The 500R is a very good bike, easy enough for a first time rider, and has considerable room for growth. The bike has an upright riding position very similar to what you see with standard-style bikes. The bike has a half fairing, with a smallish upper-cowl and a lower half fairing. As a starter type bike, this bike has proven itself to be a quality choice, and has remained essentially unchanged since 1993.
Herein lies the problem, when compared to newer bikes today, this bike looks like a bike designed 13 years ago. The dual exhaust looks out of place when compared to 600CC bikes that use single exhaust pipes and the generic-shaped single headlight only helps to make this bike look old. The very large turn-signals on the front and back along with the rear fender which is much less exaggerated then what is seen on today's modern sport bikes continue this trend. The grip-bar mounted behind the lady seat is a 'feature' that has been phased out from virtually every other motorcycle years ago.
The bike's performance is another story. While this bike isn't going to keep up with a 4-cylinder 600cc bike on a straightaway, it certainly has enough performance to outrun pretty much anything with more then two seats. The bike also handles just as well as your 600cc race-replicas, which rewards experienced riders with a lot of serious twisty fun. The aftermarket holds a little bit for this bike, but because of this bikes precisely balanced drive train, it does not respond very well to performance mods; in most cases, just replacing the air filter alone also requires rejetting the carb, otherwise you risk losing power from running too lean
Upgrades/Accessories: Flush-mounted front turn signals, rear fender eliminator, Smoked windscreen.
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