Road Dirt Review: 2023 Honda CB650R

[@bfarm44]

Bronze is the color and yes it’s gorgeous

[@233kosta]

Had mine for a year and a half. I'd say my favourite feature is the lack of rider modes. It means they didn't sacrifice the absolutely sublime cable throttle in the name of woo. Besides, she don't need no modes. Wanna rip? Drop two gears. Unsure about the wet? Go up a gear or two. The engine actually has a good enough bottom end that will let you save about 20% in fuel if you're just cruising. On flat road, she'll happily sit at 40mph in 6th, but up a steeper hill you'll want to drop to 4th.

[@roaddirttv]

Good points, all. One of our favorite all-rounders in recent years, for sure.

[@nichokineraffelt6691]

Im in love with this bike and My main goal for the next year is to buy it. Great review !

[@roaddirttv]

Thanks, we loved it too!

[@marlonmalwatta3760]

Been obsessed ever since this bike released in 2019. Next year I am getting it. I will come back to this comment to update that I got it.

[@roaddirttv]

@@marlonmalwatta3760 Please do! We’d love to read your impressions of it.

[@marlonmalwatta3760]

@@roaddirttv Will do! I would like to see more reviews of other bikes when you get the chance.

[@abbyck]

@@marlonmalwatta3760 we'll be waiting. I'm also saving up :)

[@elevationmoto6208]

Great video that shows the joy of riding. Fine machine!

[@roaddirttv]

Thank you! It was a great bike, a joy to ride.

[@vladimirdimovski5466]

Great video, thanks!

[@aertyioyalaszt777]

Good video thank you for the beautiful review

[@Gottaloveguitars427]

I have the same bike and I find the throttle pretty sensitive, it’s hard to keep it smooth at city speeds and lower gears. Other than that I love it.

[@roaddirttv]

We didn’t really notice a jumpy throttle, but we can see what you mean in lower gears. Yeah, we absolutely loved it.

[@paulfarcas1514]

Might wanna check on the throttle state. It shouldn't do that. Test drove it recently and found it is one of the best bikes in traffic, by far. Absolutely no throttle jerk.

[@williamduckworth305]

I like it, but I think I'm too big for it. I'm 6foot 200 plus...prolly have go with the 1000r . Ps there ain't no straight road in north Ga...lol

[@roaddirttv]

Yeah, we think you’d feel a bit cramped on it. And you’re right, N Ga doesn’t have a straight street anywhere!

[@alexisbrown9941]

Thanks for sharing !

[@travisj2370]

would you recomend it for long rides and poor condition roads? im in australia and looking to get one of these possibly then put a windshield on it and make it a tourer

[@roaddirttv]

I think the suspension is such that you could do that, but the foot pegs might be a bit high and uncomfortable for a touring machine. Have you test ridden one yet? That should give you a sense about whether or not it could be kitted for your purposes. Best to ya!

[@TheAlelor]

I’ve been riding my 650R for two years and I can safely tell you that it’s a perfect tourer bike as well. I did a bike tour this summer in France, doing 2000+ km, and I never felt sore at all, even after a full-day ride. Highway transfers can be a bit tiring considering there’s no wind protection at all, so I’d recommend mounting a windshield if you plan to do long highway stretches. I even managed to take it on an unpaved road (waze sometimes can be a little bit too keen on taking shortcuts), if you have a bit of confidence even on low traction terrain, with TC off you can easily ride with little to worry about. My advice would be, if you aim to ride a bit more aggressive, is to instantly change the tyres it comes up with (Dunlop sportmax) to Metzeler M9 RR, it’s the best longevity - performance compromise you could get, in my opinion.

[@roaddirttv]

@@TheAlelor Great report on the 650R! Question: When touring with it, what do you use for travel luggage, and how do you affix it to the bike?

[@TheAlelor]

@@roaddirttv During my last trip I used a soft bag from givi (Givi EA107B), tightly mounted on the passenger pillion with elastic ropes. I necessarily had to bring just the essentials, considering the limited capacity (30/40 lt). I might buy a set of semi-rigid side bags from sw-motech (BLAZE), which are specifically designed for bikes with high-mounted exhausts (such as mine which is an Arrow double-tip exhaust), leaving space for another bag on the passenger pillion, which could be the givi one still.

[@dunglu7443]

@@roaddirttv I am a bit worried about the exhaust pipe, since most of my touring trips have gravel road. How to I protect the exhaust pipe on those roads with little gravel rocks flying?

[@itsjadan7487]

I want one so bad

[@aznpetyaw]

The 2024 is coming with e clutch. What do you think?

[@ThePresidentofMars]

By coming with do you mean as an option or required

[@Foxy-rj8yw]

I think it’s a cool touch. All the people complaining don’t realize you can just turn it off. Plus it’s basically a factory QS but better

[@ThePresidentofMars]

@Foxy-rj8yw if thats true, i wouldnt mind it too much but if im going to turn it off, but if im doing that ill just look for an earlier model that doesnt have it

[@Foxy-rj8yw]

@@ThePresidentofMarsyeah. Personally I love the looks of the updated model. The dash looks very nice in my opinion and the rear looks like they stole it from an r6 but I love it. Hopefully a dealer will get one in

[@233kosta]

I'd call it the kind of tech everyone should strive for - functional, well-thought-out to the point of being unnoticeable (if you're not looking to notice it), and most importantly - *entirely optional* when present. Honestly, I'd take that as an up/down quick shifter over ride-by-wire any day.

[@robertocojones4471]

Isn't Honda discontinuing the 650R for the new Hornet to be released this year?

[@roaddirttv]

From what we can gather, the CB650R and CBR650R both will return to the lineup.

[@233kosta]

Nawh, that'd be a daft own goal

[@MrGiovanniwow]

No they even updated it with the new E-clutch(somewhere between manual and automatic)

[@233kosta]

@@MrGiovanniwow I like the idea of the e-clutch. Up & down quickshifter, but without ride by wire