantastic, even with the stock exhaust.

I loved my 500, but if I kept it, I don't think I would ride it anymore. I don't think I would like to go back to all that shifting.

There are some disadvantages. The clutch is harder to pull in, and the VFR is much heavier to push around. There is a more forward lean and the gas mileage is not as good.

 

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the input!

Any thoughts on whether it’s too much bike for my experience level? I’m completely fine with the 500, and the Ninja 650 was fine as well (and a lot of fun!). I realize this is the point where a lot of riders get in trouble due to complacency or overconfidence. I’m trying to be diligent to not be “that guy.”

 

Any thoughts on whether it’s too much bike for my experience level? I’m completely fine with the 500, and the Ninja 650 was fine as well (and a lot of fun!).

I don't know about you. But the CBR650R would be too much bike for me. That thing is a rocket! (and a thief magnet). If I was going to buy a second bike, I would aim for the supermotard or dual-sport style.

 

I’m with all the others that say “if you can, keep it”. Got the urge to move on myself and was selling mine recently but everyone wants you to give it away and I just don’t have to sell it so am now back in the “keep mine also” camp and buy a second bike.

The 650 won’t be too much bike for you if you don’t let it. You control your right wrist. Just don’t ride above your abilities and you’ll be fine.

 

Any thoughts on whether it’s too much bike for my experience level? I’m completely fine with the 500, and the Ninja 650 was fine as well (and a lot of fun!).

I don't know about you. But the CBR650R would be too much bike for me. That thing is a rocket! (and a thief magnet). If I was going to buy a second bike, I would aim for the supermotard or dual-sport style.

No kidding? I've never ridden anything with an inline 4 before. I did ride the new ninja 650 and really, really enjoyed it. Ive ki d of been thinking the 650r is above the ninja 650 by about the same amount as the ninja 650 is above the 500r.

Slightly less torque than the ninja and a tad heavier, so figured as long as I don't get stupid in the upper rev range, I would be ok.

Thinking the slipper clutch, abs, and traction control are nice safety options to have too, but maybe I'm giving them too much credit.

Didn't consider the theft factor...but also don't really care. That will be Geico's problem. ?

(Really though, I live in a rural area with low crime, and would keep the bike in a garage).

 

I am going to be the wet blanket of rational thought here. You have owned the 500 for a year & enjoy it. It is your first “real bike”. Keep it & ride it for another year or two at least. You may not like the way it sounds, but so what. How a bike sounds would be the last thing I would concern myself with. The 500 is nimble, plenty quick enough if you push it & super economical to run. You are going to leave money on table using it as a trade in. I assume it is paid for. So, log more miles on the 500 & at some point in the future you will not wonder if something bigger is too much bike. FYI, I am in my late 60s, having survived my youth on motorcycles. I have owned in-line 750 4s, single, twin & triple 500s & a bunch of smaller bikes in my 60 years of riding. The CB500f I have had since 2016 & still love it. Sure a KTM 1290 Super Duke would be nice, but for the real world actual riding environment I am happy with the 500. Going the other direction, my current other ride is a Yamaha TW 200 dual sport which is a total blast too.
PS, I am old school. A slipper clutch only is needed if you down shift a bunch of gears & lock the rear wheel. Something experience would not let you do in the first place. ABS, OK I understand, but not my thing (sorry ExTex). Traction control is called knowing your limits & keeping the rubber on the ground.

 

Good points. On the safety stuff, I realize what they are all for and I’ve never had any issues with downshifting too early (or too many gears). Never really broke traction braking. And I’m not sure the 500 has enough power to need traction control (I suppose on a slippery road).

But I’ve been trying to read as much as I can for the past year, and all of the magazines and “pros” make it seem downright irresponsible to not have those things in this day and age.

Either way, I appreciate all of the perspectives and input. Gives me a lot to think about.

 

I agree with wet blanket! Spend some time on the 500, improve your skills, build experience, etc. Get your money's worth and then move on to whatever is next.

 

Sounds like you just need an aftermarket exhaust and/or ear plugs.

I haven't ridden the 650 but it might be a step down in versatility. I have had bikes where my primary struggle has been to keep under the speed limit. The 500 is great for city commuting with 40-50kmph zones.

 

I was actually going to the dealer to buy a 650r but ended up getting the 500r after a test ride on both. the 500 was more comfortable (footpegs further forward and lower), had adequate power, and weighed less (also cost less). I was coming from a Ninja 650r.

 

I won't be popular for saying this but I say follow your heart. Motorcycling is a passion, not a job. If you are irked by a characteristic of the bike you have now (e.g. the sound) and can wing the insurance for a CBR650R and are comfortable on it, I say go for it.

Of course only you can judge whether you'd get into trouble on one. I4 engines tend to have relatively soft bottom end power delivery so you should be easily able to "work" up to its power peak up at 11,000rpm without much fear. The 2019s make about 80hp at the wheel, plenty for the street but without pulling your arms out of their sockets or risking a throttle-on loop. And the 650R is a **** fine looking bike.

I was in the same boat as you back in 2014. I really loved my 500 but the sound just didn't resonate (pun not intended) with me. I ended up trading it toward a Yamaha FZ8S and enjoyed that immensely.

 

Just following up on this thread. I couldn't stop drooling over the 650R, and my local dealer called me last week (he knew I was kicking around this idea) and told me another local dealer ordered a 650R for a prospective customer, whom then bailed on it, and he could get me a decent deal on it if I wanted it.

So of course, I pulled the trigger.

Picked the bike up Friday, ended up not trading the 500.

First impressions on the 650 so far are...totally awesome! I like the new dash (which I think the 2019 500R's also have?). Power, which I didn't even remotely tap into (had 4 miles on the odometer), is unreal. Love the sound as much as I thought I would. The riding position is slightly more aggressive than the 500R (well, the 16-18 models anyway, I think they changed the 19 a little bit). Not uncomfortable by any means, but if I were going to take a day trip, I'd probably opt to go on the 500 instead.

Bike looks beautiful, though I think I like the back half of the 500 more than the 650.

So all in all, now I have two comfortable, reliable, and fun bikes, and couldn't be happier with both purchases.

 

Glad to hear you like the 650, more than likely going to be my next bike when i can get the unrestricted version.

and when i have some more money for it lol

 

Wrapfee, Congrats on starting your own moto-collection. Lots of us have more than one bike. I hope you continue to enjoy them both & any others that may find their way into your stable. Be safe, have fun.

 

I have to say I like the advise to keep the current bike and get more experience, I remember when I was 17 I went from a 250 to a 750 and had no real issues, you just have to watch what you are doing at the start, I would think going from a 500 to a 650 (even if its a twin to an inline 4 would not be an issue), just take your time to get used to the quicker throttle response and the better handling, but I would suggest getting more use out of your current bike before upgrading to something else, its only been a year!!



Gary

 

I wanted to cut some weight from my 2017 CB-500F so I bought an Akrapovic (knock-off) on line, with mid-pipe, springs, clamp, etc for $72.51 shipped. That was over 1000 miles ago and if sounds much better (I even keep the decibel killer in place--it's removable) and saved 7# of weight (4# vs 11# for the OEM unit). It was easy to fit, but then I have long experience working on motorcycles and have a well-equipped shop.

The e-bay vendor was "Betterprice_moto". Again, I'm very pleased with price and quality of the muffler and mid-pipe. I've had many bikes and recommend that you stay with the CB-500. You might add a Corbin seat and upgrade the suspension a bit. A 30mm handlebar riser (about $18 on e-bay) is easy to fit (cables all fit the higher bars fine) and is more comfortable for me, anyway.

For anyone buying this exhaust, be sure to rotate the mid-pipe on the exhaust pipe so that the muffler body sits out at least 1/4" from the right leg of the swing-arm. You won't want the two banging each other as the suspension flexes up and down.

Ralph

 

Update: I'm hooked on this bike thing. I have a 2019 Fireblade being delivered tomorrow in Matte Black.

 

wrapfee, I have turned from being the wet blanket at the beginning of this thread to the congratulatory fellow forum member when you said you had picked up the 650 to now a version of your mother when I say, A Fireblade, really?!?! I have no idea how much experience you have, but I suggest you get some more before you sport a liter bike like that around the street. It is a track machine. Use your better judgement & ride smart. Things can get crazy very quickly on RR liter bikes. No offense intended. Stay safe to ride tomorrow.

 

If money is not a concern AT ALL, just get the CBR650R and be done with the dilemma. Be advised that the CBR650R is a real sport bike, and therefore a total different kind of machine compared to a CBR500R.

Otherwise, I would keep the CBR500R and try another muffler, if the current sound is not to your liking. Very probably a legit Akrapovic will get a sound you would like more. (In my case, I prefer my bike to be as silent as possible, so I like the stock muffler best).

About the ABS - I have it on my 2018 CB500F, and in my opinion it is garbage - it fires too soon and therefore it is intrusive if you ever try to ride moderately hard. I would prefer my bike not to have ABS, but it was mandatory in Europe in 2018, so I had no choice.

---
Edit: I didn't see that I had already replied to this thread long ago. Luckly, I replied without changing my point of view, LOL.

 

Haha no problem man. Your advice was still excellent and will probably help many other riders in the future.

And that's what we're all here for!

 

You can easily disable ABS by removing the fuse.

 

Yeah, I heard so. I'll try to find out which one, and try that whenever I change the air filter next time.

 

Cool, I was hoping I wouldn’t offend you. Track time for sure. When I was thinking about your situation I thought I would have recommended skipping the 650 & 1000 & picking up a 600RR as a good super sport starting point. If you are starting a Honda collecton maybe you need to pick up a classic rarity GB 500 single. A somewhat modern version of what motos used to be.

 

Cool, I was hoping I wouldn’t offend you. Track time for sure. When I was thinking about your situation I thought I would have recommended skipping the 650 & 1000 & picking up a 600RR as a good super sport starting point. If you are starting a Honda collecton maybe you need to pick up a classic rarity GB 500 single. A somewhat modern version of what motos used to be. View attachment 72488

If I buy another motorcycle anytime soon, I won't have to fear the Fireblade...I'll have to fear the wife. 😂

Sweet bike though! Is that yours?

 

Get your spouse riding & then all you will have to fear is which moto is missing when you open the garage door.

 

I just like to revisit this post once in awhile as there is great advice in it. Just an update...for one, I'm still alive! I have about 4 years of bike ownership and somewhere between 15-20k miles of seat time under my belt now. Zero drops. Zero accidents. Zero tickets. Although my 5 year old did crash her battery powered Jeep into my Fireblade and put a little scratch in it (very little).

Anyway, just want to post this update. And also say that my opinion hasn't changed.

The Fireblade is a beast, but completely unsuitable for anything more than an hour, maybe two if I'm feeling limber (and hey, I'm not even 40 yet).

The 650R is still the best all around bike. It's obviously lower quality build than the Fireblade. But it sounds unreal with the Akrapovic system and looks just as sharp. It's also the perfect amount of power. You can rip on it hard on the street and it's very fast...but you can give it all you've got if you want to. It also gets pretty good fuel economy (50+ mpg) and is a nice "medium" seating position. More aggressive than the 500, but way more comfortable than the Fireblade. I actually think it would be easier to learn on than the 500 because it's less torquey and more "smooth." This assumes the weight difference isn't an issue for you.

And then there's my first...the 500R. I still ride it. I still enjoy it. If I ever go on a long-ish trip, it's the hands down winner. Upright seating position + 75 (or more) mpg. Even with a slip on, it won't wake the neighbors. For mine (a 2016), I wish it had ABS and a gear position indicator (but those have both been corrected since 2016). Mine also has that **** windscreen rattle around 4k RPMS. So annoying. I even put a smoked Puig windscreen on it and it still does it. But that's pretty much the only fault I can think of.

If I could only own one, it would be the 650R. But luckily, I don't have to make that choice and will keep all three for the foreseeable future.

Hope everyone has and continues to be safe!!!

 

2023 Updates...

-Still alive, whoo hoo!
-Still haven't wrecked a motorcyle (also, whoo hoo!).
-Have about 30,000 miles under my belt now.
-A friend of mine wrecked my 500. He's OK, but I sold the bike for scrap (poor girl!). Still an OK starter bike, but I'd start on a CBR650R if I could do it over (although the riding position on the 500 was more comfortable than the 650).
-650 still runs well. Turned over 13,000 miles today. It's my favorite bike for riding two up.
-Fireblade is a **** beast and I love it (has 12k miles now). But in my 40's now...it hurts after 1.5 hours. Why do all Honda bikes make weird buzzing sounds by the way?
-I have two Groms now as well. A 20 and a 23. Five speed is a nice addition. These little bikes are fun as ****.

That's all for now. Thinking about a naked bike or a small cruiser. Have never ridden either type of bike before. I kind of want more small displacement bikes...it's way more fun to beat the pants off a low horsepower bike than it is to do the speed limit on a liter bike.

 

2023 Updates...

-Fireblade is a **** beast and I love it (has 12k miles now). But in my 40's now...it hurts after 1.5 hours. Why do all Honda bikes make weird buzzing sounds by the way?

This is why I got a Tuono and not an RSV4.