Honda CBR650F launch in March 2015

  • Nov 14, 2014
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Honda will launch its four-cylinder sport-tourer offering in March 2015 and bring it in via the CKD route

Honda CBR650F

After conquering the scooter market, HMSI seems all set to repeat the same in the entry level performance segment of motorcycles in the Indian two-wheeler market. Honda had showcased the CBR650F at the 2014 Auto Expo earlier this year and had said that it would be its new performance offering for the Indian market. ZigWheels has learnt that the Japanese two-wheeler giant will launch the CBR650F in our market in March 2015. 

Honda CBR650F static shot

The Honda CBR650F belongs to the sport-tourer genre of motorcycles. But the styling of the bike is akin to that of the litre-class CBR and this should appeal to the Indian masses that have a fairing fixation. But unlike supersport motorcycles that have an aggressive riding posture, the Honda CBR650F will have a more upright and comfortable riding position. The Honda CBR650F houses a 649cc, liquid-cooled, in-line-four motor pumping out 87PS at 11,000rpm and 63Nm at 8,000rpm.

This means that the Honda offering has an advantage of 15PS over its arch rival, the Kawasaki Ninja 650 and in terms of torque rating it’s just one Nm down. The extra ponies and the chiselled body should result in the Honda CBR650F having a better performance than the Ninja 650 as the weight of both the bikes are almost same. The motor is mated to a six-speed transmission. 

Honda CBR650F rear shot

The Honda CBR650F employs a steel twin-spar frame while the swingarm has been crafted from aluminium. Suspension duties are handled by 41mm forks at front and preload adjustable monoshock setup at the back. Braking is done by disc brakes at front and rear while ABS will be standard. The new offering would be the largest capacity motorcycle that would be assembled by the firm in the country. Also, Honda will try to localise as much of the parts as possible to keep the cost of the bike as low as possible apart from the CKD operation. 

It is expected that the Honda CBR650F will be priced under Rs 5 lakh to undercut the Kawasaki Ninja 650. If Honda is able to price the bike under the 5 lakh mark then they have a great product in their hands as their vast dealer network will also aid in pushing the sales though service would remain a concern at dealerships outside the metro cities. Honda has also said that it will bring in other performance machines depending on the response the Honda CBR 650F so it would be an important motorcycle with respect to the performance segment in our two-wheeler market. Apart from the Kawasaki Ninja 650, the Honda CBR 650F will also compete against the upcoming DSK-Benelli TNT 600GT which also have an in-line-four motor.

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