Honda CB650R Road Test Review: Likes And Dislikes

Looks fabulous and produces the much-adored inline-four-pot sound, but is that enough?

Images: Vikrant Date

In 2021, Honda’s big bike portfolio saw the arrival of its first mid-displacement naked: the CB650R. Aside from the absurdly high asking price, the Honda CB650R has the right set of tools on paper to set itself apart from the class. Plus, its good looks are an added bonus. However, Honda couldn’t muster up a media bike for over a year for us to have a go on it. And after spending a few days with it, here’s what we liked and disliked about the naked:

Likes

Head-turning Styling
Honda’s Neo Sports Cafe theme has certainly been a hit. The golden fork legs make the circular headlamp pop out. The Candy Red body catches your attention in an instant, contrasting well with the blacked out mechanicals. The bronze-finished engine crank casing and cylinder head covers add to the exquisite looks. Lastly, the way the polished four exhaust pipes are routed out of the cylinders is something to marvel at.

Accessible Ergonomics
What the CB650R does well is that it manages to make the big bike experience quite accessible while still giving you the feel of one. Unlike its arch rival, the Triumph Trident 660, the CBR650R looks properly big. And still, it is easy to hop on to for riders of nearly all heights and feel at home on it. The posture isn’t aggressive but has hints of sportiness. You have to arch forward a bit to reach the wide bars, which give you enough leverage to make your way through traffic with little fuss. The rider’s footpegs are located right beneath the rider’s seat, not rear-set enough to cause discomfort of any kind.

Dislikes

Unenticing Performance
Sadly, the 648.72cc inline-four mill is dull and lethargic. Given its engine architecture, you have to wring the throttle hard to extract any form of performance. There’s no sense of urgency or excitement from the motor, taking a relaxed pace to climb the revs. Even the inline-four soundtrack that accompanies the rider during some fast-paced action feels forced and strained.

What’s more depressing is the fact that the motor has lost its smooth edge. But once you poke the bear, it takes a good amount of time, and road, to go faster than 130-140kmph. It feels like it is disheartened and doesn’t want to go fast. More so, the accompanying vibes at the pegs and tank discourage such high-speed adventures. You would happily want to dial down the speed and cruise at 100kmph, where its sweet spot is. But, this is a 650cc bike and that too one from Honda, and it should’ve at least fared better in both of these aspects.

Apparent Bulkiness
The CB650R doesn’t mask its 206kg heft well, making it quite obvious that you are riding something bulky. Slow speed manoeuvers take quite bit of effort, and you have to be extra cautious carrying out U-turns. The bulk of the mass comes from the engine and since the majority of the weight of the bike is forward-set, you get this feeling of heaviness.

When hitting your favourite set of mountain twisties on weekends, you will not find the bike to be as eager to lean over, showing off its sluggishness here as well. It is for taking the bends in a measured and easy manner. It doesn’t like to be hustled. It much prefers you stay upright as much as possible.

Rudimentary Electronics + Ghastly Tyres
Compounding the unenergetic nature of the engine is the combination of an outdated traction control system and tyres that feel out of depth on a bike half its capacity. The traction control system is hyperactive, interrupting your rhythm almost every second. At the slightest hint of the rear stepping out, which is quite easy to do with these Dunlop D214 tyres, the traction control steps in rudely, killing whatever momentum you had built. An experienced hand will find it best to ride with the traction control switched off, finding some form of joy with the rear wheels spinning aimlessly.

Then the issue arises of a lack of front end feel in the twisties. The tyres fail to inspire any form of confidence to push the bike hard into apexes, offering no communication whatsoever. Plus, they add to the inherent heaviness of the steering.

Verdict
The Honda CB650R remains a poser motorcycle, and one that costs quite a lot for just that. Mid-displacement motorcycles like the Kawasaki Z650 and the Triumph Trident 660 are far superior when it comes to giving you excitement and joys of riding a bike of its displacement.

At Rs 8.67 lakh (ex-showroom India), it is dearer than bikes like the Kawasaki Z900 and the Triumph Street Triple 765 R, both of which offer more performance, better hardware and have far better electronics. The Z900 will have you covered if you want a smooth inline-four experience while the Street Triple is the best value-for-money middleweight naked that one can buy in the country.

Had Honda priced this bike well, which it fails to do so with almost every one of their big bikes, this would have gained a lot more followers, especially those who are matured. It is at best a large capacity commuter motorcycle.