Rebel 500: the good, the bad and the ugly. Long term review

[Bertrandcaill...]

Hello everyone!

I just joined the forum, but I’ve been riding for a few years now. Most of my experience was on 125cc scooters at work, but in October 2018 I bought a brand new Honda Rebel 500 as my first personal bike.

When I was trying to make up my mind every review I could find was virtually identical to the others: a few specs and numbers, a guy riding it while stating the obvious and that was it. With this post I would like to help anyone who is thinking of buying it, whether it’s new or second hand, so that they can make their choice confidently. Also, may this be my presentation and first contribution.

It’s been more than a year and 19000 kms (11.8k miles) since I bought it. I’ve ridden it every single day to commute and visit the family on weekends. It’s my only mean of transport, and I put on it an average of 60 kms (35-40 miles) daily.

THE GOOD

1. Engine

It has Honda’s 500cc parallel twin, enough said. Reliable, at the very limit of A2 power restrictions and a bliss to use. Apparently these wonders can last 300000 kms (186k miles), so if you maintain it properly you could pass this bike to your grandsons. In the rebel it comes with an all black finish and a different mapping, giving it more power and torque in the lower and middle sections of the power curve. Having the same gear ratios as the CB500X, it can go from 0-60 mph in 5.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 160 km/h (100 mph).

2. Fuel economy

One of the best things this bike has. I’m an ok driver, I don’t drive like a maniac but I certainly don’t drive slow. If you break in the engine carefully and keep the chain slack and tyre pressure right, these are the figures that you can get:

100% city: 4,1 l/100 kms (57 mpg)

100% motorway at 100 km/h (60 mph): 3,5 l/100 kms (67 mpg)

100% motorway at 120 km/h (45 mph): 3,8 l/100 kms (60 mpg)

Beating the living s**t out of the engine in a mountain road: 4,3 l/100 kms (54 mpg)

My commute is 100% motorway in a road limited to 100 km/h (60 mph), with fluid but crowded traffic. Speeds are always fluctuating between 85 km/h (52 mph) and 100 km/h. In perfect conditions I’ve managed to reach numbers as low as 3,2 l/100 kms (73 mpg), but that was in August with no traffic whatsoever and at a rather calm cruise of 90 km/h (55 mph).

I weigh 78kg (170 pounds) and my luggage is just a backpack. Heavier riders or people who carry heavy luggage will obviously see these numbers increase.

These were my results last November and December in l/100 kms:

https://i.ibb.co/rkZrnMY/Sin-t-tulo.png

3. Maintenance/working on the bike

Services are only every 12000 kms (7.5k miles), which is great for your pocket. But if you decide to do it yourself, it’s as easy as it could be. Oil, coolant, sparks, wires, battery, filters…everything is easy to reach without having to remove a single bolt more than the absolutely necessary.

The only thing Honda messed up in that way is the rear axis’ bolt, the one you loosen in order to adjust the chain slack. It is too close to the exhaust to leave room for anything else than a regular wrench, so you can’t use a dynamometric or a ratchet.

4. (Lack of) fairings

There isn’t much to say about this. Besides an easier maintenance, the lack of fairings means that in case someone drops the bike it will be much cheaper to fix. Naked bikes check this box as well, but the rebel goes even further than say an MT-07 because it has zero plastics on it. Other naked bikes have small pieces covering the tail and the front. The Rebel simply has a metallic mudguard/tail in the back, a tank and a round light at the front.

Again, good for your pocket.

Another great perk of this is that painted metal ages way better than plastic. In other bikes, after a couple of years you can clearly see the difference between the painted parts and the plastics. It becomes more evident in the rear end, with the mudguard and all those covers for the lower part of the tail, the chain and the suspension. The Rebel, on the other hand, will remain shiny for years.

5. Tyres

They are fat, they are grippy, they are long lasting. It comes with a set of Dunlop D-404 as standard, which seem like they will last 20000-21000kms (12.5k-13k miles) but Michelin Commander II is what I will get when that day comes.

They promise even better mileage with better grip in the wet. It doesn’t mean the Dunlops are bad, but for the price difference I think it’s worth it.

Yes, good for your pocket. Again.

6. Size, height, riding position, center of mass

Size and riding position are subjective, if you are interested the only way to find out if it suits your taste is to go to a dealer and hop on one. I’m 1.76m (roughly 5ft10”) and I think I’m on the spot where it doesn’t feel too small, nor too big. Shorter riders won’t have a problem as it is a very low bike. Bigger ones…well…they are the ones that must check for themselves by trying one.

Besides the obvious ease to move it around or to stop at red lights, the lower seat makes this bike’s center of gravity the lowest of the pack (CB500F, CBR500, CB500X). This is specially handy during windy days or when overtaking trucks and buses in the motorway, because it can handle side winds like a champ.

It’s also very thin and the handlebars are lower than most big cars’ mirrors, so it makes filtering through them a lot easier.

THE BAD

1. Rear indicators and tail light

God, they are crappy. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing bad with the electrics in this bike, I’m still using the original lightbulbs, but the plastics parts are just poorly fitted.

The indicators are Honda’s usual ones. You have seen them in a million other models for years, and they work just fine in most of them. The front ones are well integrated and they feel relatively sturdy in all their plasticness. But the rear ones…oh the rear ones.

They feel like they are going to fall apart at any given moment…and one of them actually did! I came home to find it hanging from its wires (but still working, so the wiring is actually decent).

The good part is that it can be fixed. Each indicator has two screws: one at the bottom to hold the orange cover, and one in the back to hold the indicator itself in place. This is the one that tends to loosen with the vibration of the bike and eventually falls.

Well, a little bit of superglue and you are good to go. You will only need to remove it again if you need to replace the indicator itself, and in that case I guess you won’t care much about breaking any plastics.

As for the tail light itself, it is just poorly fitted. It doesn't feel like it will fall apart, but it looks like some Joe adapted it from a completely different motorcycle in his backyard.

The new 2020 model, which has a full LED system, doesn’t have this problem. Every light seems sturdier and better integrated. Plus no need to replace lightbulbs, which is even better.

2. Seat

It is sexy looking, the fabric is good and it doesn’t age prematurely, but it really is thin and hard. It's not a huge tragedy, and as long as you aren’t as flat as a carpet in your rear end you can ride for a couple of hours without major issues, I can confirm that. But it’s not the epitome of comfort, and if you come from a bike with a proper cushion you’ll replace it/pad it sooner than later.

Apparently they fixed this one as well in the 2020 model, but I haven’t ridden one, so I can’t confirm. It certainly can’t be worse, that’s for sure.

3. Exhaust material

Yes, the material it’s made of. Given the fact that this bike has virtually the same engine as the other three (CB500F, CBR500, CB500X), I don’t know why did they choose to use that cheap, grey metal for the exhaust instead of the shiny silver one you see in the rest.

It’s the same that you see in many scooters and bikes that have fairings to cover it. And trust me, they cover it for a reason. In the dealership it looks fantastic, all dark and in tune with the rest of the bike. But then you start to put miles on it, and after some heat-cold cycles the pipes turn a lighter grey. And after you ride it in the rain and on winter roads full of salt, you’ll begin to see slight rusty spots appearing if you are not careful.

It’s not the end of the world, of course, and the pipes are not a complete piece of crap. They won’t really get that rusty and they certainly can last as much as the rest of the bike if you are careful. But keep in mind that they won’t look as good as new for ever (hell, not even for a month). I guess you can always remove the whole exhaust system, apply black thermic paint and solve it, but it would be much easier to polish regular, silver pipes every once in a while. Shame on you, Honda.

THE UGLY

1 Chain drive

I’m sorry, but it’s a pain in the ass. A bobber bike like this one could have been perfect with a small shaft drive like the one in the old Intruder 400 or the Shadow 400.

The bike is not crazy powerful, so you don’t need to adjust the chain slack very often, but it’s a fact that chain drives are the dirtiest, noisiest and the ones that need the most care.

2 Gear box and ratios

The gear box is generally fine, but it’s not a work of art. You tend to get false neutrals, specially during the break in period and when the engine’s cold. Also, sometimes you have to open the gas a little bit to get it to go from N to 1st.

3. Suspension

The forks are reaaaaally soft, and this being a budget bike they can’t be adjusted. Only the rear springs can be adjusted on preload.

After some trial and error I decided to leave them in the softest configuration to match the front. It doesn’t make the bike very wobbly on fast turns, but you won’t be the fastest at cornering. The positive part is that it makes cruising an absolute bliss.

Be careful with potholes though, because you will most likely bottom the forks if you are not careful and that’s not good.

4. Vibrations

Being a small parallel twin it doesn’t vibrate as much as a Harley, but it has some high frequency vibrations at certain rpm that can be a pain in the ass (and the wrists). It’s only at very specific rpm, at lower or higher speeds they almost disappear. Eventually you find that spot and avoid it, but it would be much better if it wasn’t there.

And that’s it. I hope it helps anyone who has doubts about this bike. All in all, I don’t regret the purchase one bit. For me it is the best looking one in its class, and a great value for your money, but it is not perfect. Honda cut budget on some unimportant parts (those rear lights...) and kept their outstanding build quality where it really matters. For what it costs, you can’t ask for more…









…Well, you can ask for the 2020 model that fixes most of the shitty parts and is an even better bike than the first one.

[redeem ouzzer]

I hated them ever since Easy-X bought one, sorry.
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Be a REAL MAN!

[ThatDippyTwat]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[Kentol750]

Easy X will be along shortly to counter anything bad!
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Some bikes.

[linuxyeti]

The mpg figures seem a little on the low side, especially for only a 500, not awful, just seem a little low. Even my Interceptor 650 tends to average 75-80mpg on the times I've bothered to measure it. Having said that, I do quite like the look of it, and, it may well be a bike my daughter considers, once she's old enough and has an A2 licence
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Beware what photos you upload, or link to on here, especially if you have family members on them

[blurredman]

L/100km ? wtf. no one cares about that in a graph.

MPG in a graph please- this is the uk.
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CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S, 1979 MZ TS150.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 18k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 10k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 39k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 50k.

[A100man]

Are you French.? Welcome anyway. BCF is an unusual forum in so many ways. Please stick around to find out more.
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Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[Easy-X]

[WD Forte]

There
It's official
Easy-X is a tart!
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bikers smell of wee

[Easy-X]

[linuxyeti]

[Kentol750]

Short arse or short inside leg doesn't mean a cruiser bike. You can justify two feet flat on the floor for as long as you can explain how jockeys are sooooooo fucking tall! Confidence in your own balance means everything.
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Some bikes.

[A100man]

I don't think the name helps.. 'Rebel' snigger..

..no offence, like

Mind you, a Suzuki Rebel on the other hand..
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Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[Easy-X]

[The Shaggy D.A.]

[WD Forte]

Thing is, we're all different shapes and sizes and getting a bike to fit and suit
you can be tricky.
Us lanky blokes can struggle as well
I hammered the feck out of my seat pan and chopped foam to let me shift me arse back a bit
the covers a bit wrinkly but it's worth it to sit more comfortably.
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bikers smell of wee

[stevo as b4]

I struggle with modern stuff, but I can't get over the 11bhp cull in the modern CB/CBR/Rebel 500 engine to meet a poxy A2 regulation and robbing the engine of its character and little top end rush that made the original CB500 fun to ride.

The naked one like that the CB500 cup race bikes were based on were 174kg. That figure with 58-60bhp was still good fun and a laugh to ride, despite being well down on 600cc sports bike power and of a similar weight figure.

If you make bikes and significantly deviate from reasonable power to weight ratios then they become dull and boring. I know that the A2 regulations kill fun and bike development but all it means is we get watered down shit bikes.

[Easy-X]

Could be worse: A2 is at least a usable amount of power compared to the travesty of A1. And you can't blame manufacturers building to the regulatory specs given to them.

So missing 11bhp Missing as in designed that way or missing as in full exhaust system, up-rated injectors, tweaked airbox, dyno remap... the whole "through the looking glass" trip?
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Royal Enfield Continental GT 535, Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[linuxyeti]

[redeem ouzzer]

[linuxyeti]

[Easy-X]

<Yawn> moving on...

I haven't had my Rebel quite as long as the original OP but I was thinking on my throwaway Vulcan line and I reckon I'm about a quarter to a third of the way towards "using up" the novelty of the bike. I hesitate to say "master it" 'cos I'm never gonna manage that! I am getting to the point where, just on the edge of vision, I can see a day where I really know what it's about...

...I still haven't even found a circumstance/road/need/courage to crack the throttle fully open yet At least my cornering's getting better
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Royal Enfield Continental GT 535, Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[TravisBickle]

Best way to jack up the rear end of a Rebel 500 for chain maintenance?

Doesn't look like it's possible to fit bobbins and a quick search for Rebel 500 bobbins confirms this.

Puig do a model specific paddock stand but it's £50, not sure i can justify that on a paddock stand that can't be used on my other bikes.

Is there a specific interchangeable attachment available for a generic paddock stand.
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2024 BMW M1000XR
2021 Honda CMX500 Rebel S
2016 Triumph Tiger 1050 Sport

[Easy-X]

Stock exhaust? Nope, you'll have to get the specific one but otherwise a bog-standard "L-Shaped" end will work.
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Royal Enfield Continental GT 535, Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter