May I advice owners of Honda CB500 series to carefully check your engine oil level.

First of all it is a bit difficult to check, as a bit of moving of the bike (left or right) may result in a wrong reading of the oil level.
Also if not waiting a few minutes after stopping the engine you might also have a wrong result of the oil level.

There are some known issues with some engines of the new CB500 series

1. Rocker shaft closure is not tightened good (assembly problem). Resulting in losing oil and in very bad cases losing the rocker shaft.

2. Leaking oil from the oil-seal behind the front sprocket (assembly problem). Resulting in losing oil.

Both things of losing oil externally should be easy to see and they are easy to fix. Although the losing of oil behind the front sprocket might be confused with crease from the chain. Actually it makes a great chain lubing system and you might even not notice it.

3. Out of specification produced cylinder-head-cover. Resulting in leaking oil into the cylinder and burning or pressing it to the exhaust. Or pressing it to the inlet. This one is a bit more difficult to see as the burning is very minimal. (check exhaust and air-filter). This problem is also easy to fix.

Be aware that noticeable losing oil in between service checks is NOT normal (even if your dealer says it is).
Be also aware that the call center of AP Honda (= Honda Big Wing) is very poor in communicating with customers.
AP Honda Factory is aware of all 3 of these problems. And being this a new engine type it should not be a surprise.

Be also aware that the call centre of AP Honda (= Honda Big Wing) is very poor in communicating with customers.

Yes, I agree.
Most of us are aware that they are PATHETIC and UNPROFESSIONAL in terms of 'communicating' with Honda owners.

It would have been great if the previous post was the end of the "oil consuming CB500F" story. But it is not!
After that the Cylinder-Head-Cover was replaced I made a 2 day trip covering about 750 km, with a average highway speed of 100 km/h and once a short blast to 140 km/h While starting my second day I could already see that the oil-level had gone down. Coming home I could see that the oil-level was just barely above minimum. I would guess I had lost about 400 - 500 cc of engine oil in a 750 km trip. Bloody hell, if I want to ride to Chiang Mai I will have to take a can of oil with me.

So it is officially now! Honda Big Wing Udon Thani has bought back my Honda CB500F. A engine that was consuming about 500 cc of oil in 750 km was not acceptable to me. Although AP Honda Thailand says it is normal. And that even after replacing the Cylinder-Head-Cover. To me it seems not a assembly error or out-of-specification production. To me it seems a design flaw in the emission control system, as I have spoken to at least 3 other riders of a CB500F/X and all needed to top-up the engine oil. The amount of needed top-up may vary on the bike and riding style, but it is my impression that probably all CB500F/X motorbikes are consuming oil in a not normal way. Motorbike-less again ... what to buy now?

In the next few days I will set-up a page with full report (with photos) about this problem to warn others for what I consider to be a "faulty product" of AP Honda Thailand.

consuming about 500 cc of oil in 750 km was not acceptable to me. Although AP Honda Thailand says it is normal.

Oh really?
Normal?
AP Honda probably have a recall on their hands and are. typically, behaving like an ostrich.

Wouldn't it be fascinating to read something from them about this issue?
There's a few relevant bike sites in Thailand they could comment in.
And there's many 500X 500F owners too.

What we haven't heard is from owners who are NOT having this oil consumption problem;
so does that mean it is a common problem throughout the range?

Incidentally, did you receive a fair 'buy back' from AP?

From another site;

Admin
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Sorry, for the removalve of your post but for legal reasons we have to remove the content published on another websites...

Surely there are other CB500X/F/R owners out there who could comment about this issue!

Surely the guys running the site know something?

Meanwhile, reports from Australia say that 2013 model CB500X, R and F are being RECALLED because the rocker arm shaft sealing bolt may come loose causing oil to leak from the engine …. then kaboom!

OK, AP Honda, what do you say to that?

As former owner of a oil consuming Honda CB500F I have been researching the recalls of Honda and did realize a weird thing. Living in Thailand I should know better but .....

If I look on web-site's in example Australia, USA or UK at the main web-site's of multiple brand-names of cars or motorcycles I can find information about recalls. But at least I cannot find that information on any Thai web-site of any brand name of cars or motorcycles. I am blind? Or are Thai products sold in Thailand excluded from recalls? I think I know the answer but that would actually be highly surprising for the mother companies of those brand names.

Quote by: Changn Noi

As former owner of a oil consuming Honda CB500F I have been researching the recalls of Honda and did realize a weird thing. Living in Thailand I should know better but .....

If I look on web-site's in example Australia, USA or UK at the main web-site's of multiple brand-names of cars or motorcycles I can find information about recalls. But at least I cannot find that information on any Thai web-site of any brand name of cars or motorcycles. I am blind? Or are Thai products sold in Thailand excluded from recalls? I think I know the answer but that would actually be highly surprising for the mother companies of those brand names.

It's true that Honda doesn't give general information about recalls in Thailand, most often people are being contacted trough the dealer, by telephone or even by mail.

If you would like to check, or if you moved a few times and changed telephone number and now use a motorcycle garage that is not directly linked to Honda you can check the warranty situation at http://warranty.aphonda.co.th/ (not sure if this already works for motorcycles sold by Honda Big Wing dealers). You can also call the Honda hot line / call center for all your questions about a problem with your motorcycle or dealer, the telephone number is 02-725-4000.

Tried it with the VIN of my motorbike but it does not work.
After that I am told to call the call-center of A.P. Honda but in the past I have learned you could as well have a chat with your cat.

According to some insiders at the Honda production plant, who prefer to stay anonymous, the major problem with the Honda 500 series is that the engine parts are not produced in one factory, not even one country. The different company and general cultures apparently interpret the maximum 'fit' tolerance on the part they produce as the part production tolerance...

With this misunderstanding it is transparent that there is a 30% change that the produced engine is within design specifications. This is a general problem, and the recall in some territories and countries is basically a cover-up, the engine in worse cases could twice the maximum fit tolerance... and in that case probably would leak oil like it was for free...

Sadly, the whole misunderstanding is not limited to a few parts, the specifications and blueprinting done by Honda was very fussy about what the total tolerance was... So every Honda manufacturing location use the maximum 'fit' tolerance as the maximum production tolerance...

Quote by: Chang Noi

Tried it with the VIN of my motorbike but it does not work.
After that I am told to call the call-center of A.P. Honda but in the past I have learned you could as well have a chat with your cat.

Hmm, during office hours, the Honda hotline / call center has also several people who speak English. You need to start the conversation with “do you speak English” and wait until you get hear somebody say “Hello”. As 90% of the hotline people not speak English they probably will not tell you “Okay sir, please hold the line....” you may actually get disconnected a few times... Not take it serious and just call again...

But I have to agree that the customer support for the Honda Big Wing is a absolute disaster... Not only if you want to communicate in English.

Quote by: news

Quote by: Chang Noi

Tried it with the VIN of my motorbike but it does not work.
After that I am told to call the call-center of A.P. Honda but in the past I have learned you could as well have a chat with your cat.

Hmm, during office hours, the Honda hotline / call center has also several people who speak English. You need to start the conversation with “do you speak English” and wait until you get hear somebody say “Hello”. As 90% of the hotline people not speak English they probably will not tell you “Okay sir, please hold the line....” you may actually get disconnected a few times... Not take it serious and just call again...

But I have to agree that the customer support for the Honda Big Wing is a absolute disaster... Not only if you want to communicate in English.

Please bare with me ...... I have been on the line with the call center of A.P. Honda Co. Ltd. about 50 times ..... and at least 15 times I was promised to be called back ..... I have NEVER .... I repeat NEVER been called back. All people of management are always in a meeting. Some staff are even so stupid to think the English speaking customer cannot understand Thai and they put the telephone down and while I am waiting they are talking very bad about me and making jokes about me.

I consider the call center of A.P. Honda Co. Ltd. one big joke!

Actually I do just read on another motorbike Forum web-site (Golden Triangle Riders) that A.P. Honda Co. Ltd. has recently send a letter about a recall of CB500 motorbikes due to a loose crank-case-shaft. Good! This was not the problem with my CB500F so I will be waiting for a next recall letter of A.P. Honda Co. Ltd.