CB500 Focus and Costings
Article: John McComisky
Images: Bruce Miller/3L Racing.
Public Health Warning: Racing motorcycles will put an irreversible smile on your face. continue with caution.
With the announcement of Scottish national status by the S.A.C.U for the CB500 class in Scotland, there are already predictions that a situation we have not seen in Scotland for a very long time may take place. The idea of full grids even necessitating the use of heats to qualify at some point during the year may actually take place, judging by upwards of 25 riders racing this year. This last time this happened was in the now defunct 400cc production racing well over a decade ago.
The move by the S.A.C.U and race committee has to be seen as commendable and is seen as a just reward for the riders who have championed the class over the last few seasons. An 8-round series split between Knockhill and East Fortune is to be confirmed and dates still to be announced but the class will run in its own guise.
If you want to look into affordable racing, the only one class certainly in Scotland that can lay claim to this moniker and that is CB500 racing.
The term “shopping bike”, “pizza delivery bike” has been thrown about for quite some time normally with a nod to Supertwins racing. It is also true that the terminology has been banded about freely by top TT regulars and suchlike when the talk of Supertwins enters conversation in drawing comparison to their faster Supersport and Superbike machines.
"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"