My Rebel 500 ABS was delivered today. Haven't gotten to do much yet since it is raining every 10 minutes but I will give my first impression.
1. Looks: The bike looks great. Better than expected and I am very happy with it.
2. Ergonomics: The bike is different for me. I have been riding sport bikes and this is my first cruiser. I have already tried to put my feet behind me like they would be on a sport bike multiple times. I assume it will take a few weeks to get use to that. But the bike feels really good. I like that the foot pegs are not real far forward.
3. Weight: The bike feels pretty light. But the balance is much different than what I am use to so I need to get use to that lower center of gravity on the bike.
4. Exhaust: I don't hate the exhaust. But it is quiet. I am not saying that because I love super loud bikes. I am saying when the wind blows, it drowns out the engine. I can barely hear the bike with my helmet on. Whats crazy is I kept saying you don't need a tach to shift, but it would have been nice considering how quiet the engine is.
5. Handling: The bike handles real well so far. It is easy to control and so far it is probably my favorite part of the bike.
6. Suspension: The suspension is weird. I am gonna fool around with preload a bit. But when I hit a bump with my rear , I could feel it directly in my seat. The rear needs dampening of some sort. I don't think it is quite as bad as the reviews made it seem.
7. Speed/Power: I have to say, I am glad I didn't get the 300 like I originally planned on. The bike has decent speed and power, but honestly it really is about even with other companies 300cc bikes. I was able to cruise at 65 without issue, and had it just over 70. The bike runs smooth at these speeds. But accelleration at Freeway speeds is not great.
7b: Power 2up: I did not have a passenger on at higher speeds yet. But in the city the bikes torque workes great with 2up. I will say me and the wife combine for only about 280lbs so I can't just for larger people.
8. Shifting: The bike shifts very smooth. The only issue I was having, is it is a little tricky to get into neutral.
9. Braking: Not much to be said here. They work like they should.
9b. Engine Braking: In 2-3-4 the bike engine brakes fine. Shifting to first kinda brakes a bit too much for my taste. But still getting use to bike.
10. Odds and ends:
A. The ends of the handlebars have a metal cap welded onto them. So any bar-end items you may have wanted will not work without modification.
B. The front brake lever is not of standard size. So if you were looking to change the lever for adjustable ones you would need to either put some kind of shim in to make up for the approx 1/2" difference in width or wait for levers specific to this rebel.
Overall the bike was really fun in my limited amount of ride time, and I am super happy with it. I can't wait for better weather so I can get out and do some more riding.
1. Looks: The bike looks great. Better than expected and I am very happy with it.
2. Ergonomics: The bike is different for me. I have been riding sport bikes and this is my first cruiser. I have already tried to put my feet behind me like they would be on a sport bike multiple times. I assume it will take a few weeks to get use to that. But the bike feels really good. I like that the foot pegs are not real far forward.
3. Weight: The bike feels pretty light. But the balance is much different than what I am use to so I need to get use to that lower center of gravity on the bike.
4. Exhaust: I don't hate the exhaust. But it is quiet. I am not saying that because I love super loud bikes. I am saying when the wind blows, it drowns out the engine. I can barely hear the bike with my helmet on. Whats crazy is I kept saying you don't need a tach to shift, but it would have been nice considering how quiet the engine is.
5. Handling: The bike handles real well so far. It is easy to control and so far it is probably my favorite part of the bike.
6. Suspension: The suspension is weird. I am gonna fool around with preload a bit. But when I hit a bump with my rear , I could feel it directly in my seat. The rear needs dampening of some sort. I don't think it is quite as bad as the reviews made it seem.
7. Speed/Power: I have to say, I am glad I didn't get the 300 like I originally planned on. The bike has decent speed and power, but honestly it really is about even with other companies 300cc bikes. I was able to cruise at 65 without issue, and had it just over 70. The bike runs smooth at these speeds. But accelleration at Freeway speeds is not great.
7b: Power 2up: I did not have a passenger on at higher speeds yet. But in the city the bikes torque workes great with 2up. I will say me and the wife combine for only about 280lbs so I can't just for larger people.
8. Shifting: The bike shifts very smooth. The only issue I was having, is it is a little tricky to get into neutral.
9. Braking: Not much to be said here. They work like they should.
9b. Engine Braking: In 2-3-4 the bike engine brakes fine. Shifting to first kinda brakes a bit too much for my taste. But still getting use to bike.
10. Odds and ends:
A. The ends of the handlebars have a metal cap welded onto them. So any bar-end items you may have wanted will not work without modification.
B. The front brake lever is not of standard size. So if you were looking to change the lever for adjustable ones you would need to either put some kind of shim in to make up for the approx 1/2" difference in width or wait for levers specific to this rebel.
Overall the bike was really fun in my limited amount of ride time, and I am super happy with it. I can't wait for better weather so I can get out and do some more riding.
