For sure there is the possiblity that some were originally used as commuter/delivery transport fleetingly, but they could not be more farther removed from the original when built up into race bike trim. Bikes throwing out 90bhp plus depending what dyno you read and the use of proper race parts and ancileries do not make for an affordable class when you hear of upwards of five figure sums being spent on machines, however spectacular the actual racing is nationally and internationally for your average club or national runner you are going to be limited securing a competitive budget.
CB500 racing however does actually deliver what is the nearest to affordable motorcycle class racing in recent times, and we will explore the reasons for this and breakdown just how wallet friendly the class can be.
The term CB500 firstly has to be opened up a little, as GS500 and ER500 derivitives are also eligible for racing, of which a smattering has appeared at Scottish circuits over the last couple of years.
The humble CB500 is no new kid on the pizza delivery block, it has since the late 90s been around as a race class and spawned the likes of James Toseland, James Ellison and Richard Cooper who have all went on to international success in MotoGP, WSB and BSB respectively.
Perhaps the appeal of the class has always been, no tuning, no skullduggery and plain and simple close racing. Also, it has an appeal for the newbie or returning racer in that the effect of crash damage is more often than not minimal, often no more than not a footrest, lever or handlebar will take the brunt of an encounter with terra firma or a run off area.
A look at the lap times of the front runners to the rear gunners who are racing up here indicate a difference of 9 seconds throughout a twenty-five rider plus field. You only have to look at the mid field runners to see that as many as 8 riders can be squabbling for a top ten placing with no more than a few seconds covering the riders at race end, and that frankly is what racing is all about.
There has of course been a plethora of one make series stretching back to KH250 and LC racing of the 70s and 80s and controlled series such as CB500 at BSB level, but the beauty of this class is that there are still a glut of cheap donor bikes around on eBay and Facebook groups that can be had for spares and repair, keeping the cost down even further without having to use designate suppliers.