CLUTCHING AT FLAWS

While the majority of bike launches take place somewhere sunny and warm, with a prerequisite of exciting roads with minimum traffic, Honda chose the south of France for the e-clutch versions of its CB650 and CB650R.

- DAVE MANNING

This sounds idyllic but let me point out that the hotel was in Marseilles, France's second most populous city, known for its narrow streets and heavy traffic. Not what you'd expect for a bike launch, and initially the thought was that it perhaps wasn't really ideal. However, it turns out that this was, in fact, an absolutely perfect way to demonstrate the brand's new e-clutch and its benefits. And, once out of the city, there were indeed some truly stunning roads to ride, through some amazing scenery.

While the launch covered two models -the CB650R and the faired CBR650R - they are, pretty much, one and the same. With just a bit more bodywork, and lower handlebars to differentiate the CBR from its naked sibling, we'll look at them both as one bike for the purposes of this feature, although the two bikes will certainly appeal to slightly different buyers. It's worth noting that the CBR650R is the best-selling sports bike in Europe so, while riders in Blighty perhaps see it as not being focused enough to be classed as a true sports machine, letting the new CBR600RR take the limelight in that respect, the truth is that the 650R is the sportier of the two e-clutch bikes and certainly makes for a far more practical road machine in day-to-day use than the focussed RR race rep...