Honda CBR650F vs Kawasaki Ninja 650

Honda came, Honda saw and Honda conquered (for some). It’s been two days since the Revfest, and I can’t say that the dust has settled yet. In fact, that hasn’t even started. Honda’s CBR650F, after all, is an important motorcycle for the Indian market which makes lots of sense in lots of ways. Motorcycle enthusiasts around the country have been looking forward to it impatiently and after the launch, there’s more to talk about the motorcycle than it has been in the past.

The CBR650F is being sold at 7.3 Lakhs ex-showroom Delhi which makes the on-road price of 7,98,707 just below the 8 Lakhs Rs mark. Opinions on the pricing are divided as we can see from the endless discussions and debates going on various Indian motorcycling forums. However, it’s not so pleasant in some other parts of the country especially down south where certain states like Karnataka have heavier taxes resulting in a much higher price tag for the same motorcycle. But then, this is the case with every vehicle sold there.

The CBR650F is an extremely competitive motorcycle among its direct peers of which there are none actually, not in India at least. But the price is an interesting factor that can have people compare different things just because they see what their money can buy in a particular price range.

So today, we are going to talk about one of the motorcycles that competes with Honda’s latest offering primarily on value for money preposition. The Kawasaki Ninja 650.

For the initiated, the Ninja 650 and CBR650F have few similarities but certain significant differences. For one, under the skin they are quite different. While the Ninja has a parallel twin engine, the CBR’s engine has an inline 4 configuration which instantly makes the CBR a more interesting motorcycle.

Secondly, Ninja’s parallel twin engine produces maximum power of 72.1PS @ 8500RPM while the CBR’s engine makes around 87PS @ 11000RPM. Honda not only produces almost 15PS of more power but it revs much higher as well providing a wider power band across the rev-range. On the Torque, these two motorcycles are much closer; although, Ninja has a slight advantage here as it produces 64NM @ 7000RPM compared to CBR’s 62.9NM @ 8000RPM.

On the weight front, Honda is 4kgs heavier at 215kgs than Kawasaki which weighs at 211kgs ready to ride. Considering the power and weight of both motorcycles, Honda appears to have a slight advantage although things shouldn’t be any different between them as long as city riding is concerned. Also, both motorcycles offer decent wind protection and a comfortable riding stance making them capable tourers as well even though the CBR650F is little sportier. Honda also has an advantage over the braking as the CBR650F comes equipped with ABS as standard while the Ninja 650 doesn’t even have it as an option.

Fit n finish and the build quality of both motorcycles are good; Japanese are typically known for their excellent build quality. Visually though, Honda is an overall better looking motorcycle even if looks are a matter of personal preference.

Finally, the price could very well be the deciding factor for many of the targeted customers of Honda CBR650F. As mentioned earlier, the motorcycle retails at 7,98,707 Rs on-road in Delhi (prices vary in different states) and the Ninja 650 is priced around 6 lakhs Rs on road. Deciding between the two on the basis of price shouldn’t be a difficult task in this particular situation. In every other aspect, Honda is at an advantage.