A motorcycle that we suspected that we would see at the 2018 EICMA show in Milan, the 2019 Honda CB650R brings a middleweight option to Big Red’s “Neo Sports Café” collection of retro-modern motorcycles.
Based off the Honda CB650F, this latest Honda Neo Café machine promises a 650cc inline-four engine package in a retro-modern style, similar to what Big Red has done with the Honda CB300R and Honda CB1000R.
The Neo Café aesthetic ironically began with the 650cc platform, with the Honda CB4 concept debuting at the 2015 EICMA show in Milan. So, it’s interesting to see the line come, to what seems to be its conclusion, on a machine that basically set the whole ball in motion.
Regulars Asphalt & Rubber readers will also remember that Honda Motor Europe has played around a great deal with the CBR650/CB650 platform before, creating more than a few concept bikes from the four-cylinder platform.
All of the concepts have been met with praise, and while the Neo Café is getting a little worn by the Japanese brand, the middleweight seen here is just as attractive as the others. We imagine it will do well, especially when you clean it up with an aftermarket exhaust.
Technical pieces include 41mm Showa upside-down Separate Function Forks (SFF), which hold radially mounted four-piston brake calipers. The 2019 Honda CB650R comes with Honda’s “Selectable Torque Control” system, an assist/slipper clutch, and what the Japanese company calls “ultra-modern” instruments.
At the heart of the 2019 Honda CB650R is a 95hp (68kW) inline-four engine, which marks a 5% boost over the previous 650cc power plant, thanks to a 1,000 rpm boost. Honda says that the CB650R is also 13 lbs lighter than the previous CB650 model. Not bad.
So far only confirmed for the European market, we would be very surprised not to see the Honda CB650R make its way across the pond for the USA. Stay tuned.
Source: Honda Motor Europe
As always, Asphalt & Rubber will be covering all the new bikes debuting at EICMA this year. Be sure to follow our coverage for the most recent news and photos.
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