Hi. I’m Josh from eastern NC area. About 2 months ago I bought my first bike and learned how to ride in my neighborhood until I felt comfortable enough to take it to work. Ever since I’ve been hooked. (All 2 months.)

I thought I made the prudent choice for bike and splurged on a new model - a 2020 CBR500r. This was after lots of YouTube research and basically ignoring some bikers who say it had no character and was too slow in favor of the people who say it’s a great beginner bike that you won’t get tired of because you can push it without getting a 5 star wanted level.

After 2 months of riding it, I just grew tired of it and wanted something with a few more horses. Today I drove home a 2018 CBR1000rr S1. It’s not new, but that is not as important to me as I thought it was when I bought the 500.

I also didn’t want to make the same mistake of buying a bike and wishing I had more. If I ever outgrow this bike I’ll just go purchase a fighter jet to get the missing Gs I guess. I am thoroughly blown away by how much more bike I have under me and I am sitting here anxiously awaiting the morning when I can jump back on it and ride it some more.

I have much to learn about this bike in particular and I am interested being a part of this community who shares my love for the CBR line.

So give it to me straight- am I crazy for going from a 500 to the 1000? Was I crazy to start on the 500? Anyone follow a similar path and jump from a beginner to a liter?

 

I have to say, that's a serious jump to make, especially in such a short amount of time. Going fast is easy, riding smart and increasing skills not so much. I wish you a lot of luck and stay safe.

 

I personally think that's a big jump. Not sure what kind of riding you're doing, but if you get into canyon or track riding, you might find the power overwhelming while you're gaining experience

 

As others have said it is a significant jump. But depending on your current riding skills, confidence, experience and maturity it is doable IMO.

You will need to be patient as you will have to relearn some skills. A 1k bike isn’t just faster, it’s heavier, less nimble and a host of other differences. You will enter a curve in a different manner. There’s just a lot to it but like I said it can be done.

 

It’s definitely a big jump in power.

im 35 and balance a lot of responsibilities- I never got into bikes so I could take extreme risks and push limits. I’m just the type to want the best of what I can get if I’m going to be involved with something. Also, in my profession, I am often operating machines with enough power to kill and understand that power at my fingertips represents a great deal of personal responsibility that I take on. Risks are present in everything, it’s about how you mitigate them and your tolerance for the rest.

Most of my riding is commuting to work and back and forth to town for various tasks- and that’s about a 25 minute ride on well patrolled roads so the opportunity to act out is basically nonexistent. I just appreciate quick acceleration and available power. I didn’t want to trade up for a 600 and realize it was marginally better than the 500- which I know wasn’t likely to be the case, but I’ve also read that a lot of the power the 600s have is pretty tame until you are hitting the 6-8k rpm range. I am only speaking this because it’s what I’ve been led to believe, not because I think I know it all. I’m always listening to what people think.

all that said, I know I am still actually a novice and respect that while I am riding on such a beast. I am careful and do not try to push the motorcycle to its limits or try to show off for anyone. I am also certain that despite the power this bike has, on a track day I would be beat by people on smaller bikes due to my inexperience alone. I would love to go to a track and start improving my skills, but I don’t know of any nearby me. I drive daily so I am hoping the hours in the seat will continue to add up to practical skill.

 

Welcome Ocean Rider!

I'm still relatively new to sports bikes but my feeling is that the 1000 is a road legal race track bike - so if you're going to be doing racing you've made the right choice. For just commuting perhaps the 650 would also be a good choice. Although I think you may well get more torque at lower revs with the larger engine which would be handy while commuting when you need that. You also must be quite tall as the seat height on the 1000 is so high! not sure what the reason is for that as Honda would probably sell more bikes if they simply lowered the seat height to at least the same height as the 650 (if any ceebers can answer this question I'd love to know the answer!!)

Enjoy your bike Ocean rider!!