We didn’t get the Honda CBR600F here in the States, so it seems unlikely that we will get that bike’s successor, the 2014 Honda CBR650F. Taking the popular road bike platform, and slapping an obvious 50cc of additional engine displacement, Honda’s mantra for 2014 is clear: more is better.
We already saw that the Honda CBR300R added 37cc to Big Red’s baby CBR, and the Japanese OEM has done a similar treatments with its new NC750 platform as well. As they say, there is no replacement for displacement, but the 2014 Honda CBR650F is more than just a re-worked street bike — it is a brand new machine from the wheels up.
Sharing the same platform as the 2014 Honda CB650F, the Honda CBR650F features an all-new 649cc inline-four engine, that Honda says has been engineered to deliver high torque in the low-to-mid rpm range, especially below 4,000 rpm. Picking an engineering staff that is mostly in its 20’s to develop this machine, Honda hopes that the new CBR650F will appeal to younger buyers.
Honda says that steel twin-spar frame for the CBR650F has a tuned rigidity balance along with cast pivot plates and aluminum swingarm — i.e. the Honda CBR650F is much stiffer around the headstock and more flexible in the spar sections .
A bit cheap in its Showa suspension components, Honda is making its dual-channel ABS standard with its Nissin braking package, and one can’t argue with the near 60 mpg that is being quoted.
With peak power is 86hp at 11,000, peak torque comes in at 46 lbs•ft at 8,000 rpm. That power will be needed, a sthe 2014 Honda CBR650F isn’t the lightest bike on the market, tipping the scales at 465 lbs at the curb.
We expect the 2014 Honda CBR650F to be aggressive pricing though, which means that the Honda CBR650F is cheap and well put-together machine that looks great — new riders should be intrigued.
Source: Honda
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