2023 Honda CBR1000RR-R SP Fireblade 30th Anniversary Review

May 12, 2023 Yura

Rennie Scaysbrook | May 7, 2023

The Honda CBR1000 is no longer the sleepy old man of the superbike class. Now in CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP (to give it its complete name) form, Honda has taken the ‘Blade and made it more a racer-with-lights than anything coming out of Japan right now, and damn near more so than anything from Europe, too.

A little power wheelie never hurt anyone. At this 9000+rpm range, the power comes on really thick.

Photography by Ryan Nitzen

That’s not necessarily a good thing for many who buy this bike.

At a time, Honda would create a sports motorcycle for the street and turn it into a racing bike. But, in recent years, Honda’s hand has been forced into making this racer-with-lights by the sheer onslaught of European performance, especially in the homologation specials like the BMW M 1000 RR, Ducati Panigale V4 R, and the Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory.

I don’t think Honda themselves wanted to go down that path, but the results in WorldSBK speak volumes. Honda has not won a WorldSBK race since Nicky Hayden took the gold for Ten Kate Honda in a wet race in Malaysia in 2016, a year before his tragic passing.

Isn’t that nuts? We’re going on eight years since the largest motorcycle company on the planet won a race in the series that actually sells its motorcycles. So, you can’t blame them for making street riding a definite second to racetrack performance.

But, oh man, is this bike pretty or what? I’d have one just to put in my living room to stare at those iconic 1990s white, purple, and blue colors. Just beautiful. The attention to detail is typical Honda—little things like a perfectly uniform gap between the tank and the bodywork that runs underneath it, the neat inbound winglets, and the uncluttered appearance of the cockpit all scream Honda quality. Each time you look at the bike, you find something new to like and gaze at. This bike is pure garage porn.

2023 Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP right side — **This has to be the best-looking superbike on the market today.**

Ok, so what’s it like?

I’ve just spent four months riding this $28,900 CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP in every possible condition (café runs, press engagements, a day at Chuckwalla, and, yes, even rain, thanks to the gods dumping all over SoCal this winter). And for the first time I can remember, I think the performance aspect is now too far skewed to the track.

I cast my mind back to when I had a Suzuki GSX-R1000R a few years ago, which was like a couch compared to this CBR. A quick look at my report from the 2021 Honda CBR1000RR-R SP Fireblade press launch from Thunder Hill.

confirmed what I initially thought in that the ergonomics are now so tight they only make sense if you’re either under 5’9″ or you’re tucked in trying to break the sound barrier, or both. I’m 6’1″ with average-length legs (if there are such a thing) and

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Honda CB500F Review | Motorcycle Test

December 5, 2022 Yura

Honda CB500F Review

Honda CB500F review by Wayne Vickers – Images by RBMotoLens

Honda’s sweet little 500 cc twins have received our praise for a while now – and for good reason – as there’s a lot to like about the triumvirate of models that are powered by Honda’s 471 cc parallel twin.

Honda’s 2022 CB500F has received a restyle

Recently I had the chance to spend some time on the latest CB500F, the naked street bike variant, to get a fresh feel for how this year’s updates from Big H translate in the real world.

It’s worth pointing out that the F variant sits alongside its two siblings, the CB500X (soft-roader/adventure bike), and the CBR500R (fully faired sports styling), as an impressive small capacity naked-bike offering.

2022 Honda CB500F – New are the 41mm Showa Separate Function Fork Big Piston (SFF-BP) USD forks

For 2022 the 500 family received a number of updates. For our CB500F in question, that means changes to chassis, forks, brakes and styling, bumping things slightly more aggressively into the ‘street-fighter’ bucket.

2022 Honda CB500F – Dual 296mm discs matched to Nissin radial mount four-piston calipers are also an update, with lighter wheels

Not to sure whether I’d be labelling it a street-fighter, but there’s some juicy new fruit. We’re talking:

41 mm USD Big Piston forks from Showa
Rear shock with pre-load adjustability
Twin 296 mm Nissin wave rotors with radial calipers
Updated swing-arm and styling
17.1 L fuel tank for over 350 km range
Low 789 mm seat height

Step over and down on the bike (the seat really is nice and low) ,and you’re immediately struck by how small and light the bike feels. It feels nothing close to the 189 kg kerb weight the spec sheet lists, and that feeling carries over on the move.

2022 Honda CB500F - Weight is 189 kg with a 785 mm seat height — 2022 Honda CB500F – Weight is 189 kg with a 785 mm seat height

It’s super nimble and manoeuvrable in traffic and is a lane filtering dream. As a point to point urban tool, the CB500F is in its element.

That little twin cylinder engine continues to be a ripper. Pumping a smidge under 50 hp and peaking at around 6500 rpm, it’s wonderfully smooth and surprisingly eager right through the rev range.

2022 Honda CB500F – Power is also 35 kW at 8600 rpm

The fuelling is dialled in nicely, throttle action is sweet and the power curve is linear from idle to redline. The fact that it’s not going to rip your arms off only serves to encourage you to open the taps all the way, more often.

The CB500F is super frugal with its drinking habits too – I was seeing just over 3.5 L/100 km from it which gives a theoretical range of past 400 km.

The tank will hold 17.1 litres and could potentially take you 400 km

I didn’t ever see that, purely because of where my servo stops were located, I kept topping it up around the 350 km

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August U.S. car sales: Toyota, Honda skid all over again Ford, Hyundai, Kia put up double-digit August gains

October 5, 2022 Yura

Ford claimed a 27 % improve in August quantity, with the Ford division up 28 percent and Lincoln advancing 24 percent. The gains ended up broad throughout Ford Motor’s solution lineup, with utility car or truck volume leaping 48 per cent, vehicles soaring 13 % and autos up 49 %.

Ford said need remains sturdy, with retail orders for 2023 product vehicles totaling a lot more than 76,000 last thirty day period, a 41 per cent increase when compared to 2022 product calendar year vehicle orders from a year earlier. And for the fifth straight month, a lot more than 50 percent of Ford’s retail product sales arrived from earlier positioned orders.

The comapny said it finished August with 259,000 automobiles in vendor inventory or in transit, up from 254,000 at the finish of July and 215,000 as August 2021 closed.

Toyota Motor, with some of the leanest stockpiles, claimed quantity dropped 9.8 percent past month, with profits down 8.1 per cent at the Toyota division and 20 p.c at Lexus. It was the 13th-straight monthly drop at Toyota and seventh consecutive drop in Lexus’ month-to-month quantity.

The Toyota brand’s top sellers posted mixed final results previous thirty day period: Camry, down 5.7 per cent Corolla, off 20 % Highlander, down 24 per cent RAV4, up 9.1 p.c and Tacoma, up 11 percent.

Toyota Motor mentioned it finished August with 132,932 motor vehicles in U.S. inventory — 16,556 at dealerships and 116,376 at ports or in transit — for a 21-working day supply, with truck provides higher than car stockpiles.

The Toyota division has a 20-day source of automobiles, even though Lexus is sitting down on a 26-working day supply of autos and light-weight vehicles, the corporation described Thursday.

Honda Motor Co. reported August profits skidded 38 p.c, with deliveries down 36 percent at the Honda division and 47 p.c at Acura. Honda model product sales have now dropped 13 straight months, while Acura volumes have dropped 12 consecutive months.

Honda reported its days’ provide of motor vehicles continues to be stuck in the solitary digits, whilst a West Coastline rail embargo contributed to offer woes for the duration of the thirty day period.

Hyundai and Kia every finished a extend of 5-straight every month declines with strong August final results.

August quantity rose 14 per cent at Hyundai and 22 p.c at Kia driving robust retail desire for crossovers, EVs and some automobiles.

“We’re looking at stock start out to rebound, which resulted in potent revenue,” stated Randy Parker, CEO of Hyundai Motor The us. The corporation explained it finished August with 19,209 automobiles and lights vans in U.S. stock, up from 14,784 at the shut of July but off from 39,357 at the conclude of August 2021. Parker, in an job interview Thursday, said Hyundai expects manufacturing unit output to enhance 30 to 35 per cent in the second 50 percent, aiding to even more rebuild vendor stockpiles.

Kia, with the lowest days’ supply of vehicles, in accordance

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Vietnam Automobile Industry Report 2022 Featuring Honda,

September 12, 2022 Yura

Dublin, Sept. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The “Research Report on Vietnam’s Automobile Industry 2022-2031” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.

According to the analyst’s analysis, the annual sales of automobiles in Vietnam increased rapidly from 2015 to 2019, from 209,000 in 2015 to 306,000 in 2019, which is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. In 2020, due to COVID-19, sales amount decreased to 283,983, by the end of 2021, sales of automobiles increased by 2.5% to 304,149.

The growth rate of Vietnam’s GDP in 2021 rose to 362.619 billion US dollars, a real growth of 2.58%

Considering the spread of COVID-19 in 2020-2021, the annual GDP growth rate of 2%-3% is already a good figure in the world. Vietnam’s economy has been increasing rapidly for many years, but wages of the manufacturing are still at a low level, which were less than 50% in China and far below that of the developed countries in 2022.

Vietnam auto industry starts late, and the development base is weak. After the reform in 1986, Vietnam auto industry started. In 1991, Vietnam government introduce foreign funds to develop automobile manufacture and assemble industry. After 30-year development, Honda, Toyota, Ford, GM, etc. entered Vietnam through sole proprietorship or joint-investment.

They established automobile assemble enterprises in Vietnam. Meanwhile, Vietnam established domestic auto enterprises. According to the analyst’s analysis, the production capacity of complete vehicles in Vietnam is estimated to 755,000 per year by the end of 2021.

There are hundreds of auto part manufacture enterprises, most of which are SMEs featured with low production capacity and low technology. Major products are simple parts, e.g. seats, auto storage batteries.

Since Vietnam’s domestic automobile production is low and cannot meet the domestic market demand, it needs to import a certain number of automobiles every year. From 2015 to 2019, Vietnam’s annual automobile imports also show an overall upward trend. However, due to the impact of the epidemic in 2020, Vietnamese automobiles the decline in sales has caused the same decline in car imports. During 2021, Vietnam imported 160,035 automobiles, compared with 2020, the import amount increased by 52.1%.

According to the analyst’s forecast, as the COVID-19 epidemic has been well controlled in Vietnam, it is expected that the Vietnamese auto market will gradually recover.

According to the analyst’s forecast, for auto parts manufacturers and vehicle manufacturers, the Vietnamese market has a lot of room for growth from 2022 to 2030.

With the economic development, the growth of income per capita and infrastructure construction, Vietnam market demands more for passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles. Vietnam auto manufacture enjoys low labor cost, land and energy cost but also faces imperfect auto industry chain.

Major auto manufacturers and companies in Vietnam profiled in this report include Honda Vietnam, Toyota Motor Vietnam, Ford Vietnam, GM Vietnam, Hino Motors Vietnam, Isuzu Vietnam, Mekong Auto Corporation, Mercedes-Benz Vietnam, Vietnam Motors Corp. (VMC) and Vina Star Motors Corp.

Topics covered:

The impact of COVID-19 on the Vietnam Automobile industry
Supply

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2022 Honda CB500F Review (A Dozen Fast Facts: Urban Motorcycle)

July 27, 2022 Yura

There is something so satisfying about a motorcycle that fits like a well-worn glove, and that’s how the 2022 Honda CB500F matches up with my five-foot six-inch 115-pound body. It follows my movements effortlessly, never getting in the way of what I want to do or overwhelming me with its weight or power. As the naked bike in Honda’s mid-size lineup of 500 twins, the CB500F is most in its element as an urban motorcycle, handling commuting duties and around-town errands, while capably serving as a weekend sportbike in the canyons.Introduced in 2013 and updated every three years, the CB500F receives several functional improvements for 2022. The well-tweaked bike now has an inverted Showa SFF-BP fork, dual disc brakes up front, and has shed a few pounds. Already an approachable, easy-to-ride bike, these refinements further hone the CB500F as one of the best go-to bikes for a wide swath of riders.

The CB500F has twin 296mm rotors upfront for 2022. Gone is the single 310mm disc and axial-mount caliper. They are replaced with smaller dual discs grasped by radially mounted four-piston Nissin calipers. Braking is linear and rewarding. There was never a time when I felt a lack of confidence in the brakes; the harder I squeezed the five-position adjustable lever, the quicker I slowed down. This allows an aggressive rider to extract the maximum performance out of the sensible 500F, while never catching a novice rider by surprise with a harsh initial bite. When riding more leisurely, the engine compression braking is often enough to slow you down. There’s a 240mm disc in the rear for finessing stops around town or aiding hard braking in the canyons. I’m a rear brake fan, and the feel at the pedal is spot-on. ABS is standard, non-intrusive, and always welcome.

An inverted Showa SFF-BP fork appears on the 2022 Honda CB500F. Upgrading the conventional 41mm fork to Showa’s Separate Function Fork – Big Piston design gives the CB500F a firmer front end. There’s a spring in one tube and damping in the other, saving weight. No adjustments are available on the fork—not to worry, the action is well-dialed as-is. Plus, there’s plenty of feedback for the aggressive riders amongst you. The linkage-assisted shock is adjustable for spring preload should you take a passenger.

Dropping four pounds from its curb weight, the CB500F weighs in at 416 pounds for 2022. While that still outweighs me 3.5x times over, it doesn’t feel like a handful. Even at parking-lot speeds—where you most feel a motorcycle’s weight—the 500F is easy to maneuver. It’s 16 pounds lighter than the closely related faired CBR500R, and weighs 23 pounds less than the CB500X adventure iteration. Coupled with the low seat height, it feels even lighter. These are pluses for less experienced riders, making the 500F that much more of a blast for the seasoned rider. Weight savings came from tweaks to the swingarm, radiator, and lighter wheels.

Power delivery is smooth, supportive, and plenty

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2022 Honda CRF-E2 Review [15 Fast Facts: Electric Motorcycle Test]

July 25, 2022 Yura

The first electric motorcycle from Honda is here, and it might not be what you expected—the new 2022 Honda CRF-E2 is a trail bike for kids. The CRF-E2 is manufactured and designed by Greenger Powersports, with Honda helping with the setup of the final version. The result is described as a Honda Official Licensed Product, and we call it a Honda CRF-E2 because we’re a motorcycle publication. We grabbed one of the first E2s available from Greenger, and then let our youngest test rider loose on the local trails.

The 2022 Honda CRF-E2 is a quality motorcycle. The frame is a twin-spar aluminum design patterned after Honda’s adult motocrossers, disc brakes slow it down, Kenda Millville K771 tires put the electric power to the ground, and the E2 has a linkage-less cantilevered shock with adjustment for rebound damping and spring preload. The motorcycle looks great, and the finish is up to Honda standards. This isn’t a cheap toy you’ll find at hardware or department stores. It is sold exclusively at Honda dealers with a list price of $2950.

The size of the CRF-E2 is midway between a Honda CRF50F and CRF110F. The E2’s seat is adjustable to a height of either 24.8 or 25.5 inches. In the low position, the seat is 3.2 inches higher than the CRF50F, and the high seat position is 0.4 inches lower than the CRF110F. Test rider Avery Bart is almost 8 years old, stands 4 feet 2 inches, and weighs 48 pounds, and the E2 fits her perfectly. Speaking of weight, at 106 pounds filled with electrons, the E2 is four pounds lighter than the CRF50F and a staggering 64 pounds lighter than the CRF110F—a huge difference for a young rider.

Operating the Honda CRF-E2 is incredibly easy. It has a keyed ignition. Once the key is in the switched to the on position, the rider or supervising adult can select one of two power modes. With the power mode engaged, push the on button (a repurposed e-start button), and all the rider has to do is twist the throttle. It’s instantly game-on, as the fully automatic one-speed transmission means no clutch or gear shifting. Any youngster of sufficient size who can balance a bicycle will be able to ride the E2.

There is a significant difference between the two power modes. Stage 1 limits the speed of the E2 to 10 mph, while Stage 2 ups the ante to 20 mph. The 3.4 horsepower peak output is not nearly as important as the 18.4 ft-lbs of torque available. Without any doubt, the CRF-E2 is not underpowered.

Taking off from a standing start is not as smooth in Stage 1 as we’d like it to be. Electric motors on motorcycles are only as usable as the controller for the motor. With so much torque available as soon as an electric motor turns, it must be padded down for the power to be usable. In Stage 1, we found the power

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