Howdy I used to own the 300 and have ridden the 500. The biggest difference between the two is weight. 66lbs or 30kg. The 500 is a porker whereas the 300 is more nimble, flickable and fun. But if your doing a lot of highway work you may find the more stable feel of the 500 better esp in high winds. The 300 motor isnt high revving by nature as its a single cylinder and produces reasonable midrange torque for its size. The 500 isnt revvy either even though its a twin and should be. It has a crazy low redline of 9,200 rpm. I found the 500 motor a bit boring actually, it signs off way too early, esp when your looking to have a bit of fun.
I'd pump for the 300, it's a fun bike. It will sit on 70mph on the high way fine and 80 if you whip it along some. If you do get one you may find you want to change the gearing like a lot of owners do to reduce the revs at higher cruising speeds.

 

Thanks for the info! Sounds like I could lean either way as highways where I live tend to have lots of traffic so probably won't be cruising at high speeds that often. As for the gearing on the 300, I'm no familiar with it so what do you recommend the best gearing to be for a mix of riding.

 

Having owned two CB500X's and two 300's due to your size and what your going to do with it I would go with the 500X not the F or the R because those two bike are only one inch better seat foot peg wise than theCBR300R And the F-if you don't like the X and are going to cruise at no more than 65 mph than the CB300R would work I'm your size exactly - the CBR300R and the F have a small seat compared the the CB300R-I know it sounds confusing -you need to go seat on all of them- I ride a CB300R and it fits me fine where my CB300F was cramped -but any cruiseing over 65mph will Shorten engine life-the 500's are a all day 70 mph cruise bike

 

Thanks for the info! I'll definitely have to sit in both to see the difference to understand what you are talking about. Either way I go, I think I'll be happy overall.

 

I put a 15T on my CB300R and checking constantly with the TomTom, the speedo reads 1 - 2 mph more than the TomTom and revs are 1000 per 10 mph, same as my CBR300 was.

 

Here's the thing I've decided after my first two bikes: The highway is just not going to be fun. You could compromise further and further toward something more comfortable for the highway (it's not just as easy as "bigger") but you're potentially impacting the bike in those slow speed / urban environments and spirited windy backroads / weekend track events. You'll always get batted around by double-trailer semi-trucks and strong wind gusts. (A full-fairing bike would be better in this regard.)

I took my CB300F on a few long trips (including one 1,500+ mi) and yes, it's strung out doing 70+ mph on the interstate. But doable and, I think, totally fine for the little single-cylinder thumper. I also regularly did 45 min - 1 hour stints on the highway regularly (to get to better backroads). And shorter stints to get around the city. Not problematic.

I'm 5'11" and had been ~175 lb range. Some people might look at you on the small bike on the highway and think you're nuts. But there's ample acceleration even at highway-plus speeds. Your hands will get numb from the vibration. You'll have tons of fun around the city and on curvy roads.

I thought my Suzuki SV650X would be better on the highways -- it is, but not hugely, as much as I might have thought beforehand. You're still in an awkward position relatively speaking that you can't change, focusing 100% of the time because it's not a car, getting blown around by the wind, waiting for your destination. And hopefully you remembered the ear protection or your head will be ringing afterwards. But it's hugely entertaining around the city and on the backroads. The sub-1 hour trips on interstates (posted 65-75 mph around here) are, indeed, more tolerable and they go by quicker.

The CBR300 on paper is the better bike than the CBR500. But the 500 could certainly fit someone's riding better. A few problems are, as you noted, there's a much better supply of 300s, and there are also some great bikes to be had competing at the 500's entry point (like the SV 😇).

 

...The CBR300 on paper is the better bike than the CBR500. But the 500 could certainly fit someone's riding better. A few problems are, as you noted, there's a much better supply of 300s, and there are also some great bikes to be had competing at the 500's entry point (like the SV 😇).

Kawasaki's Ninja 400 is another.

 

With the 15T on my new CB300R the speedo reads 1 - 2 mph more than the TomTom. This comparison has been done each time I've been out on it and checked throughout the ride. Nice to know if my speedo reads the speed limit then I am just under it. As for the odometer and total miles, the reading on the speedo is 6% less than the distance the Tomtom gives for the ride. I don't mind because when I come to sell it the reading will be less than it has actually done so will look better to the buyer. Not that 6% is very much. I would not change back to the 14T front. The gear spread now is just right for our area ( twisty hilly roads with very few double carriageways and mostly 60 mph limits)

 

You can't ride paper-having owned two 500's and two 300's all I can say is bull-but lets look at the paper
CBR300R 27.5 HP- 357 lbs =a HP to weight ratio of 12.98 to one
CBR500R 47.5 HP 423 lbs = 8.9 to one--big difference--
CB300R 27.5 HP 317 Lbs = 11.52 to one
so much for paper -the 500 series is faster all around and a better bike -the only penalty is weight and that is the only reason I went from a 500 to a CB300R-but I do miss the 500's power-if you haven't ridden a 500 to comp you need to than you can take that paper and put it next to the toilet where it can serve a purpose

 

Also let me say my comments are not against you or anyone else -just the facts from someone who has owned and ridden both

 

Benchracing is dumb, I agree.

But I stand by the CBR500 being in awkward territory. It does not compare terribly well to other twins in the ~7k MSRP range. (SV weight-to-power ratio is 5.8 = 437/75)

 

I believe the CB300 would work for him unless he decides to carry a passenger. The owners manual for the 300 lists the maximum load carrying capacity as around 300lbs. Two average size people are going to push that.

 

That depends entirely on one's definition of "Average Size People". I drove a semi-truck all over the US for over 20 years. In any given state and at any given Truck Stop's Sunday Buffet... the "Average Size" truck driver was already well above the CBR300's load carrying capacity of 300lbs. But they got their money's worth off the buffet.

 

I agree but we're talking 500 vr 300- the SV650 has a very good HP to LBS ratio and lets not the forget the Yamaha MT07 the king of the middle size bikes

 

... and lets not the forget the Yamaha MT07 the king of the middle size bikes

... I bought an FZ09 and my current bike an FZ07. The FZ07 is the WINNAH! 70hp and sub 400lb. weight can't be beat.

Up until a couple of months ago I would have agreed with you both, but... I've ridden the MT/FZ-07 back to back against my Aprilia 660 and it is the new king. The only clincher is its pricey. The MT may no longer be the king but is still best bang for your buck.

You like the 07 that much more than the 09? I got to ride the MT09 at a demo day this year and it was something...

Must be a personal preference thing as I've ridden these two back to back and I preferred the lighter more nimble 07.
I found the three cylinder motor of the 09 a bit too smooth and lacking in character. It sure does go though!

 

A while ago just out of curiousity, I googled average American male and female weights and found out men are at 150 odd pounds and women are 135 or so pounds. I owned a 2014 CB500F, same year SFV650 Gladius and believe their weights are about the same but the Suzuki was about 15 hp stronger. Moving along over the next couple of years, I bought an FZ09 and my current bike an FZ07. The FZ07 is the WINNAH! 70hp and sub 400lb. weight can't be beat. The perfect bike for me would be a 350lb. 500cc Honda CB-F. But I guess that won't happen viewing Hondas recent revision of the CB500 line. Honda may be the big dog on the block but they should listen to their owners when making product changes.

 

You like the 07 that much more than the 09? I got to ride the MT09 at a demo day this year and it was something...

 

my -09 was a 2016 and the throttle on it was really twitchy. Nothing that an experienced rider couldn't handle and the optional throttle settings helped out. However, it was a pain having to change setting on start up to the less evil throttle position. The bike defaulted to a more aggressive setting on shut down. The engine was very nice and I suspect that Yamaha has sorted out the throttle situation by now. I don't follow the FZ09 forum any longer so couldn't say. The suspension was pretty cushy and mostly to my liking since I'm an around town rider mostly. The exhaust note was nice too but not as good as a Triumph Striple. Loved the FZ09 popping on throttle closure while down shifting. The weight was in the CB500 and SV650 area so that was good. Right now, the FZ07 is really hard to beat factoring in its cost. Since I've satisfied my desire somewhat by owning a Brit bike, maybe sometime in the future I can swing an Italian sled.

 

My buddy has the 2016 model MT-09 like you had. Same issue with twitchy throttle response and poor suspension. I ride it in 'B' mode to make it less jerky. On my Aprilia I can change modes on the fly but on the MT you have to come to a stop and kill the engine which is really annoying as it defaults back to A mode every time you turn the bike off.
He spent $4K NZD installing Bitubo suspension front and rear and he modified the spring in some part of the throttle body that made it better but ultimately Yamaha have addressed these issues in the newer models.

 

Hey @kiwi rider, have you got much seat time on your Aprilia and what's your impression of that ride? Back when I owned the FZ09, there wasn't much out there in the throttle improvement and suspension modification area so lucky for me the FZ07 was released. I've had good luck modding the rear suspension of the -07 using an old-very old- Suzuki GSF1200 shock. This straight bolt on $50 EBay shock feels as good as the $500 Ktech Razor Lite that I also have. I'm a solo around town rider so fits me well. I'm hoping other members of this forum will post their suspension mods to these CB's.

 

Sorry chap, I didnt see this one earlier. Yep, I'm loving the Aprilia and have 7,500km on the clock now. I've got used to not having a fairing and it's a comfortable ride,. Probably the best seat Ive had on a bike and I like the higher flat bar which helps muscle the bike into tight corners when your in 'hooligan' mode haha. Surprisingly it is very economical for a 650cc bike. If I set the cruise control to the speed limit it returns 3.6l/100km or nearly 28km/l. I'll let you convert to old speak! I love the cruise control feature.
But the best bit is the stable, surefooted handling, very confidence inspiring. Looks good, sounds good, feels good - happy owner!

 

The 300 will be fine unless you are going to have a passenger often or want to go on the highway at 75mph+ often.

 

Good to hear from you @kiwi rider. A cruise control is nice to have on a long freeway ride. I'm looking at a better seat for my FZ07 since the stock one is good for only about an hour to me.

 

My main riding buddy has a FZ/MT-07 and he purchased the optional Yamaha comfort seat which is thicker and taller. We do the odd 300 mile ride together and it seems to do the business.

As an aside he has just recently purchased an R-7 as well (he's a Yamaha nut lol) and I have ridden this bike a couple of times now. Yamaha has done a tremendous job with upgrading the suspension and the frame stiffening tweaks. You would not think you were riding a bike with the same frame essentially. It gives the best ride of any bike I have ridden. The front end is as good as my Aprilia but the rear shock is better. The bike is oh so stable. Pick a line and it holds it like a train on rails. The suspension damping is bang on out of the box pretty much but there is also adjustability provided to fine tune. Sporty but still soaks up the small bumps with aplomb. It's not as flickable as the shorter wheel based Aprilia 660 but outstanding in every other quarter. He's got the white 60th anniversary edition, looks great.

Took this pic on a recent ride:

 

I see a trend here with Honda revising their CB500R with USD forks and adjustable shock as well. Kawasaki has not modded their 650 Ninja yet I believe. I'm sure they will eventually.

 

Yeah and we're still waiting on Honda to upgrade the mighty CBR300R with another faired mini sportster. A cc increase to 400cc and some better suspension would be a good start. The frame is a 10 yr old design now...

 

If Honda had applied the weight loss methods of the CB300R to the CB500F or R, we'd be a happy bunch flooding the market with our 300's. I'm thinking Honda believes the power output of the 500 is too much for the revised frame to handle. But... Honda could reduce the engine size(400CC?) and power output(40hp?) to suit an updated frame. Didn't Honda produce a 400CC version of the CB500 for the home market at one time?