Other than the quick two mile ride I took before buying the bike, I really hadn't really had a chance to ride the bike. I brought it home by truck, and then I headed south for a week in Florida.
My wife was visiting a friend after work on Tuesday June 18, I thought I'd take the bike out for a little ride. We live in the Eastport section of Annapolis, I often ride down Bay Ridge Ave to the bay. It's a straight shot until the bay then it's just 25 mph through the neighborhood and back. I'd noticed on my test ride that the pipes seemed blown out, this seemed the case as I headed towards the bay.
The first thing I noticed was the bike is geared very low. It seemed to me that's it's a quick run to 5th gear. Since it was hard to hit even 50 mph on these roads I couldn't really get a feel for the bike. The one thing I did notice was that I loved how it cornered. The Sabre seems to force it's way around a curve. The wing hits the curve and you can lean forever or not what ever you like. Granted the wing is only the fourth "running" bike that I've owned and I've never owned a sport styled bike, but this bike feels nimble.
The other thing I liked is the full fairing. I've always ridden with a full fairing. My old 78 Honda CB550 was a naked bike. I first put a large windshield on it. I really disliked the shield, it seemed to act like a sail at high speeds. I ended up putting a Vetter fairing on it. My BMW had a full fairing with lowers. The Sabre has a mid size windshield. I can never seem to fit in the bubble. Some people like fairings, others hate them, I'm with the former I love fairings. The fairing on the Wing has a good size bubble that seems to surround me.
I was able to find a review on a "Classic Bike" ( http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/classic-japanese-motorcycles/honda-cx500.aspx#axzz2WxuN2ojs) site that echoed my sentiments. Although, when the CX500 was first introduced in 78 the reviewers panned the design of the bike.
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