The 2021 Honda CBR650R gets sportier, cleaner and sleeker
A little over a year ago, the mellow Honda CBR650F evolved into a much sportier and youthful mid-weight sportsbike. The new Honda CBR650R may look like a minor revision in the nomenclature but in flesh, the fully faired four-cylinder motorcycle brought to table a fresh attitude. Honda has updated the CBR650R for 2021 model year and things have been taken a few notches even further.
2021 Honda CBR650R – What’s new?
The 2021 Honda CBR650R continues to be inspired by the iconic liter-class Fireblade. The changes are very subtle but Honda has revised the fairing panels and introduced a steel fender with new license plate bracket.
Th most significant upgrade comes in the form of new Showa inverted telescopic forks which now employ Separate Function Big Piston (SFF-BP) components. There are superior to the previous version’s Showa bending valve type forks. The outcome should be an even sharper handling characteristics.
After listening to customer feedback, Honda has tweaked the angle of its fully digital dashboard and introduced new fonts in a bid to improve visibility irrespective of lighting conditions. The motorcycle also receives a USB type-C charging socket underneath the saddle.
Specifications
Nothing much else have changed in terms of specifications. The 2021 Honda CBR650R continues to employed the sweet sounding and refined 649 cc inline four-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine. Now compliant with the Euro-5 emission norms (equivalent to BS6 norms), the motor dishes out 95 hp and 63 Nm of torque which are near identical to the figures of previous iteration.
Transmission is a 6-speed unit. The motor benefits from a revised ECU, new exhaust, silencer, catalytic converter, cam profile and intake timing to achieve improvement in emission performance.
The kerb weight has been reduced by 2 kg to 208 kg. The rear monoshock suspension with adjustable pre-load, 17-inch alloy wheels, 120/70ZR17 front and 180/55ZR17 rear tyres, 310 mm dual front and 240 mm single rear disc brake setup (with dual channel ABS) have been retained.
Launch
The 2021 Honda CBR650R is expected to hit the European showrooms sometime before Christmas this year. The India launch is likely to take place in the first half of 2021. The BS4 version retailed at INR 7.70 lakh (ex-showroom) and we expect the revised model to be priced slightly higher. The sportsbike will take on the Kawasaki Z900 BS6 which is priced attractively at INR 7.99 lakhs and has more power. The CBR650R will most likely be locally assembled out of CKD kits.
