VOLUME 56 ISSUE 23 JUNE 11, 2019 P73
quickshifter; instead, there're adjustable trac-
tion control, ABS and a gear indicator. Traction
control comes in the form of Honda's Selectable
Torque Control (HSTC) that you can select on
the fly by just closing the throttle and hitting the
switch on the left bar. Interestingly, both ma-
chines come with either TC and ABS, or none
at all. You can't buy a CB/CBR with ABS and no
TC, or TC and no ABS. If you buy one, you get
both, and ABS is on all the time.
Compared to the old 2018 CBR, this 2019 edi-
tion has come in for a handy nine-pound reduction
in overall mass for the non-ABS version and 11.6
pounds off the model with ABS. This, combined with
the more sports-focused riding position with the rid-
er's wrists lower and pegs higher and further back,
will ensure the CBR is a solid machine for those
looking to get in on sport-bike riding at the ground
level. It's a very unintimidating machine to ride, offer-
ing a nice compromise between an admittedly rather
E N T S
Testing the 2019 Honda CBR650R
If you squint a little, you'd swear the
CBR650R was the 2017 Honda CBR1000RR.
The CBR650R has come in for a pretty sub-
stantial facelift and is now angled much more
towards the big daddy Honda superbike, with
LED lighting flanked by a much more aggres-
sive top fairing design. It's even got the same
colors as that 2017 RR.
The CBR650R is much more traditional
Honda with its race-replica presence
compared to the new Neo-Sports design
of the CB. Those that have ridden the old
gold that was the 600Fi from the late '90s
will probably appreciate this bike because
this is the kind of bike the supersport class
was originally built on before it got, you
know, too supersporty.
(Left) It's a touch small for Rennie's frame,
but the CBR still provides an excellent sport bike
experience that'll be perfect for newer riders.
(Right) If Honda aimed to make the CBR650R
look a near replica of the 1000RR, they did it.
(L-R) A carryover from last year, the
side pipes still look fantastic. Don't
want TC? It's easily switchable on the
fly with that little switch. Big LED light
up front is a CB family trademark.
