P70
2 019 H O N DA C B 6 5 0 R & C B R 6 5 0 R
F I RST REVI EW
That F version only lasted one year in CB guise in
the U.S., used as a stop-gap model because Honda
was busy working behind the scenes on its new
Neo-Sports Café lineup that includes the CB1000R
and the CB300R —all-new machines for 2019.
Likewise, the CBR650R is restyled for this
year, but instead of being the second in the
chain of command, the 650R sits at the top of
the CBR-R family that includes the 500R and the
single-cylinder 300R—the CBR-RR sport bike
range (CBR1000RR and CBR600RR) is marketed
entirely separate to these street bikes.
Same but different—2019 Honda
CB650R and CBR650R
Technically, there's really not a lot to separate
them. Both bikes come with a revised 649cc, inline
four-cylinder motor that includes a new piston shape,
valve timing, a 1000-rpm higher rev ceiling to just
over 12,000 rpm and a new slipper clutch Honda
says offers a 12-percent reduction in operation load.
The most significant differences between the
two engines is the CBR gets a ram intake for
stronger top-end power, while the CB receives
an upgrade of dual intake ducts compared to the
single of the F model.
On the chassis side, both machines utilize the
same steel twin-spar frame that's a claimed 4.2
pounds lighter than in 2018, with the pivot plate
now stamped instead of forged. Stamping the
steel helps reduce the weight, but it also allows a
degree of flexibility in the metal that forged does
not. As neither of these bikes are race bikes and
thus not subject to huge cornering loads with
rigidity as a huge priority, stamping the chassis
rather than forging it is a cheaper and still effective
method of construction.
This CB650R is a really cute little bike—the bronze wheels look great in the metal.
