2014 Honda CBR650F: New Middleweight Sportbike

Rivaling bikes like the Kawasaki Ninja 650 and Suzuki SFV650, this new 2014 Honda CBR650F is a practical, middleweight sportbike delivering accessible performance for the road.

Like the new 2014 Honda Interceptor, the CBR650F was first unveiled at EICMA last November, with no mention of U.S. availability. Well, here you go, it goes on-sale here this summer priced at just $8,499.

It features a brand new, 649cc in-line four cylinder engine making 87 bhp at 11,000 rpm and 46 lb.-ft. of torque at 8,000 rpm. It also features an all-new twin-spar steel frame and new aluminum swingarm. It’s rear shock is adjustable for preload and rebound, while the front 41 mm forks are non-adjustable. ABS is a $500 option. Weight is 461 lbs with the 4.5-gallon fuel tank filled.

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The unique selling point here over the rivals from Kawasaki or Suzuki or Honda's own range of affordable 500s is the inline-four motor. It will be smoother and higher revving than an equivalent parallel-twin (as used on those other bikes) and feel more like its big brother, the Honda CBR600RR.

Think of this 650 not as a wannabe sportbike, but welcome step along the Sportbike Progression, giving riders a quick, versatile machine that will be equally at home commuting to work as it will on a fun mountain road.

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