2017–2018 · Naked Bike · Buyer's Guide
Smooth Revver, Bulletproof Bones
The CB650F is a middleweight naked built around four cylinders. Its 649 cc inline-four makes 91 hp at 11,000 rpm and 47 lb-ft at 8,000 rpm, and it sits in a steel diamond frame with a non-adjustable telescopic fork and a rear shock you can set for preload. Electronics? ABS, and that's the list: no traction control, no ride modes. The headlight is LED, heated grips are an option. That simplicity is the point. This is a Honda built to work on a Tuesday morning and still make sense on a Sunday back road, and it's very hard to break. Honest hardware.
What wins you over is how easy it is: accessible handling, clear feedback and the lean clearance to back it up. The four likes revs and rewards you for using them, so it suits you if you enjoy working an engine. It ages the Honda way. Running costs stay low, the motor is built for big mileage and the aftermarket has plenty for it. Check fasteners, bracket bolts and some frame welds for surface rust on bikes kept outdoors or ridden in the wet: it's cosmetic, not structural. The caveat is the hardware. A fork you can't adjust and ABS as the only rider aid set a clear ceiling. Know that going in.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 91 hp (67 kW) @ 11,000 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 47 lb-ft (64 Nm) @ 8,000 rpm |
| Displacement | 649 cc |
| Engine | Inline-four |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 320 mm |
| Front tire | 120/70-17 |
| Rear tire | 180/55-17 |
| Wheelbase | 57.1 in (1450 mm) |
| Seat height | 31.9 in (810 mm) |
| Wet weight | 459 lb (208 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 4.6 gal (17.3 L) |
| Fuel economy | 49 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Lighting
Safety
I've spent years listening to CB650F owners: in the paddock, at club nights, and in the emails and messages you send me directly. The pattern for this bike is steady. Comfort, engine and agility get praised in equal measure, and one complaint keeps coming back: the fork.
Riders consistently point to the raised bars, the mildly rear-set pegs and a well-padded seat, and they report good visibility and little fatigue after hours aboard. Just as often they describe an inline-four that pulls cleanly from low revs and saves a rush for the top end. The third constant is agility: owners call the bike flickable in tight corners. Some add that plastics, paint and switchgear feel durable for the price. A few mention ABS that only steps in near the limit. A steady chorus.
The recurring gripe sits up front. Riders consistently describe a fork that can feel vague when you corner hard, with no compression or rebound adjustment, and they miss the refinement of fully adjustable units. Far less often, an owner reports surface rust on bolts and exposed metal after winter riding or humid storage. Two gripes, no more.
Cosmetic corrosion on exposed metal parts
Fasteners, bracket bolts and some frame welds can develop surface rust, particularly if the bike is used in wet conditions or stored outdoors. It is a cosmetic concern and does not affect structural integrity.
Where this Honda CB650F pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the CB650F is actually built for.
Lean clearance and feedback are there, and the four loves being revved between corners. But 91 hp, a fork you can't adjust and no traction control put a ceiling on it if you ride at a very high level.
Made for Angeles Crest Highway · Coronado Trail / US 191 · Highway 1 / Big Sur
If you care about clean lines more than speed, this fits you well. The handling is easy to read and easy to place, and it'll do corner after corner, weekend after weekend, without complaint.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2014–2016
Honda's Inline-Four Done Honest
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Honda CB650F. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Competitor · 2014–2017
Raw Twin, Weightless Handling
About the same used price as this bike at 9 yr
Competitor · 2017
Lightweight Twin, Low Drama
About the same used price as this bike at 9 yr
Same Platform · 2017–2018
Honest Miles, Happy Engine
About the same used price as this bike at 8 yr