All Tests – Honda CB650F Test: the CB is rebelling! – Bye, bye CB600F Hornet, hello CB650F

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Honda CB650F test: the CB rebels !

All Tests - Honda CB650F Test: the CB is rebelling! - Bye, bye CB600F Hornet, hello CB650F

Positioned between the wise CB500F and the spicy CB600F Hornet – which leaves the 2014 catalog – the new Honda CB650F brings a new touch of freshness to the roadster range of the winged crest. MNC tested this sexy and versatile motorcycle: test drive.

Bye, bye CB600F Hornet, hello CB650F

It is sometimes difficult to navigate, especially on the side of mid-capacity roadsters: the CB500 now put the boot at the footrest for beginners, the economical NC700 give way to and the CB650F pushes the iconic towards the exit…

Asked by MNC, Honda France understands our perplexity: "it’s true that the arrival of the CB650F coincides with Honda’s decision to stop production of the CB600F Hornet globally, which can be interpreted as a handover between the two", recognizes Sebastien Pernel, sales manager of the French subsidiary..

"But this is not the case: the CB650F does not replace the Hornet, which occupied the status of a mid-capacity sports roadster in our range. This is a new, more versatile and more accessible motorcycle", develops the person in charge by confiding to us that once the last stocks of Hornet are used up, the spicy roadster would bid farewell to the motorcycle scene after some 16 years of career! Snif…

Unless it’s just a "goodbye", while waiting for a hypothetical – but logical and very tempting – Hornet 800, a brand new model capable of messing up the Z800, Street Triple, MT -09 and other FZ8 and GSR750 ?

"I can’t answer this question", retorts Sebastien Pernel questioned by MNC … who insists:"in any case, if such a project exists, it is not foreseen in the short term", will eventually let go of the Honda France sales manager.

In short, for 2014 in any case, it is the CB650F that falls the mission to make the junction between the CB500F and the NC750S in the Honda roadster range..

Conquest Motorcycle

Like the late la, a nice roadster sold from 2004 to 2012 – yes, it’s not easy to navigate between all these "CB"! -, the CBF650 is a motorcycle intended for beginners or for bikers looking for a comfortable motorcycle on a daily basis.

Its fittings are proof of this, with modest equipment: double-piston front brake calipers, 41 mm telescopic fork, steel frame, etc. But the CB650F makes some effort, for example by adopting a nice aluminum swingarm, while its stacked exhaust pipes open neatly under the right crankcase – as on the Hornet.

The large 180mm rear tire (160 on the CBF600) further accentuates its sporty side, especially when highlighted around the 17-inch gold rim of the HRC tricolor version (an option at 200 euros). In this regard, let us note that the elegant white color exhibited on the "group photo" above will only be imported into France for motorcycle schools … Yes, too bad !

Aesthetically, this new CB650F throws some: its dynamic lines and its long boomerang-shaped scoops attract the eye more than the "all-purpose" silhouette of its bland grandmother, the CBF600. Add to that a stocky front end and a sleek stern, and you have a racy bike. The LED position lights finally add a rather nice "high tech" touch.

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