Yep, I have heard these new o-ring chains are pretty good but you just can't beat the virtually zero maintenance belt drive. I have thought about putting some money into the S-40 for the extra power but then I think I would just be better off with a more modern bike. With the economic uncertainty caused by the corona virus I doubt another bike is my near future. The CB500 is a bike I have looked at a good bit on youtube. It is appealing.

The one bike that always seems to be available at a really reasonable price is the Ninja 500. Tubeless tires, good power, but chain drive and carbureted.

I wouldn't discard an engine because of the duration of the crank.....you need to ride a bike to see what it feels like.  The Honda 500 engines in the Rebel and CB500's are the same engine, and they are 180 degree cranks where one piston is going up while the other is going down...they have a single balance shaft.  The Kawasaki Vulcan S has a 180 degree crank and a single counter balance shaft.  The BMW F800 series has a Rotax engine that is a 360 crank where both pistons go up/down at the same time - the engine has a counterweight and connecting rod that moves opposite the pistons to quell vibrations.  The Kawasaki W800 is a 360 degree crank duration and there is a single counterbalance shaft in the engine.  The new Triumph engines are 360 degree cranks and they have a pair of counterbalance shafts.  The new Royal Enfield 650 has a 270 degree crank with a single counterbalance shaft.

All modern engines vibrate far less than the old twins - which only had counterweight on the crank to reduce vibration.  I read that a lot of the choice for the firing order is chosen to get the correct "sound" by some manufacturers.....BMW wanted their 800 parallel twins to sound like their boxer motors, Triumph wanted their modern bikes to sound like the old ones.  Each company has engineered their bikes to reduce vibrations in a way that works with their engine.....modern bikes don't shake very much.

The choice between the Honda CB500F and the 500 Rebel really have more to do with your style of riding than price or engineering as they both have the same engine.  The Rebel is a cruiser seating style and has a 3 gallon tank and a single disc front brake....the CB500F is a naked sport touring bike with a 4.5 gallon tank and twin front discs.

I find that I am more comfortable on a bike with a standard seating position where my legs are underneath me - not out front in the cruiser seating position.  On a cruiser it feels like I have more weight on my rear end as my legs are not being supported by pegs underneath me, and my tail bone area gets tired sooner.  

OK....I am up for another trip between now and the end of June.  I don't need a lot of advanced notice - so any weekend the weather cooperates is fine with me.

Trips to Robbinsville, Suches, Deals Gap, Kickstand Lodge, Copperhead Lodge, Two Wheel Inn, Blueridge Motorcycle Campground, etc. are all possible.

Restaurants, campgrounds and hotels are all starting to open up again.

MM....would you be willing to do Suches again?  Stew can come this time, and since he has to drive up on Friday night after work and has to leave on Sunday so he can be back to work on Monday - it is good if we can ride somewhere close to him.

I am just getting to learn the Suches roads well and learn some nice roads that are light on traffick (Dial Road, Aska Road), and we have can ride up toward Hiawasee, and your brother Kent can come and shame us with his ability to ride a Harley chopper at sport bike speeds.

The weather for the middle 3 weeks of June looks very promising.

We can pick a weekend and if the weather turns out scary - we can move it to the next week.

Want to tentatively try for June 5,6 & 7? (I will likely arrive on the 4th).

No new Ninja  .  Seriously, since putting the bikes away after Barber's in October I have only been on the bikes just a handful of times. Finally got the big house remodel projects finished late March, then life hit us hard losing Sarah and my mind hasn't been right to be out riding. Hoping I will be all good (mentally) and this will be some good therapy to get out and about for the weekend.

Not sure of Bailey will come this time.  If just me, I'll be on the Savage.

me

MM:

When you come in on Friday - come into Chatsworth and I will meet you there - and we can ride over the Mountain on 52......that was a nice road and takes us into Elliay.  From there we can go up to Aska Road and Dial Road to get to Suches........we can even take a side trip on Snake Nation Road if you want!

Stew , we are still "Social Distancing" in different tents but in one campsite.    I've got one you might like ( I want to fool with a tent ) it opens like an umbrella , claimed to sleep two but that means one and a back-pack !