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Old 6th July 2022, 18:01   #1
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Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review

15 years back, I used to go to school on a AVON bi-cycle. I am not even sure if that brand still exits. We had this 'S' curve en-route where we used to stick to the race line (aka yellow lines on the side of the main road) and go as fast as we could. The ultimate dream then was to take ride through this special 'S' curve on a motorbike.
Could do it on a motorbike after some 5 years.
but..
last May, I could ultimately do it on a superbike !

The very moment you ride through that corner, you feel it. The pleasure of riding an inline 4 sports tourer.
The same old wind on your body, the passage of time, those golden day feeling and much more. You really reminisce how far you have reached.

but..
once the corner is through, you get back to your normal senses and the reality check happens; pending loan, rising fuel prices, service cost and the very fact that you are now old enough to not to forget the convenience of a four-wheeler.

--
I took almost two months to finalise upon the above para. Such is the pressure of T-Bhp standards on us!
But a thanks from GTO while in assembly line gave me the boost to complete this thread.

Back to the topic, a superbike has been my long cherished dream for the past 6-7 years.
Hope, being the most irresistible factor, kept me going forward. Hope of owning a beauty.

The Rant
Like all 90s kids, R1 was the machine. Nope, not the machine. THE MACHINE.
Aspired to own one and I believe that this aspiration eventually led to owning the baby baby R1, R-15 V2.0, in 2014. Had my fair share of fun in R15. Bike trips were part of my healing therapy. I still remember those days during internship where i would be tired as hell and return from office after work at around 2a.m. The only fun i had was the ride back home on my bike. (again the wind, the feeling of freedom and the like). 5 years of owning the beauty (still continuing), and did many rides with south india.
Things were happy back then with the cheap labour and maintenance. But alas, my close friend bought himself a Harley Davidson Iron 883. First taste of a above 500 cc bike. The torque was addictive, along with the added stopping power and better road presence. I loved the bike and riding it. We used to go for short trips within Kerala together. That was when he mentioned that to truly get a kick of the bike, I had to take her for a long ride. Though he casually mentioned it, it should have been stuck somewhere in my heart. Eventually, some 2 years down the line, I decided to ride to Goa with his Harley.
The plan was to ride to goa via bangalore. Just three riders. As all plans fail, this trip also failed to fulfill our dream of 3 riders riding to Goa. It was just me who was stuck with the itch to ride. On the eve of the trip, got a message that another bunch of friends are ready to join if we are driving (car) to Goa. That sounded perfect to me. Told them to get the car and that I will follow on the bike.
That trip changed it all for me. I just loved the bike, the power, the confidence and the comfort. Never thought I would love Harley so much. Through the straight roads, the twisties and places where there was little or no road .
This left a typical permanent itch for upgrade.

The Reality Check
But deep down in my heart I never loved cruiser bikes. Nor was my riding generally beyond the state of Kerala. I didn't want a mile muncher. I wanted a machine that connects to me just like the R15. Ninja 400 was the first target. I was waiting for the launch in India. But the plan eventually faded out. The next best dream was CBR 650R. 650F was out of the list due to its looks and zero 'wow' factor. Again, much to the disappointment, 650R was launched with a hefty price tag. Though it sounds like I jumped from an R15 to 650R, it actually was R15 to R3 to N400 to 650R. Each quarter I had a new love. The point being, it was ensured that there was always a love!
Time flew by and I was slowly becoming financially independent. Again, the itch became stronger. Coupled with the fact that I could no longer confidently do trips on R15, an upgrade was a necessity.
Life being Life, covid happened and marriage happened. Nope, one was a disaster and the other a blessing. Upto fellow Bhp-ians to decide what is what.
Post marriage, wifey being incredibly understanding and supportive of my dream of owning a superbike, asked me to do a reality check. Then I started looking for bikes in the sub 500cc category. Adventure bikes were the most comfortable ones of the lot, and naturally I was looking at them with a potential purchase happening soon. Adv 390 and GS 310 were the top contenders. After a quick TD of the baby GS, decided it was not the bike for me. It didn't satisfy my desire for more power and sharp breaking, nor did it deliver the expected power in a BMW manner. I couldn't fathom the vibrations it had and the expected maintenance bill was a superbike territory bill. Further the approach of the cochin dealer was also a let down. Next came the quick TD of the adv 390. Boy I was mind blown. Fellow Bhp-ian Tom was also looking for an adventure bike and he was also convinced with the bike. Both of us decided for a detailed TD to our own nearby Munnar. Just for comparing the adventures, he got ourselves a Himalayan and the Adv 390 was given to us by the showroom. The detailed TD gave me a clear insight to what I was exactly looking for.
If it is an adv, I wanted utmost comfort. If I am sacrificing the comfort, I wanted a corner craver. 390 is a jack of all. Don't get me wrong, but adv 390 is absolutely a VFM machine at the price category for the performance and electronics, but she just didn't win my heart.
Again the lookout for that perfect machine resumes. For a short while, I checked on the V-650. As my stars were in the right place, didn't end up owning one. Only now that I realise that if I had bought the V-650, for my height, I would have dropped her at least a couple of times before getting used to the weight and the dynamics.
Both mine and Tom's day's passed scrolling through OLX. Almost all of the adds in Kerala relating to a used bike in the 3 lakh to 7 lakh category were by heart for us. Just like that, came a KA registered CBR 650f for sale. Did a little chat and it seemed that the owner is a nice guy. Went to check her out and liked test drive of the bike and the owner, but something was not right about the bike or the deal. I dropped the plan and resumed my search. Later on, we came to know that the KA bike was once TD bike of Honda, bangalore. The owner apparently was unaware of this history! The bike might have been good but the vibe wasn't. Although the deal didn't happen, one single test ride of the 650F and the damage was done. It was withered deep down. I could feel it from heart.
I started searching for 650Fs specifically as I felt that she was the bike. I was pretty sure that I would never own a sports-tourer, if not for now. An adventure bike could happen at any point of life. But a sports-tourer, only now. It was then that I stumbled upon Xdaos's profile and his thread about his ex. I just wanted to ping him and ask if he is planning to sell his bike. That was when I remembered that my T-Bhp application was rejected N times a while ago and I have to apply again. Again, the stars aligned and got the membership approved. First thing I did was message him.
Long story short, his bike was technically sold by then but, he got me a genuine driven 650F! All thanks to him and Vishnu, my dream is a reality now.
Welcome Naina!

Naina
2015 manufactured CBR 650f. I won't go into the technical details of the bike. I am not really an expert in that space.

The delivery was a smooth one. Previous owner was based out of a town 200km away. Being the first superbike in our close group, all of us went to take the delivery of the bike.

Tom and myself took short rides on the bike. It was a well kept bike and the overall TD was good. All possible background checks were done beforehand and the final TD was the only thing pending. We were convinced and decided to get her home.

I was indeed lucky to take the extended trip on the delivery trip with a car to accompany. The ride was enjoyed thoroughly.
For a couple of days, I was the madman (we all know him) inside my helmet. Grinning like an idiot, enjoying each km.

It took a while to get used to the big bike.
Likes :
* Throttle response and power delivery is very linear and manageable for a sports bike.
* she's a sleeper.
* comfortable riding position for a sports bike. I recently did a 1,100 km ride in two days.
* excellent gear ratios and you could go from 30kmph to 100+ kmph in the 6th gear.
* reasonable mileage for such a machine.

Dislikes:
* Exhaust note. At times, I feel that she's not lough enough.
* no electronic aid other than ABS.
* have to check the condition of roads each time i take her out. (she manages, but broken roads are not really 650F's territory)
* Honda brilliant horn and indicator switches
* no front mudguard extender.

Since so many reviews have covered the technicalities in detail, I will jot down my observations;
I generally use 650F for rides only. I don't enjoy city rides as much, considering the weight of the bike and maneuverability. Although the bike is a sleeper in general, gets her fair share of attention at times. I get plenty of requests to rev the bike and race and what not.
> The overall build quality is nice for a 2015 model.
> Although the cockpit is basic, it shows the sufficient relevant information. The switchgear without backlit does not look premium.
> Headlights were changed by the previous owner to LED. It provides sufficient illumination, but a maddog aux is madly missed.
> Coming to the rear view mirror, wished it was a tad bit more large. Now I have to concentrate for a second to figure out what is happening behind me.
> Seats are wide and long allowing plenty of movement. Pillion seat is also pretty comfortable, but wouldn't prefer a pillion for such a bike. I am a short rider (160cm) and can just touch ground with both feet. I cannot comfortably place my feet on ground.
> Braking, is reasonably good for a sports tourer and overall satisfactory.

Experience till date

Sharing some glimpses of the few rides during the ownership journey.

#1 | After bringing the 650F home, I couldn't wait to take her out for the weekend rides. First ride was a solo one to Athirapally falls.
Once the tires get warmed up, straight lines or corners, performance is top notch. The only concern is that due to the weight of the bike, if the corners are not long enough, extra effort has to be put in to bring her back. A shot from the first ride on 650F
Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review-img_20220320_221114_676.jpg

Athirapally is 1-1.5 hours ride from home and is famous for the falls and the valparai route. One ride involving athirapally in every other month has been the average so far. For all the short rides, athirapally has been the best option.
Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review-img_20220616_160855_334.jpg


#2 | During one weekend, went for the whole kochi-athirapally-malakapara-sholayar-valparai-pollachi-thrissur-kochi (in the reverse order) with wifey. Valparai is famous for the 40 odd hairpin bends and top view of the aliyar dam.
Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review-squarepic_20221024_14050571.jpg


#3 | Next familiar route is every kochi-kars own tea place, Munnar.
GAP road near munnar is locally known as kerala's own moto GP track. Wide corners with some breathtaking background makes it for one amongst the best ride route.
Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review-img_20220424_095419.jpg

#4 | Enroute ooty for a weekend. Delt with heavy rain, slightly slippery roads for the normal bikes (but high risk area for those tyres).
Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review-img_20220716_120640__01.jpg

Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review-img_20220720_135405_606.jpg



#5 | Three of us had planned for a bachelor's night at coorg, which was cancelled last minute due to unavoidable issues for the third person. The left out two, being Tom and myself, immediately planned for a two-day Dhanushkodi trip. Dhanushkodi was around 1000 kms from kochi. It was a beautiful ride covering ghats, highways and in the end, the famous pamban bridge and the last land in India. It was a spontaneous one and pushed me to my physical limits as I had a sore neck the day before. But definitely 650F was as supportive as she could be.

Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review-squarepic_20221126_20131256.jpg

Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review-squarepic_20221127_09430869.jpg

Favorite picture with her so far!
Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review-img_20221126_195750_600.jpg

To sum up, she is a perfect sports tourer!


--
This being my first thread, please excuse the obvious mistakes made.
Cheers

Last edited by rt363 : 6th January 2023 at 17:55. Reason: 1
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Old 7th January 2023, 08:34   #2
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Re: Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Motorcycle section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage this weekend
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Old 7th January 2023, 09:15   #3
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Re: Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review

Congratulations on the CBR 650F mate. Having one in my garage, 2017 model. This bike is a indeed a sleeper and a wonderful motorcycle to live with. Slight niggles of vibrations aside for a Honda in-line 4 this is a peach of a motorcycle.

Enjoy the bike and let us know your experience as days pass by with thread updates. Happy mile munching
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Old 7th January 2023, 10:53   #4
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Re: Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review

Congratulations!

This is one of the better products in the middle weight category. Built from ground up, supremely comfortable , low tech and devoid of any complicated electronics with great everyday usable power.
I rode one during the launch and found the handling agile , clutch smooth, braking more than adequate and that typical big bike feel. I did find the weight on the higher side for the class though, but its easy to move past it once one puts some kms under the belt.
Basically a bike for all seasons and one you cannot go wrong with.
Have a joyful time with this.
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Old 8th January 2023, 03:48   #5
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Re: Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review

Congrats mate. Well written too. The timing was sweet for the purchase as usually a used 650F sells before even we get a chance to look at it as its demand has rised beyond my belief with good ones getting harder to come by!

This is easily one of the best and reliable bikes for Indian climate and road conditions(barring the low ground clearance ofcourse) and the service and spare costs are even cheaper than an R3. Now that speaks how easy you can maintain a 650cc inline 4. I dont think we have anything on sale right now, quite like the 650F, which offers the best from both world’s. Congrats and ride safe !
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Old 8th January 2023, 17:13   #6
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Re: Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review

Excellent review. The CBR650f is a perfect tourer, damn reliable and smooth, just what you'd expect from Honda. The lack of needless electronics makes for a smoother ride, IMHO. It keeps you more focused on riding instead of unnecessary fidgeting. You are really blessed to be living in such close proximity to such breathtaking natural views. I too dream of riding an ADV one day. Cheers brother!
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Old 8th January 2023, 22:50   #7
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Re: Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review

Many congratulations bro!!

This is a superb product by Honda. Great purchase.

Can you please share your experience of the long tour covered regarding physical toll, refueling etc.

Have lots and lots of kms with Naina.

Cheers
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Old 9th January 2023, 12:44   #8
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Re: Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by akshayhonda View Post
Congratulations on the CBR 650F mate. Having one in my garage, 2017 model. This bike is a indeed a sleeper and a wonderful motorcycle to live with. Slight niggles of vibrations aside for a Honda in-line 4 this is a peach of a motorcycle.

Enjoy the bike and let us know your experience as days pass by with thread updates. Happy mile munching
Indeed she is! Thanks for the wishes Akshay.
Hope you are having a blast with your one

Quote:
Originally Posted by bigron View Post
Congratulations!

This is one of the better products in the middle weight category. Built from ground up, supremely comfortable , low tech and devoid of any complicated electronics with great everyday usable power.
I rode one during the launch and found the handling agile , clutch smooth, braking more than adequate and that typical big bike feel. I did find the weight on the higher side for the class though, but its easy to move past it once one puts some kms under the belt.
Basically a bike for all seasons and one you cannot go wrong with.
Have a joyful time with this.
Righty said, a bike for all seasons barring the off roads
Thanks Bigron

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xaos636 View Post
Congrats mate. Well written too. The timing was sweet for the purchase as usually a used 650F sells before even we get a chance to look at it as its demand has rised beyond my belief with good ones getting harder to come by!

This is easily one of the best and reliable bikes for Indian climate and road conditions(barring the low ground clearance ofcourse) and the service and spare costs are even cheaper than an R3. Now that speaks how easy you can maintain a 650cc inline 4. I dont think we have anything on sale right now, quite like the 650F, which offers the best from both world’s. Congrats and ride safe !
Thanks to you brother, if not the bike would have been elsewhere.

Might be that I am subconsciously too cautious about the clearance or due to the fact I have always slowed down on every other speed bump and never had the total laden weight gone beyond 120kgs, but I had to face the low GC issue just once (primarily because of the unscientific concrete hump). Nevertheless a great bike for our conditions.

Looking forward to our first ride together!

Quote:
Originally Posted by mugen_pinaki27 View Post
Excellent review. The CBR650f is a perfect tourer, damn reliable and smooth, just what you'd expect from Honda. The lack of needless electronics makes for a smoother ride, IMHO. It keeps you more focused on riding instead of unnecessary fidgeting. You are really blessed to be living in such close proximity to such breathtaking natural views. I too dream of riding an ADV one day. Cheers brother!
True that the nature here is a treat for the eyes.

Hope your dream soon becomes the reality.
Cheers brother!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Guru_Shikhar View Post
Many congratulations bro!!

This is a superb product by Honda. Great purchase.

Can you please share your experience of the long tour covered regarding physical toll, refueling etc.

Have lots and lots of kms with Naina.

Cheers
Thank you Guru.

Since I try to refuel once the last two bars hit up, I am not really sure about the range, but a full tank should comfortably give you a range of 300 odd kms on highways. If it's Kerala roads, I usually refuel at around 250 kms.
Regarding the physical toll, 650F is no way a comfortable ADV, but the least I could say is that she manages to take you to almost every place with some sort of road. The riding posture is with a slight lean angle. But coming from R15, I am very much comfortable with the posture and I have not yet found the bike to be uncomfortable on posture part. But since the suspension is intended for both performance and comfort, one may not find it as comfortable as an ADV.
Various other factors also determine the fatigue level for long tours (like your physical fitness, mental strength, passion, dehydration, sleep during the night before the ride etc). But I have felt that touring for 500+ kms to be not a major issue on 650F.
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Old 10th January 2023, 22:48   #9
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Re: Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by rt363 View Post
Congratulations on getting such a beautiful machine. The 650F definitely deserves more recognition ! By the way are you using the Carbonado ModPac tailbag in this photo ? I use one too and and it is really really good, have been in 3-4hrs of heavy rain and it actually proved its waterproof capability. I call it the poor man's Kriega , does the same job and costs 5x less.

Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review-img_20221110_071100.jpg
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Old 11th January 2023, 11:07   #10
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Re: Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Yash390 View Post
Congratulations on getting such a beautiful machine. The 650F definitely deserves more recognition ! By the way are you using the Carbonado ModPac tailbag in this photo ? I use one too and and it is really really good, have been in 3-4hrs of heavy rain and it actually proved its waterproof capability. I call it the poor man's Kriega , does the same job and costs 5x less.

Attachment 2402976
Hey Yash, that's right. I am using a Carbonado ModPac 30L. Although the rain liner that came with my ModPac was defective, a quick e-mail with the details to the Carbonado team solved the issue. They replaced the rain liner immediately. Apparently there was some manufacturing defect for a particular lot manufactured in Mar' 22. Post replacement I have never faced any issue.
It fits in most essential stuff for a 3 day trip, along with a pair of running shoe, hoodies etc. Minimal movement is noted on the go. Access to rain coats or smaller items placed on the outer pouch of the bag is a bit inconvenient though. Indeed the Indian replacement for Kreiga .
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Old 13th January 2023, 11:28   #11
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Re: Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review

What a wonderful review mate . I was lucky enough to be a part of this journey. It was quite a rollercoaster ride, right from the Ninja 400 days through the Versys 650 phase and finally landing on the CBR 650F. It seems the 650F has ticked all the right boxes for you. From whatever little experience that I have had with the bike I can say that its quite a capable machine which offers the best of both worlds. It can perform the duties of a sports bike and a tourer equally well. The linear power delivery of the 650F and Honda's bulletproof reliability makes it a no brainer for anyone venturing into the superbike territory for the first time. Wishing you many more miles with this beautiful machine and hoping to be a part of some of those miles.
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Old 16th January 2023, 10:37   #12
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Re: Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom.Koshy View Post
What a wonderful review mate . I was lucky enough to be a part of this journey. It was quite a rollercoaster ride, right from the Ninja 400 days through the Versys 650 phase and finally landing on the CBR 650F. It seems the 650F has ticked all the right boxes for you. From whatever little experience that I have had with the bike I can say that its quite a capable machine which offers the best of both worlds. It can perform the duties of a sports bike and a tourer equally well. The linear power delivery of the 650F and Honda's bulletproof reliability makes it a no brainer for anyone venturing into the superbike territory for the first time. Wishing you many more miles with this beautiful machine and hoping to be a part of some of those miles.
Cheers brother! eagerly awaiting our next ride together
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Old 26th November 2023, 15:46   #13
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Re: Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review

Hey, I've read through your thread much before.

You, alongwith a Ninja 300(?) had gone through Thrissur-Kochi highway last week, right?

I was beside your bike at two signals, Fiesta 1.6S Aquarius blue.

Sounded great, and grandparents who were with me made sure to pass typical old-people comments, couldn't help but let a chuckle
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Old 15th January 2024, 15:02   #14
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Re: Naina - My Honda CBR650F Review

Hello there. I stumbled across your thread and it was really nice to go through your ownership experience of the 650F. Wish you many more miles and memories !

As I found your thread to be active and being in the same boat, having recently acquired a 2017 CBR650F, I thought you might be able to help me with few of my queries.

I have been finding it really difficult to source bare minimum accessories like frame sliders, touring windscreen and luggage bracket (just so that I have points to secure my soft luggage). However, I tried almost all (at least the top 6-7 based on Google search) online vendors based out of India, who have gone silent post the initial query and response. Is CBR650F (2017) accessories really that hard to find? Any help in pointing me in the right direction would be really appreciated. I was even toying with the idea of getting those fabricated but then I don't really know how the end product would come out.

Thanks and ride safe !
A.

Last edited by minzanurag : 15th January 2024 at 15:23. Reason: Added another point.
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