Honda CBR650R

The Honda CBR650R has the visual appeal of a scaled-down CBR1000RR-R Fireblade. However, unlike the flagship supersport, the CBR650R has a toned-down appeal with a design more suitable for long-distance sports touring. 

Inspired by the front fascia of the Fireblade, the Honda CBR650R comes with a large front fairing, featuring a twin LED headlamp set-up. The upper corners of these headlamps flow upwards, thus making the fascia look larger and more aggressive. A long and slim-looking transparent windscreen sits at the top for protecting the ride from windblasts at higher speeds. The full-fairing of the CBR650R also comes attached with rearview mirrors and comes integrated with tiny air vents for better stability at higher speeds.

The side profile of the Honda CBR650R makes it look like a proper big bike, thanks to the large-sized side fairing panels and a muscular-looking fuel tank. The large side panels of the fairing partially hide the glorious-looking inline-four engine of the motorcycle, which features golden highlights for its casings. The lower part of the side fairing also gives a sneak peek of the quad-pipe, compact exhaust pipe.

Beneath the split seat arrangement, the side body panels of the Honda CBR650R have a minimalist and slim design and flow towards the tailpiece. At the back of the tail section, the CBR650R comes adorned with a small rounded-rectangular LED tail lamp, below which it has a very long rear fender with brackets made of aluminium. Adding more visual mass to the rear profile of the CBR650R are the aluminium swing-arm setup and a fat rear tyre.

Like a proper big-sized sport tourer, the Honda CBR650R offers a sporty riding set-up to the rider, thanks to the clip-on handlebars and rear-set foot pegs. A fully-digital TFT instrument console welcomes the rider beyond the clip-on handlebars, which reads out plenty of information and is complete with a speedometer, tachometer, odometer, trip meters, fuel gauge, gear indicator and clock. It also reads out some real-time information like average fuel consumption, instantaneous fuel consumption and range.

Positioned as a long-distance sports tourer, the Honda CBR650R offers a comfortable riding experience complemented by the soft suspension combination. This setup includes 41mm upside-down separate functioning hydraulic telescopic forks from Showa at the front and mono-shock with a 10-stage pre-load adjuster and aluminium swingarm at the back. Adding more plushness and agility in its handling is the combination of 120/70 ZR17 front and 180/55 ZR17 rear tubeless tyres. The CBR650R is equipped with dual 310mm discs at the front and a single 245mm disc for braking duties.

The Honda CBR650R shares its super smooth and refined four-stroke, liquid-cooled, inline-four, 649cc engine with its naked sibling, the CB650R. One of the most powerful and refined engines in the middleweight 650cc category, this engine produces a maximum power output of 95.2 PS and a torque output of 63 Nm. Paired with a 6-speed manual transmission, the 649cc engine of the Honda CBR650R claims a fuel efficiency of 20.9 kmpl.

Unlike other European motorcycles in the same price segment, the Honda CBR650R is not heavily-equipped with safety features. However, it gets essentials like a dual-channel ABS, traction control and slipper clutch. 

The Honda CBR650R is purely for those who want a big-bike experience but, at the same time, do not want to compromise much with comfort and daily usability. With its tractable and refined inline-four 649cc engine and slightly less-focused ergonomics, the CBR650R comes across as a fairly practical big bike.