Brilliant
Nothing.
One of the most reliable bikes I ever owned. Used it as a courier bike (London), then as a personal use bike later. More concerned about reliability than MPG. Had Suzuki and Kawasaki (never Yamaha); all had their pluses, but the VT was the best all rounder.
Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 4th February, 2023
The motorcycle equivalent of a Labrador!
The exhaust rotted and was replaced by a Motad system for under £250.
The electrics can be temperamental, sometimes resulting in a loss of the rear lights.
This is a great little shaft drive bike with quite a punchy 500cc V-twin engine. VERY easy to ride and also quite forgiving, but the pegs touch ground a little too early for my kind of riding.
I like it so much I am now converting it into a cafe racer with drop bars and rear sets, and some nice custom made bodywork. I now have another bike too, but cannot bear to sell the VT as it has been very reliable.
Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 8th January, 2005
Having owned my Honda VT500E for 20 years, it has never let me down. I have only done 36,000 miles, but it still has the original exhaust.
I used to have a top box, but this affected the bike's stability a lot; my advice to anyone with a top box is take it off and use panniers.
This bike is not economic, only does 40 mpg; that's probably because it is old.
Carl.
10th Jul 2006, 23:09
Hello. I'm in the process of purchasing a VT500, and noted that the comments were generally positive, but that braking was rated very low. Can you provide more information on braking please? Thanks.