Honda CBR650F

[fullofmax]

Im very interested in buying one after I sat on it at the Honda dealer and after reading a few reviews of the bike.

The only thing im worried about is that some people mention strong buzzing/vibrations.

 

A the moment im mostly riding my small Nmax and it does vibrate at a certain RPM quiet strong as well. Around 40km/h while you cruise.

This might be kind of a longshot but does somebody hear own one and can say how strong the vibrations are and in what RPM range ?

I can live with the vibrations on my Nmax for 80k thaibaht but when I buy a big bike for 300k I dont want to be dissapointed when it buzzes so much that I cant use the mirrors like on my nmax at certain RPM.

 

 

[canthai55]

You will have many more rider reviews by going to the dedicated forum.

FYI my CB650F does not vibrate much - not at hiway speeds. When riding fast it is not too noticeable as I am concentrating on staying on the road and watching for other traffic.

But each bike will be different to some degree. Even same make and model.

 

[eisfeld]

I rode a CB650F for a total of about 2000km. The buzzing definitely annoyed me to the point where I adjusted my riding in order to stay out of the problematic RPM range. But that was 2 or so years ago, the first year model. The buzz is in the mid of the RPM range, I think I actually posted about it here. In low RPMs there's no buzzing and at higher RPMs the buzzing at least gets less noticeable. It started right before 90km/h in 6th so exactly around cruising speed...

 

For 2017, Honda changed the handlebar shape, weight and put them on rubber mounts to reduce the vibrations, clearly acknowledging the problem. I am not sure how effective these changes are or if they also did something to reduce the buzz in the seat as I haven't had the chance to ride the 2017 model.

 

Best way to check is to take one for a test ride! Alternatives would be MT-07/09 and Z900. Though the Z900 also vibes pretty hard, I test rode one for a few km. I didn't try the MT range from Yamaha.

[thaiguzzi]

I gotta laugh...

People complaining of vibes on an INLINE 4 CYLINDER UJM ! (Universal Japanese Motorcycle)....

The supposed smoothest of the smooth.... Hah!

[eisfeld]

3 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

I gotta laugh...

People complaining of vibes on an INLINE 4 CYLINDER UJM ! (Universal Japanese Motorcycle)....

The supposed smoothest of the smooth.... Hah!

 

Smooth in terms of power delivery, not vibrations :)

 

Vibes always depend on the whole bikes construction. The count of cylinders defines more the frequency of vibes in my experience.

 

And I think we left the times of UJM behind.

[canthai55]

3 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

I gotta laugh...

People complaining of vibes on an INLINE 4 CYLINDER UJM ! (Universal Japanese Motorcycle)....

The supposed smoothest of the smooth.... Hah!

True Dat ! As I said I did not find it bad. 90km in 6th is a very low rpm too. 4K ? Can't remember

And my Daddy told me engines do not like to lug ! So I don't hit 6th until 130 or more, which is - memory serves - 6000 rpm in 6th.

Don't look at the tach at that speed - look a loooong way down the road, that where the trouble will come from

[kannot]

Ive got one, never noticed it but then I rarely  stick to a  set  speed ie cruising, If  I wanted  that id  buy a big  ugly fb6 or  summat.

Where abouts in Thailand are you? if  you are near Hua  Hin I could let you try mine

[Kwasaki]

No vibes on a CBR1000RR.

[thaiguzzi]

4 hours ago, eisfeld said:

And I think we left the times of UJM behind.

Nah, not here, not in my book. IMHO even a BMW S1000 I put in the same category. If it's an inline 4, watercooled these days, could you spot the marque, the model from 20 paces? Especially the fully faired sports bikes. Paint them the same colour, remove the stickers, are they not all pretty identical? Sound the same? Perform the same?

 Being a Luddite, the demise of modern motorcycling began with 4 cylinder water cooled bikes ie the early 90's...

Don't get me wrong, the pinnacle of UJM's, sorry in line 4's, were the air/oil cooled Suzukis, on show, not hidden behind plastic - wonderful engine and great to look at.

[eisfeld]

Someone who isn't into supersports will think they are all the same. Someone who is interested in them will find them worlds apart. The cross-plane inline 4 of a Yamaha sounds vastly different from a Fireblade for example.

 

Someone who isn't into cruisers will think all Harleys look and sound the same.

 

Supersports might be an extreme because they are built for a specific use case and slowly try to get to perfection there. There isn't THAT much room for different looks because the fairing follows function. Airplanes also look all pretty much the same, for that reason. It's not because the designers were boring, uninspired fellas.

 

But like I said, the age of UJM is gone. Japanese manufacturers build more distinctly looking bikes than than American or British combined for example.

 

Anyways. This is about the CB650F. And yes it has vibes. Nobody nowerdays can claim that inline 4s are vibe free. Maybe it was like that some time ago, I don't know because I wasn't into bikes at that time. Nor can we claim that about *any* other engine type today. The difference between them is the frequency, amplitude and where they occure in the rev range. My Ducati V2 vibes at 6k+ if I remember correctly. But it also redlines at a bit over 8k so I really don't have to go that far normally. A CB650F redlines around 12k and vibes around 5k or 6k so yea, you will be in that range fairly often. Some people are less sensitive to these vibes than others. For me, it was annoying. Otherwise a GREAT bike for the money btw!

[Can samui]

Same category as the Versys and Vstrom.
Best bet is to try all three and make an informed decision.
Either ask around for a borrow or find a shop that rents one of them and take it out for an hour or two.


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[eisfeld]

47 minutes ago, Can samui said:

Same category as the Versys and Vstrom.

I don't think so. The CB650F is a naked bike while the Versys and Vstrom are adventure bikes. They have longer travel suspension, a windscreen, better to mount luggage etc. They are quite different. Honda doesn't have a direct competitor to these two models.

[Can samui]

Ummmm....nope.
The Versys and Vstrom are not adventure bikes. At most I would call them sport tourers.



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[eisfeld]

26 minutes ago, Can samui said:

Ummmm....nope.
The Versys and Vstrom are not adventure bikes. At most I would call them sport tourers.

 

Some pages call them sport tourers, some adventure bikes, some adventure touring. Some even all-rounder. I found both Kawa and Suzi pages calling these two adventure bikes. But what they are not is naked bike, street fighter or roadster. That's what you might call the CB650F. However you twist and turn it, they are not in the same class of bikes.

 

Edit: if you want the bikes from Kawa and Suzi that are in the same class as the CB650F then that would be the Z650 and the SV650.

[jackdd]

38 minutes ago, Can samui said:

Ummmm....nope.
The Versys and Vstrom are not adventure bikes. At most I would call them sport tourers.

The are clearly Adventure bikes, only you would call them sport tourers. The direct competitor to these 2 bikes from Honda is the NC750X

 

But this thread here is about the CBR650 which is a supersports bike, so competitors would be for example a Kawasaki Ninja 650 or an Yamaha R6

[Can samui]

I got a Versys.
Nobody in their right mind would go adventuring on it.


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[canthai55]

CB650F - naked

CBR650F - faired version of above with more rearset pegs, lower bars.

Versys - def an 'ADV' styled bike. More upright riding position than the CBF, taller, longer travel susp.

As quoted by Eisfeld above, who knows his bikes.

The NC750X is more scooter-styled than a regular motorcycle, no comparison with any other bike, with the DCT and storage where the fuel tank lives

 

[jackdd]

10 minutes ago, Can samui said:

I got a Versys.
Nobody in their right mind would go adventuring on it.


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It's not the most off road capable adventure bike, bit it's very well possible to go adventuring with it.

[eisfeld]

Just noticed the OP was talking about the CBR650F, not CB650F. Like canthai55 mentioned, that's the faired sportbike version.

 

So the closest competitor in Thailand would be the Ninja 650. Suzi doesn't have a faired version in their lineup here afaik. The Yamaha R6 is in a different class in terms of price and power. Ducati Supersport also.

[Can samui]

Just noticed the OP was talking about the CBR650F, not CB650F. Like canthai55 mentioned, that's the faired sportbike version.
 
So the closest competitor in Thailand would be the Ninja 650. Suzi doesn't have a faired version in their lineup here afaik. The Yamaha R6 is in a different class in terms of price and power. Ducati Supersport also.

Point taken


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[Kwasaki]

3 hours ago, Can samui said:

Ummmm....nope.
The Versys and Vstrom are not adventure bikes. At most I would call them sport tourers.

I would go along with you on that,  having had a Versys 650 I could could up with just about anything here in Thailand except a nutter around tight corner roads on a CBR150. 

[Kwasaki]

2 hours ago, eisfeld said:

Just noticed the OP was talking about the CBR650F, not CB650F. Like canthai55 mentioned, that's the faired sportbike version.

 

So the closest competitor in Thailand would be the Ninja 650. Suzi doesn't have a faired version in their lineup here afaik. The Yamaha R6 is in a different class in terms of price and power. Ducati Supersport also.

IMO Ninja 650 being a twin is a better bike in the long run.