Why The 2019 Honda CB650R Is Awesome Value For Money

Thandi UK was kind enough to lend me one of their CB 650s for a couple of weeks and after putting in some decent miles both in and out of town I have come to the conclusion that £6999 represents It has excellent

value

for

money

, so here's why let's start with the engine, which is a unique proposition in this market. It's powered by a liquid-cooled 649cc inline-four, while almost every other Japanese economy middleweight uses a two-cylinder setup, there's Yamaha's MTO seven and xsr with a parallel twin in a 270 firing order. degrees, which gives it a pleasant sound. All the kawasaki said six fifty which is also a parallel twin but with a 180 degree crank which gives it a bit more of a tractor note and then I have the trusty sv650 from Suzuki which uses a v-twin in practice these bikes They produce more torque in the lower rev range than the Hondas, especially the Yamahas, but our CB six is ​​significantly taller, meaning it produces a maximum power of 94 horsepower at 12,000 rpm, about twenty more. than the MTO seven and sv650 and twenty-five more horsepower than the Kawasaki, combined with a reasonable curb weight of 202 kilograms, makes for a pretty nimble ride at this price, especially as the revs pick up. that maximum range that I love on those little stretches of highway that I've been traveling on to get here just when you get on and go, you know you're coming out of a roundabout from some traffic lights and you get to go up to 17 then you can start to reach the maximum rev range and you know, you really start to enjoy it and like it when you get to these little country roads here.

You know, I always say that it really depends on what you're used to, but ninety-two horses and a couple of kilos less that are not to be sniffed at and especially combined with this optional quick shifter that's only on the UPS, yeah, but it generates super addictive acceleration, just hit it in a rude second. so it's a lot of fun when you're on the road, but realistically, a bike at this price is also a tempting workhorse option for commuters. If you finance a monthly payment, as many people do now, it is a fairly affordable and quick way to get it. around town, but it is a perfect option for urban driving or to get less at low revs.

I mean, you'd expect a 650cc inline-four like this to need to rev all the time and bog down when the revs are low. low and when you are in traffic like this and I certainly remember my kawasaki er6n, which was before the current Zed 650, which is a direct competitor of this bike, you know that despite it being a twin and you think it had a little more torque , I remember. that would get a little tricky if you didn't know, keep the revs at maximum and take it over three or four thousand miles, but it feels pretty smooth off the line, but yeah, it's really a very easy ride around town and then so As soon as possible. as you get into the midrange there's a growl in the exhaust, a bit like a growl, they're like a constant hum that starts to break up a little bit and sound a little more aggressive, like it's distorted, and then once you You reach four or five thousand revolutions, it starts to work.

I mean, you're not getting that top speed that these bikes are capable of, but there's still enough to get around London, putting a few miles on the CB left me with a good impression of Honda's renowned build quality, which isn't It's not affected even in a modestly priced model like this; the gearbox, for example, feels light and precise. Sometimes it takes me a little time to adjust to a pressured bike in this area, but I felt at home right away. On this machine, the slip assist clutch also provides a light feel on the lever, making a noticeable difference to your comfort on the bike when you're spending a lot of time at the lights with the clutch depressed or weaving through slow traffic.

There is a quick shifter. on the upshift available as an accessory, which is a nice addition for faster driving, although I can't say I've used it much in the city, it's always fun when you get to a straight stretch of clear road to up the gears, a beep would be nice. the downshift, but again you have to remember the price. I also like the stock exhaust note, of course, it's one of the first things most of us consider changing, but this can be nice and quiet, which is actually preferable for me, when you're traveling around the city a lot. city, it starts to distort and growl in the midrange and there's a satisfied scream when you really wind it up.

It's very nice, in fact another premium feature of the CB when you compare it. for the market is their display of inverted forks, while the other Japanese middleweights I mentioned above use conventional forks for those of you who are not familiar, inverted forks should generally provide better handling due to the fact that there is less weight not suspended and also provide more rigidity because the larger diameter tube is used at the top of the forks where most of the stress from braking and cornering forces is felt, these Showa units are not adjustable, but given the price, it is understandable and they feel well configured for a combination of practices.

Driving and occasionally at a more spirited pace, I felt the Honda had struck a good balance. It should also be said that gold anodized inverted forks are somewhat appropriate for naked and sport bikes at the moment, although they are not. For all tastes, I think they make the front end look beefier, more substantial and sportier than the MT SV or Zed 650. There are 10 stages of preload adjustment on the monoshock so you can carry a passenger or luggage and it is subject to a beautiful mold. Aluminum Swingarm The yellow finish on the shock also adds a subtle touch of sportiness to the rear and matches nicely with the gold forks.

Braking is another area where the CB sets itself apart from the rest of the market with four radially mounted parts. calipers on 310 millimeter discs, all the competition used conventionally mounted calipers on smaller discs, only the Yamaha also used four pistons and the other bikes employed only two radially mounted calipers attached to the forks with bolts parallel to the disc, while the calipers Conventionals have bolts that are perpendicular, this results in a stiffer mount for the radials, giving the rider a crisper feel at the lever. Nessun provides full pop brakes on the CB, which could be a disappointment to some buyers looking for brakes from premium brands like Brembo. but at this price I'd rather see high spec Nissen brakes that are perfectly well made than a lower spec caliper where you're paying for the brand on the road.

I found these brakes to be a good balance of sharp but friendly, you know. The brakes, as I said, aren't super sharp, but given what you'll find elsewhere in this market, they're pretty good. You might not want them to be ridiculously sharp around town anyway, assuming people wear them. a bit of miles in traffic so yeah like very strong brakes probably not ideal but there's a lot of stopping power especially at the front yeah spot on and really nice and progressive this is very easy the first few millimeters on the lever. pull from there on, after that it becomes more and more the single cylinder rear brake is also from Nissen and is perfectly adequate the CB comes with ABS it is standard and is not switchable which brings me nicely to the electronics of this bike.

There's no driving mode to speak of, as it still uses a throttle-by-wire rather than a ride-by-wire. Honda's Torque Control, which is essentially their name for traction control, is present and switchable, so since ABS is always on, TC is your only setting when it comes to brake assists. rider, I personally think it's enough for what most riders will use this bike for at 6999 lbs. I'd rather Honda spend manufacturing and development budgets on getting the best power and equipment in my book rather than having a burden. of electronics on a less capable bike and I'm sure many of you will agree because I often get feedback from riders who don't really care about electronics and prefer a more traditional cycling experience.

I can also see the merits of the technology. and I love my devices, but when the budget is limited, I prefer good mechanical components to be used elsewhere, electronically, there is a simple square, which uses a negative LCD screen, that is, a black background with white characters, to read about the bike before collecting it. I found several complaints about the visibility of this - in bright conditions October in the UK is usually dull and grey, so I didn't find it too problematic - but you can see what they mean in the pictures here. Capture the light.

I loved the big white shift light on the top right. It adds a bit of sportiness to go with the noisy inline-four, but the fuel warning was a lot of fun. I'm used to a big yellow light. when I'm on reserve but the CB has a subtle flashing symbol on the LCD which went unnoticed several times until I got home and put the bike away, luckily I didn't ride it empty but I could have been close to both. LED lighting is sometimes used throughout with the headlight particularly distinctive and modern, but here's another drawback with this bike, the front indicators are always on as daytime running lights, albeit at medium brightness, it's a bit strange and potentially confusing for other road users and when you see your reflection in a car or window it can make you think you left your turn signals on.

It's an unusual design decision that I haven't found on any other bike, maybe there's a modification to override it or maybe you could live with it, but on the other hand, I think I'd prefer them to be off. Honda's emergency brake light system, which flashes the lights when braking hard, makes a lot of sense from a safety perspective and is a nice addition to round out the electronics. Heated grips are available as an option. With three roasting levels and level one in autumn it is just the right thing to alleviate the weather. For me, Honda did a great job with the styling of this motorcycle and that's another area where it stands out in the market: it inherits some of The neo Kafe styling takes inspiration from its older sister, the CB 1000 R, as well as the lower capacity variants in this line, it's a subjective question, but I prefer the retro touches of the CB to something completely angular like the MTO 7 that he said Yamaha has made. a beautiful job turning it into a retro with the xsr 700 that is close to the Honda in terms of aesthetics.

I love the stubby front and round headlight and the short rear would look just as bad with a decent tail tidied up, in fact some bars and mirrors. It wouldn't hurt either, while we're at it, the combination of gloss and matte finishes in black brushed metal and a bronzed gold work surprisingly well together and give it a premium feel that might not be present if the motor housing and wheels were Simply put, overall flat black Honda has achieved something special by taking the fairly generic look of the previous model, the CB 650f, and reworking the look into a much more distinctive and stylish package.

Was there anything I didn't like other than the aforementioned fuel warning and the always-on gauges not really there. I definitely check for excess r2. If I were buying in this market, it's a little lighter and quieter, so depending on the type of riding you're doing, it might make more sense, but all in all six grand. Nine hundred and ninety nine pounds seems like a bargain for this bike, yes the competition I have listed is cheaper but if you tried to get that 20 horsepower advantage from a lesser bike with only an eight hundred pound budget you would be struggling. and then there's the better suspension and better brakes, so if you're considering a midweight Japanese bike, I highly recommend making sure you take one of these for a spin.