MCE BIKER NEWS ARTICLE - 2024


First service shocker

MCE Insurance

When I first saw the range of CB500 motorbikes Honda had created I was very impressed. Great looking bikes, with Honda build quality for such an amazing price. For only £4,950 you can get the CBR500R! Sounds great doesn't it? But now as the first batch of bikes have come up to first service, riders are realising that the price is a little more than they first thought. £300 more...and if you don't pay up, you lose your warranty.

The CB500 range use parallel twin engines and due to the nature of the small lump require a valve clearance check at the first 600 mile service. Doing the valve clearance on a motorbike is a tricky and time consuming job, hence the high £300 price tag but I wonder why Honda didn't take that on themselves. A free first service would go a long way to keeping customers happy, many of them new bikers using the A2 license friendly 500 range as a stepping stone. If I'd just got my first bike, ran her 600 miles, loved every minute and then been told I'd have to pay another £300 to carry on, I'd be pretty miffed.

Still Honda says these bikes are very reliable and after this initial service do not need another until 8000 miles where no valve clearance check is required, that's not until 16,000. So that helps make up the numbers. At the end of the day you're buying a Honda, that means you're getting reliability. If they say it needs a valve clearance check who's to argue, it has to be best for the bike. I'd be interested to see what sort of adjustments have to go on though.

If you've got a bike from the CB500 range and its had, or is up for it's first service, drop me a line on my Facebook Page and tell me what the valve clearance was like. Apart from that, take the hit, get that bike back on the road and ride on!

21.06.13 - Big Ed

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