So I’m going to level with you: I’m feeling a little left out. Not upset, not frustrated – just that mild, good-natured kind of jealous you get when people around you are buying motorcycles and you’re still on the same two bikes you had last year. My brother reached out about the Honda CBR650R E-Clutch, my father-in-law just picked up a Triumph, and here I am with my Yamaha MT-09 SP and my Kawasaki Ninja 400, watching everyone else shop. Let me tell you the whole story.
Table of Contents
A little family backstory
When I started riding, I was in my early 20s. My younger brother actually beat me to it – he got into motorcycles around 17 or 18, fa couple years before I did. My dad has always had bikes, but he stopped riding when we were kids. He just never got rid of them. Our shed had an old Husqvarna dirt bike, a Honda CB350, a CB750, and a CBX sitting in the garage. The man basically had a small collection going, just none of them really saw the road anymore.
My brother took the MSF course, found a CB350 close enough in year to my dad’s, and used it as a parts bike to get the old man’s bike running again. Watching the two of them bond over that is honestly what finally pushed me over the edge. I got my license, started riding, and here we are today.
My brother graduated from that CB350 to a brand new Yamaha R6. Fast, beautiful, and exactly what a guy in his 20s wants. But then life happened – kids showed up, the R6 sat under a cover all season, and eventually he let it go. He tried a Yamaha V-Star after that, thought the cruiser seating position might get him riding more. Called me one day and said he’d scraped the pegs going through French Creek State Park and realized it just wasn’t as fun as the R6. That bike went, too. And for the last few years, he’s been without a motorcycle entirely.
The text that started all of this
Out of nowhere, he texts me asking how I like the Ninja 400. I told him the truth: it’s a great little bike, does everything I want it to do, no regrets. Then he drops it – he’s thinking about getting back into riding. I was genuinely surprised.
I gave him my honest take on the 400. For what it is, I really enjoy it. But I wouldn’t want it as my only bike. There are times it feels a bit underpowered, especially if you’re doing anything beyond twisty back roads. If you’re commuting or getting on a highway with any regularity, there are better options for a primary motorcycle.
That’s when he told me what he’s actually been considering: the Honda CBR650R with the e-clutch.
What is the Honda CBR650R e-clutch?
I’ll be honest – I didn’t know much about it until I did some reading the night before. The more I learned, the more I thought Honda was onto something genuinely interesting here.
How the e-clutch system works
The e-clutch isn’t a full automatic, and it’s not a DCT like what Honda uses on the Africa Twin. It’s better described as a smart clutch assist. Small actuator motors monitor your engine RPM and road speed in real time and feather the clutch automatically as needed. The result is that you can ride it just like a normal manual – clutch lever and all – but if you forget to pull the clutch coming to a stop, the bike won’t stall. Pull up to a red light in first gear, come to a complete stop, never touch the clutch lever. The system handles it.
When you’re ready to go again, you just roll the throttle on and the e-clutch picks up smoothly from there.
Can you turn it off?
Yes. If the idea of a clutch that thinks for itself doesn’t appeal to you, you can go into the settings and disable it entirely. Or you can just use the clutch lever the way you always have – the system will override itself and follow your input. So you’re not locked into anything.
For riders coming back after a long break, or for anyone who’s ever found stop-and-go traffic annoying with a manual clutch, this seems like a genuinely useful feature. I know I have days where I’m creeping through backed-up traffic and thinking I’d really rather not be feathering the clutch for the next 20 minutes. That’s exactly the situation this was made for.
As for the CBR650R itself – Honda has been running that inline-four platform for a while now, and it’s a good one. I had a 2018 CBR650F and really liked that engine. High-revving, smooth, and it pulls well across the range. From what I understand they’re running a version of the same motor in the current models. For someone coming back to sport bikes after years away, it’s a solid machine to come back on.
The other bikes in the conversation
We talked through a few other options. I mentioned the Triumph Trident 660 – I haven’t ridden one personally, but I hear consistently good things about it. It’s a triple instead of an inline-four, saves you some money, and Triumph has stretched out the service intervals on those bikes quite a bit. If you’re not locked into the sport bike layout with fairings and clip-ons, it’s worth a look.
Then he mentioned the Kawasaki Z900 RS Cafe, and yeah – you and me both. I’ve wanted one of those for a long time. The styling is just right. I remember when you could find them for around six grand and I didn’t have the money. They’re worth a lot more than that now and I’m still thinking about it.
He also mentioned his wife might get a Grom. So they could go from zero bikes to two bikes in one shot. That’s the part that’s making me jealous.
My father-in-law just bought a Triumph, too
My wife came home from running errands and dropped this on me: her dad just bought a new motorcycle. A Triumph. Possibly silver. Not there yet – paperwork wasn’t done at the dealer. Her dad is in his 70s and has had Harleys for years, so a Triumph was a bit of a surprise. My guess is that the big baggers are getting heavy to manage at that age and he wants something lighter and more nimble. I told my wife that if he bought a Bonneville, he is not allowed to sell it to anyone but me. I’ve never owned one, but I have friends who ride them and they’re just nice bikes. Solid, characterful, not trying too hard.
I’ll get over there in the next few days to see what he actually picked up. Hopefully I can talk him into letting me take it out.
Hoping to finally ride with my dad and brother
There’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and it just keeps not happening: ride up to my grandmother’s place in the Poconos with my dad and my brother. The three of us, same day, same road. It sounds simple but the timing has never worked out.
My dad has a CBX that hasn’t run in years. He started pulling the dash apart to replace a light, and then my mom got sick. Really sick. The bike just stopped being a priority, which makes complete sense. She passed a few years ago now, and that bike is still sitting in pieces. I’ve been after him for a long time to get it running again. I even told him he could park it in my garage and we’d put it back together on weekends. That never happened either.
But if my brother gets back on a bike – and if my dad ever gets that CBX sorted out – maybe that ride up to the Poconos actually happens. That would mean more to me than any new motorcycle I could buy right now.
What I’m actually eyeing for myself
Since we’re on the subject – yeah, I look at bikes online more than I probably should. Nothing serious, just a habit. When I do eventually pull the trigger on something new, I think it’ll be a sport-tourer. Something with storage, something that can handle a longer day in the saddle. Doesn’t even have to be bigger than the MT-09 – a Kawasaki Versys with hard cases or something in the Suzuki V-Strom family would probably do exactly what I need.
The other thing I keep coming back to is an older standard. An early 80s Honda CB750 or something along those lines. Something I can tinker with, learn the mechanical side on without doing serious damage. Parts availability on the old stuff can be a pain, but there’s something about having a bike you actually wrench on yourself that appeals to me.
And then Dewey Rides
puts out another video and I start thinking about an adventure bike. So, you know, the list keeps changing.
Connect with Walt In PA
If you want to follow along on rides and hear more of this kind of thing, the WaltInPA YouTube channel is where most of it happens. Subscribe so you don’t miss the next one.
If you’ve got a friend who’s thinking about getting back into riding — or someone who’s been curious about the Honda CBR650R e-clutch – send this their way.
And if you want to talk bikes, swap recommendations, or just hang out with other people who ride for the love of it, come find us on the WaltInPA Discord. Good group of people over there.
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