2018 Honda CBR 650F

WE SAY: plenty of updates that make a likeable bike even more likeable

- Debabrata Sarkar

This CBR 650F with its 649cc, inline four has been a bit of a darling around the TG office and the updated version needs to fulfill the same expectations. Not that that should be a problem, since with the 2018 version, Honda has improved every aspect. It pumps out a modest 85 horsepower alongside an even more modest 60Nm of torque. So, if it is a fast motorcycle that you had your sights set on, well, this isn’t it. But, swing a leg over and give it a chance and you are likely to discover that there’s a lot more to like.

So, what has changed in the 2018 version? While Honda has chosen to keep peak power more or less the same, the motor has been retuned for better delivery through the range. They have slapped on a fresh pair of Show a developed forks at the front, switched the headlamp for a more contemporary LED unit, treated the tail-lamp to a clear lens, modified the four into one exhaust system for better performance and applied a bronze finish to the engine casing. They have also played with the decal designs and this one with flashes of red on a matte grey fairing works rather well in my book. The digital instrument cluster remains surprisingly untouched and the twin pod set-up looks rather dated now, but the general design of the motorcycle has stood the passage of time quite well.