The Honda CB650F doesn’t get a lot of attention. There aren’t many owners out there, it missed most of the middleweight shootout videos because it was slow to reach the US market, and Honda replaced it pretty quickly with the CB650R. So if you’re researching this bike and coming up mostly empty, that’s why. I’m going to give you my honest Honda CB650F review based on real ownership so you have something useful to go on.
A little context before I get into it. I came back to motorcycles after about ten to twelve years away. Life happened, a kid was on the way, and I sold my Suzuki GS450 and stepped away from riding entirely. When I decided to get back into it, I knew I wasn’t starting from zero but I also wasn’t going to pretend I had fresh skills. I needed something forgiving but not something I’d outgrow in a season. That’s the lens I used when I landed on the CB650F, and it’s the lens I’m using to write this.
Table of Contents
How I Ended Up on the CB650F
I looked at a 300 first and dismissed it pretty fast. I had enough prior experience that I felt like the skills would come back quicker than they would for a brand new rider, and I didn’t want to be on something I’d outgrow by fall. Then I looked at the CB500F, which is genuinely a solid starting point, but same concern. So I moved up to the middleweight class and started comparing the SV650, the MT-07, and the CB650F.
The Honda won out for one specific reason: it’s an inline four. The MT-07 has more torque down low, which on paper sounds great but for a returning rider re-learning throttle control, that’s not what you want. The inline four’s power delivery is smoother and more linear. You really start to feel it as you wind the engine out rather than getting it all at once. For where I was at mentally coming back to riding, that felt like the right call.
I also want to be honest that the CB650R was on my radar but it wasn’t in my budget at the time. The 2020 R was running around $9,000 new. The MT-07 and SV650 were both closer to $7,800 to $8,000. The CB650F, which I bought used, came in around $6,000 to $6,200. That price gap is real and worth acknowledging.
What It’s Like to Ride
Power delivery is smooth and predictable. On back roads doing 35 to 40 mph it’s got more than enough. Highway speeds are fine but you do have to wind it out a bit since the power really comes alive higher in the rev range. It redlines at about 11,500 RPM and that inline four character means you’re not going to feel a lot of grunt down low. If you’re mostly a back road rider that’s a non-issue.
The CB650F is also on the heavier side compared to the SV650 and MT-07, which is worth knowing if weight is a factor for you.
The Tech Situation
This bike is basic and I mean that in the most straightforward way possible. No ride-by-wire throttle. No traction control. No ABS. For some people that’s a dealbreaker. For me it’s actually a feature. Fewer electronics means fewer things to break, fewer things to diagnose, and more options if you’re the DIY type who wants to do your own work. I’m not really that guy but I like knowing the option exists.
If you want rider aids and modern tech, the CB650F is going to leave you wanting. Just know that going in.
Real Ownership Costs
I’ve had one issue in all my time owning this bike and it was entirely my fault. About 35 days in, a rock got into the cooling fan and it was making a sound I can only describe as alarming. I brought it to the dealership, they flicked the rock out with a pen, and that was it. My 30-day warranty had already lapsed so I felt like an idiot, but at least the fix was free.
The 8,000-mile service was where I felt it. I needed tires at that point and replaced the stock Dunlops with a set of Continental ContiMotion
. When I first put them on they felt a little stiff compared to what I was used to but they’ve broken in fine since. The service itself ran around $500 and with tires I was close to $1,000 total. Your number is going to vary depending on your dealership’s hourly rate but budget for it.
Looks and Appearance
This is subjective but I’ll say it anyway: I think this bike looks great. The four exhaust headers drop down off the front and they have a bronze-tinted coating on them that gives the whole front end a really distinct look. There’s brown and brass-toned accents on the engine that you don’t see on a lot of bikes. The 650R that replaced it went more neo-cafe in styling and lost a lot of that character. The F’s look is more transformer than cafe racer and I was into it from day one.
The 650R is a good-looking bike too but they’re different enough in style that which one you prefer is going to be personal.
Should You Buy One
If you’re a returning rider and a CB650F crosses your path at a reasonable price, don’t let the lack of online content scare you off. I paid around $6,000 for mine and at that price it’s been one of the better decisions I’ve made. Aftermarket options are a little limited since it was replaced by the R, though a lot of parts do cross over between the two models.
The Honda CB650F review you’ll find most places is either a brief spec rundown or missing entirely. What I can tell you from actual seat time is that the reliability has been great, the power delivery is smooth, and it’s been a genuinely enjoyable bike to own. You’re paying a bit of the Honda premium over something like an SV650 but the build quality backs it up.
If one shows up in your price range, it’s worth a serious look.
Ride With Me
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