2018 Honda CB650F First Look
Rennie Scaysbrook | May 11, 2017
Honda jumps into the middleweight naked market with the new CB650F
Honda’s CB650F—a machine that has been available in Europe and Asia for years—will make its way to the American market for next year.
Going head to head with machines like Yamaha’s FZ-07, Kawasaki’s Z650 and Suzuki’s SV650, the CB650 will single an aggressive push from Honda into a segment of the market that has finally started to see action from the major manufacturers after years of inaction.
“We’re pleased to offer the tough-looking, strong-performing CB650F to American customers for the 2018 model year,” said Lee Edmunds, American Honda’s Manager of Motorcycle Marketing Communications. “The CBR650F has shown that this four-cylinder power plant is a solid performer, and in this package it adeptly rounds out our comprehensive lineup of naked sport bikes, fitting in perfectly between the CB500F and the CB1000R.”
The CB650 is powered by the compact 649cc inline four-cylinder engine measuring 67 x 46mm bore and stroke, mated to side-swiped exhaust headers and a muffler that looks eerily similar to the previous generation CBR1000RR.
Suspension is taken care of by Showa’s unadjustable Dual Bending Valves fork and monoshock that’s preload adjustable only. Brakes come via twin piston Nissin calipers biting 320mm wave discs with a single piston caliper clamping down on a 240mm disc out the back.
Pricing of the new CB650F is not yet available but expect it to be around the price of the Yamaha FZ-07 or the Kawasaki Z650, both of which are yours for under $7200.