The Honda CBR650F uses an in-line four-cylinder engine under its belly and rivals a host of Japanese and European offerings currently available in the same space.
Making its way into the premium middle-weight motorcycle category, Honda India has officially launched the CBR650F sports bike in the country at the RevFest, priced at Rs. 7.30 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). The Honda CBR650F is the newest offering to come with a four-cylinder motor in India and rivals the Kawasaki Z800, Benelli TNT 600 GT and TNT 600i as well as the Ducati Monster 796 and Triumph Street Triple in the same space. The RevFest is being conducted in eight cities simultaneously celebrating the launch of the Japanese manufacturer’s new set of performance offerings.
The 2015 Honda CBR650F comes with restrained styling seen on most offerings of the manufacturer and gets a single headlamp setup, chiseled fuel tank and step up seats. A tourer, the bike offers a more relaxed riding position with the rider seated less aggressively. Power comes from a 649cc in-line four-cylinder DOHC engine with fuel injection tuned to produce 87 PS of power at 11,000 RPM and 62 Nm of torque at 8000 RPM, paired to a 6-speed transmission.
Suspension duties are performed by 41 mm USD forks at the front and a monoshock setup with spring-preload adjustability at the rear. Braking performance, on the other hand comes from the 320 mm twin discs with two-piston callipers at the front and a single 240 mm disc at the rear with a single-piston caliper. The Honda CBR650F is capable of doing the 0-100 km/hr sprint in under 4 seconds and has a top speed of 225 km/hr. Weighing in at 208 kgs, the CBR650F rides on 120 and 180 section tyres at the front and rear respectively, while ABS is being offered as standard, which most of the rivals miss out in the segment.
Honda is retailing the CBR650F via 14 select dealerships located in 13 cities where it has established its elite ‘Wing World’ outlets. These new premium dealerships get specially trained sales and service personnel that will be interacting with customers. The CBR650F will see 5 percent of local content going into the bike and is being brought in via the CKD route at Honda’s Manesar facility (34 units produced till now). The automaker has stated that the localisation levels could increase in the future. In addition to the new four-cylinder offering, Honda has also launched the new CB Hornet 160R, CBR150R facelift and CBR250R facelift in the country.
