Hello,

I’m new here, but not very new to motorbikes.

Up until the age of 24 I only held a motorcycle license (A / unlimited) as I had no interest in cars.

My most serious bike was a Kawasaki ZZR 400 (full size bike, but not overly powerful) which I owned from 1998 to 2000.

In the past 17 years I’ve only been driving “cages” (as – I believe – you call them).

I’m looking to get myself a bike again, so I have a couple of questions to you if you don’t mind:

1. Which models to consider?

I need the bike for commuting to work (Dublin city centre), but I’d also like to go on tours sometimes. Maybe even longer trips covering hundreds of kms each day. (after some practice)

Since I had a ZZR 400, I think a CB500F would be a logical choice (don’t want a supersport bike anymore, thus the F variant – and the Kawasaki gave me a lot of technical issues, thus the Honda).

However… I have a full license, so am I not limiting myself too much with the CB500F? Commuting to work it would be brilliant I think. …doing long trips. It could do it, but not very smoothly I presume. I don’t plan to do a lot of touring though, but the ones I’m planning will be long.

I’m around 5’7″ so I don’t want a higher seat position than the typical 30.7″.

2. If I get a new bike:

I’m really struggling to find dealers with rich web pages with a proper selection of models. I’ve only seen one or two that had the CB500F even.

I’d also need to do test drives once I know what models I consider.

If also find it very hard to tell if a dealer is a main / certified Honda dealer or just somebody with a shop.

Can you recommend me reputable dealers please?

3. If I get a second hand bike:

I can’t spend significantly more than the price of a new CB500F. This fact might limit me into a 2-3 years old bike, if I decide that I need a bigger engine.

What are the biggest mistakes I could do when buying a second-hand bike? (what mileage is realistic and preferrable for 1/2/3 year old bikes; can I get the bike to a service for check up before buying; etc…)

4. One last note

I’m in love with the looks of the CB500F, so I will only be able to buy something else if it’ll be just as impressive looking.

Thanks for any suggestions,

SandR