Honda CB650F Roadster (2017 - ) review

There wasn’t much wrong with the handsome, well proportioned looks of the old CB650F, right down to its CB400/4-alike exhaust headers. The new version, however, has been sharpened up, with a new nose cowl and more youthful graphics. Add the official accessory pillion seat cover and fly screen and it gets better yet. Middleweight roadsters don’t get much meatier and sweeter.

Again, there wasn’t much wrong with the old CB650F: Honda have a knack of getting rider ergonomics spot-on. However, the riding position of this new version has skillfully been made slightly more aggressive. The flattish bars are 13mm lower and narrower, putting the rider very slightly more inclined over the front, and feeling more involved through the turns, but without any trade-off in terms of comfort. Ideal.

Naked roadsters such as the CB are always limited in practically to some degree: the lack of a fairing can make long-distance motorway travel a chore, for example. That said, this version – with its revised, more tucked-in riding position and subtle nose cowl – is more tolerable than some. In addition, it’s also nimble and brisk enough to be good around town, is easy to ride, fun down the twisties and, being a slightly larger, more substantial, four-cylinder machine, takes a pillion better than its smaller, twin-cylinder rivals. Besides, if you want the fairing, go for its CBR650F brother.

Although the basic, CBR600RR-derived and detuned, liquid-cooled, four-cylinder engine remains, it’s been significantly reworked for 2017 and not just to ensure it complies with the new Euro4 emissions regulations. Inlet and exhaust changes combine to boost peak power from 86- to 90bhp, with a mild torque improvement as well. That, plus a rortier exhaust note, gives the new CB a welcome touch of extra go while still being smooth, progressive and easy to use. The twin wavy front discs gripped by four-piston calipers are unchanged and a little budget, but more than sufficient.

This, too, benefits from some subtle updates. The front forks have been updated to new, 41mm, preload-adjustable Showa Dual Bending Valve forks, which Honda claims give a more sophisticated and progressive ride. These, combined with the slightly more inclined riding position certainly give a more sporty attitude and improved ride quality. None of the old, neutral, novice-friendly versatility has been lost, but the new CB650F is certainly more aggressive and fun.

The CB is unique in the budget, middleweight, roadster class, in being a full-sized four-cylinder machine. As a result it’s heavier than most rivals, and likely to have a greater appetite not just for fuel, but also tyres, chain, brake pads and so on. That said, it remains a well-priced budget machine. Build quality is also good, and it’ll certainly be cheaper to run than more powerful (and expensive) fours such as Suzuki’s GSX-S750, and Kawasaki’s Z800 and Z900.

Although it’s a new model with significant engine revisions, we’ve no reason to be wary of the CB650. Most of it is carried over from the old CB650F as introduced in 2014, which in turn used a detuned version of the old CBR600RR motor, both of which have immaculate reliability records. In addition, the new CB650F’s chassis and cycle parts are not just simple and straightforward (you won’t find any complicated electronic rider aids here), but also have no reported reliability or durability concerns.

Although there have been a number of significant and worthwhile technical changes to the CB650F, neither its service schedule, or its warranty, is affected. The warranty remains Honda’s standard two-year/unlimited mileage offering, while its service routine requires minor oil and filter changes and checks every 8,000 miles, with the full, major service, including valve adjustment, at 16,000 miles. Both of which are better than most in this category.

You can’t expect the earth with a budget-orientated machine. Being the unfaired variant means the CB650F is even more spartan. There’s no electronic rider aids (ABS excepted), the clocks are a little basic (we’d have like the addition of a gear position indicator, for example) and there’s little by way of luxuries or frills. Even so, the nose cowl does a good job, the CB’s well made and finished, and for this style of bike it doesn’t need much more.

Honda’s original naked 600, the Hornet, was a great, affordable and fun bike. As its replacement, the CB650F ticks all the same boxes. What’s new now, with the demise of Suzuki’s Bandit and Yamaha’s XJ6, is that the Honda stands alone as the only budget, four-cylinder roadster around. For those wanting a slightly larger, more substantial machine that its twin rivals, that’ll be enough. The fact it’s a great bike made better, with more sporting ability, is the cherry on top.