Zen And The Art Of Honda CBR650F: A Love Letter To 90s Superbike Era

[sacbiker]

When I first used Computers while studying in 1st or 2nd standard, I saw the Road Rash game.

I was fascinated by this game, and more so by those bikes that were faired. Decades later, the Dhoom movie was released, and I can confidently say almost all bikers today who were born in the 90s got the fire of riding from that epic movie.

Robbers robbing a bank and running away from the police in superbikes with Nitrous! This was the first time a lot of us came to know about the mighty Hayabusa.

Fast forward and I was 18 with all the dreams of getting a faired sports bike. But as fate has it, I got a Yamaha FZS as my first bike. For what it's worth, it's genuinely a mini sports bike. It is the bike that taught me how to ride, how to corner, and how to do long rides on a bike.

The Duke 200 was launched at the same time in 2012. It was a revolutionary bike with a high-performance 200cc engine which was affordable, unlike the CBR 250R at that time. Later they launched the 390 and my friend got an RC390. I traveled from Bangalore to Kerala just to see that bike in person!

I got in love with the power of the 390 and my only objective in life was to get that bike somehow.
I used to watch the Duke 390 and RC 390 review videos by PowerDrift every single day and admire those machines.

It took me 6 years to make that dream come true and buy a 2017 Duke 390 which has a thread here.
I got the Duke instead of the RC despite being a sucker for faired bikes because the seating position of the RC was so extreme and committed like how a supersport should be, and it was a track machine. My riding was mostly commuting and touring.
The dream of a faired sports bike was always in my head. Since I was living in Bangalore from 2013-2018, superbikes were a common sight there. All sorts of big bikes would fly past me while I was at Bangalore and it's back then I fell in love with the inline 4 roar of these machines.
The 390 was such a good stepping stone for me into big bikes and it gave a mini superbike kind of acceleration and braking at a fraction of the price.
Later, even though I was able to save up to buy a big bike, a lot of other stuff in life took priority over getting a big bike. I had to work in a different country for 2 years and I could not even ride there.

Fast forward to 2025 and I almost lost all interest in getting a big bike since their prices kept increasing and the ownership costs were also higher than what made sense to me. I have discussed multiple times in my Duke 390 thread how buying a big bike made no sense financially.

It was until recently, my views on life took a turn when one of my colleague's sons passed away in a train accident while crossing the track. It made me realize that no one knows how long we are going to exist in this world and therefore, there is no point in saving up all the money for tomorrow. We should live the life in the present. When I looked back at my life, had I invested the money I used to get the Duke in stocks or mutual funds, I would have made a lot of returns, but I would never be able to be a 21-year-old with a Duke 390 no matter what I do! I can make the money again. So, I decided to bite the bullet and get a CBR650R brand new. The choice of CBR was made a long time ago after taking all the aspects into consideration like usability, service, parts availability, costs, and most importantly reliability. Out of the 12.5L on-road price, 2.5L was road tax alone. I called up the Honda Big Wing showroom and asked them for a quote. But they didn't have the quote at that time and told me they would call me back and did not call me back for days.
It was at this time, I started looking for pre-owned bikes. I was able to find a lot of bikes listed by dealers in OLX. My foremost requirement was a bike in mostly stock condition because my experience with modifying my FZ was not so good.
It was then I came across a tbhp classifieds listing of a 2016 CBR650F.
The bike was in stock condition with only some functional mods like windscreen and tank pads.

I contacted the owner, he was a gentleman in his 40s. He was transparent about the whole deal. The previous owner used to get it serviced from a superbike FNG in Bangalore. After getting this bike, he always serviced it from Honda BigWing. The bike had no mechanical issues and he was actively using the bike for long rides across South India. His travelogues were also documented in tbhp. Soon, we agreed on the price and decided to close the deal if I was satisfied with the bike after checking it out in person. On that same weekend, I traveled to Bangalore to see the bike.

Seeing the bike in the flesh for the first time. Tbh, this was the first time I saw a CBR 650F close and in the flesh. It was overwhelming!
The bike had a few scratches, dings on the tank, and cosmetic imperfections here and there as expected from a bike that was used and not a garage queen.
I did all major checks and the bike was good. I took a short test ride in the neighborhood in 1st gear and decided to close the deal. I transferred the amount to him online and took his signatures on the transfer papers. I decided to keep the bike in his parking as it was safer than the hotel I was staying in. The last thing I wanted was someone stealing it!
After finishing all the formalities of the name change with the help of my friends in Bangalore, I started the ride home the next day at 5:30 AM.

It was my first time riding a 4 cylinder bike. Although, a few of my friends have superbikes I have never felt right in asking them for a ride in it. Also, I had written long back in my mind that the first big bike I would ride would be my own bike after I bought one. Being a 390 rider who redlines it often, I couldn't believe, how slowly I was riding the bike like a beginner. It felt like steering a huge thing under me. I was also scared about the bad roads of Bangalore and hitting the belly pan.
I was not at all used to the Honda switch controls with the horn and indicator positions swapped. I rode mostly under 40kmph till I reached the electronic City flyover.
I was keeping the bike under 60 for the most part on highways. After reaching Krishnagiri the daylight was breaking in, so I stopped to fill the fuel. I also filled the air pressure to the recommended levels, 36 front and 42 rear.

It was then I took a walk around the bike to see it in daylight. The next stop was Salem where I planned on having lunch.
I rode the bike under 80kmph in 6th gear as I was getting used to the seating position and brakes.
The summer was taking a toll on me. The Puig touring screen did its job well and directed the air away from the rider. This made me sweat more compared to the Duke.
As I continued the ride, it was an unbelievable feeling to know that the dream that I had for 2 decades had finally become a reality.
My emotions went through everything I have been through in the last 2 decades to reach the point where I am right now.
I was heartbroken that my dear mother was no longer with me to share the joy as she left us one and a half years ago. She always loved to see me getting something I always longed for. As my emotions were running high, I slowed down further to get a hold of myself.
Soon, the road was opening up and the traffic was getting faster, so I naturally increased the speed to be in line with them.
When I reached Dindigul, I decided to stop for lunch at a random place.

After having the brunch, I was feeling energized and back in reality. By this time I had already covered 334km and I was feeling more confident in pushing the bike.
There was a fuel pump where I stopped and so, I also filled up the tank. Surprisingly I got 29kmpl tank full to tank full, 25 kmpl speedometer indicated.
I started pushing the bike harder like the 390 in a few good stretches. After 7000 RPM, the sweet whine of the inline 4 engine changes character and roars like a beast pulling close to 200kmph at which point I got scared and eased down since the stretches ran out and people were randomly crossing the highway. The bike can easily do 230+ stock.

Somewhere near Madurai.
Earlier, with my 390, I used to race the sunset. Meaning, I would leave Bangalore before sunrise and reach my home before sunset. But with the CBR, I was taking it slow. It can be ridden in 6th gear as low as 40 kmph without any vibrations. Twist the wrist and it smoothly pulls all the way to 200 and more. The FE also drops from 25 to 10 kmpl understandably!

As the night sat in, I realized that the headlight throw was so poor and worse than my FZ. I am planning on upgrading it soon.
I reached home at 7:15 PM and as soon as my Father heard the sound of the bike, he came to open the gates to our home. I could see overwhelming happiness on his face as well. Maybe because he had been hearing it from me for 2 decades that one day I would buy a big bike. Maybe it's because I bought this bike with my own money. All my other bikes were bought with money given to me by my parents. I feel good as a human being that I had worked for it and waited for so long and finally achieved a dream.

Now, I know that this is not even an actual superbike, this is what the world terms as a middle-weight bike. But then for me, this is indeed a superbike, at least as far as India is concerned. I wish to do a lot of touring on this bike and take good care of it. As some of you may know, I do most stuff of my bikes DIY and I intend to do the same with this bike. The closest BigWing showroom is in Kochi and it's 200km away. So, I am going to do all basic maintenance myself and log in this thread, and use this thread as an ownership review thread as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Have a nice day.

 

[sacbiker]

The original CBR (Cross Beam Racer) 600F aka Hurricane, along with the CBR750F and CBR1000F were Honda's first inline four-cylinder, fully-faired sport bikes.

Honda CBR600F

Born from a relentless pursuit of balance—power, reliability, and everyday usability—the CBR series has evolved over the decades while staying true to its core philosophy. From the iconic CBR600F of the late 80s and 90s, which set the benchmark for do-it-all sportbikes, to the razor-sharp FireBlade dynasty, Honda has always strived to blend performance with real-world practicality.

The CBR650F continues this lineage, acting as a spiritual successor to the legendary CBR600F series. Unlike the modern supersports that focus purely on racetrack aggression, the CBR650F retains the essence of those early machines—a well-rounded, street-friendly sportbike that doesn’t punish its rider. Its full-fairing design, with subtle nods to past CBR models, carries the DNA of Honda’s golden era.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present you the history of Honda Superbike designing.

All images were taken from Second Gear
They post cool photos like this all the time. Follow them to see more.

Evolution of Honda CBR 650F to 650R.

1st gen

2nd gen

3rd gen

If you have a look at how the fireblade design evolved, you'll understand how the 1st gen CBR has an entirely different design language compared to the fireblades of that time. The 650F's styling is mostly inspired from 90s superbikes and the whole design language sits perfectly in line with an all rounder bike. As modern as the 2nd and 3rd gen looks, I believe the first one has a retro themed design which aged like wine and a tribute 90s superbikes. Blue, white, and red: the iconic colors of HRC - Honda Racing Corporation, worn by Freddie Spencer in the early 80s are used as the color scheme of this bike.
I personally liked this paint scheme over the all black one.
The design cues are also seen in the rear tail light which is inspired by the rectangular design from older generation CBR models.

A lot of people modify these bikes and install LED indicators and spoil the looks completely. I am of the opinion that these bikes should be kept in their stock form to respect and retain their originality.

I am yet to shoot some decent photos of my own 650F as I got caught up with other stuff in life. I hope to post some photos of my bike this weekend.

 

[sacbiker]

I decided to remove the headlight since there was a lot of dust accumulated in it. I ended up removing all fairings.

There are a few scratches on the headlight glass as well.

My doubt was right and the OEM ducat cap was missing. The dust cap installed was a Harley Davidson one.
Both of the holes in it was sealed with sloppy electrical tape. The first owner had installed LED after market light, and to accomodate it they replaced the stock dust cap. But the second owner had to later change the light since it went out. So he replaced the LED light with an H4 bulb with the same dust cap.

Washed it with soapy water and it cleaned out all the dust and dirt.

Now, I am waiting for the OEM dust cap, 33126-S0A-003 which is a shared with Honda CRV 2006.
33126-S0A-003 is a similar part which is used in Hero Honda Karizma which also has a headlight manufactured by Stanley. So, I'm trying to find out of that fits. Otherwise, I'll have to place an order with Honda.
Since the light quality is poor, I am planning on upgrading it to a H4 LED Projector unit. And it might need a bigger universal 700mm dust cap.

 

[sacbiker]

Here are some manuals and catalogues for the first-generation Honda CBR 650F.

• Honda CBR650F Brochure
• Honda CBR650F User Manual
• Honda CBR650F Accessories
• Honda CBR650F Service/Workshop Manual
• Honda CBR650F Spare Parts Catalogue

 

[sacbiker]

The ease of spare parts availability for my KTM has spoiled me. Getting parts used to be something as easy as going to get groceries. But, with this bike it's something like a book, and wait odreal!
I tried contacting the Honda BigWing Kollam with the part number of items I need, they were initially responsive, but not so much later.
This is part of the reason why Honda is not so successful with these bikes. It was a similar response from them when I called them to enquire about a new CBR650R.
I had ordered a universal 7mm dust cap that should fit on the headlight.

I also got a few more aftermarket parts for the bike.
There were some stains on the main fairing of the bike, especially on the left-hand side. Initially, I thought this was a badly done clear coat after touch-ups. But I was able to wipe them clean with petrol.
Something else I noticed was that one of the radiator mount bolts was missing, and also the radiator was pretty bashed up at the center with stones thrown off from the front tyre.

This looks beyond repair, and mind you, this is after cleaning a lot of dust and gunk off it. Both sides of the radiator are well and good. SO far, I have not faced much overheating or the fan turning on occasionally.

The mudguard also had a crack, which was covered with an aftermarket ABS sticker. I am hoping to get this plastic welded.

There is also a crack at the bottom of one of the firings from hitting something. This is not visible while the fairing is on the bike. I plan to plastic weld this as well.
One tab inside the fitting was also cracked.

Another crack on the right side grab handle cum bottom piece which someone has glued together and let the glue flow down.
With all these cracks, it is safe to assume that the bike at one point had a crash!

I got Versah front brake pads for the bike as they are due for replacement.

HJG lights installed in my Duke have been performing well, and so I decided to go for the same brand when I decided to do a headlight upgrade for this bike.
The headlight, unlike a normal LED H4 replacement, is a projector type, while on low beam, this light does not use the reflector and it works like a projector light.
When the high beam is turned on, another LED will light up which uses the reflector.

For testing the light, I have fitted it in my FZ.
Fun Fact. FZ has the same fork size (41mm) as the CBR 650!

I removed the tank to see if there are any more surprises waiting for me, and thankfully, there were none except for some dust!

The air velocity stacks design is similar to 1000cc bikes, with the center 2 being higher than the outside ones. This is done to increase the low-end torque. For most supersport bikes, this unit is a variable type these days. That is, their length will change dynamically based on the throttle input and RPM. Interestingly, Yamaha R6s as old as 2006 had this technology of variable intake.

A better view of the radiator. I also took this chance to clean the exhaust pipes. Some stains were so stubborn and needs a metal polish.

 

[sacbiker]

A lot of events happened with the bike after the last post.

I removed the radiator from the bike to assess if it allows cooling.

Before

After cleaning.

R&G aluminum radiator guard after painting with matte balck.

I am sure this is the first time in 8 years, 30000km, that the radiator has been removed from this bike.

Notice some black velcro stickers on the tank where the fairing touches the tank, they are used to hold the fairing in place. On the other side, the velcro had come off and it was creating vibration from the panel.

The radiator fan is made by Panasonic.

It took a while to get the radiator cleaned and fins straightened. (click image below to view in GIF format)



Although it still looks bashed up at the front, the fins are open and allow air flow. You can see from the above video that light is passing through most fins.

I also had to remove the thermostat to fully flush the coolant from the bike, as I was planning to use Castrol OAT blue coolant. The bike takes close to 2.6L

Thermostat.

After cleaning up everything and flushing it with RO water a few times, I drained the water again by removing the thermostat (this won't drain through the coolant drain bolt), I filled it with new coolant.

Everything was fine until I noticed a few days later that coolant was dripping out of the thermostat housing!

The worst fear has come true, the thermostat seal has failed to seal back after removing it. Such a part would take weeks or sometimes even months to procure. I was not in the mood for letting the bike sit idle in stripped condition for more.

So, I decided to use high-temperature RTV sealant in the gasket seal to fix this leak.

After getting this done, I put everything back together and waited for a day for the RTV to cure before filling the coolant.

The issue seems to be resolved now as I started the bike after filling the coolant and let it run hot so that the fan turns on.

No leaks were noticed this time.

In the meantime. I also replaced front brake pads, greased the caliper, and flushed the brake fluid with fresh DOT4 KBX brake fluid. It took 200ml to flush both front and rear.

Old brake pad compared to the new pad.

As with all bikes, due to the water splash from the rear tyre and heat from the exhaust, the rear brake fluid was in worse shape.

The rear reservoir is position is such a way that you cannot use a screwdriver to remove its cap, I had to use a 1/4 inch socket with + screw bit to remove it.

Even that required unbolting the stay of the reservoir to make the socket set fit.

Old brake fluid is being flushed out, and it looks cloudy.

New brake fluid flush completed. (click image below to view in GIF format)



The front master cylinder needs a rebuild, and I really hope I can get the child parts to do it. Ordering it soon with several other bits.

The front brakes have some drag on discs, and I hope it will go away once the pads bed in, or else I will have to get a set of new front discs.

As with the headlight dust cover, I was unable to find the original part, so I ordered a universal 7.5mm dust cover from auxbeam.

It fits perfectly on the headlight casing. I had to cut a hole in the cover to allow the LED wiring plug to come out.

This is the only photo I have of the headlight when I switched it on for testing, I will take better photos of the throw and brightness after I install the fairing and align the headlight.

The engine mount bolts were not tightened as per spec after installing frame sliders, so I used a torque wrench to tighten them as per spec.

I also bought a rear paddock stand for the CBR since the one I use for the Duke is rated for a small bike and won't fit.

I was able to use the front paddock stand I bought for the Duke without any issues.

 

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

Good Luck with your ride. Can see the passion and love in each picture and each step you have mentioned.

 

[sacbiker]

After a lot of delay, I got time during last week to put puzzles back together and refit the firing. The bottom black piece had took a severe hit at some point of the bike ownership, and it had a hairline crack and broken tab.
Since ordering a new part takes months and I wanted the bike in road quickly, I decided to do a repair for time being. I used a plastic welding kit to fix it. Unfortunately , I forgot to click photos before refitting the panel. Also, the bike is so low and I might hit it accidentally since I am used to the ground clearance of my Duke 390 with adventure 390 shock. So, I decided to ride the bike for a while before replacing the fairing. Since one tab was missing and both of the bottom black fairing were held by zip ties, I used zip ties again to hold them together. I also added custom rubber gaskets made from cycle tube where fairings touch each other to reduce vibration.
Some part of fairings were held on with velcros and I was surprised to find out that it's how they come from factory for several other faired bikes as well including GSXR.

The Grand Pitstop paddocks are excellent and I recommend it for anyone who is looking for a paddock stand.
The bike is fully ok now except for a slight front brake pad drag, it got slightly free after riding it for 10 km. The pads are still not having a uniform contact with the disc and it needs to be bed in. The front brake discs are at minimum recommended thickness and will need replacement soon.
Something else that I noticed in this bike is that when it is cold started, the bike will emit steam and water droplets from the exhaust. This was also seen cars from 2000s.
I was not able to ride the bike after putting it back since the monsoon started in Kerala and it's raining cats and dogs.
Upcoming work on the bike.
- Front master cylinder rebuild
- Front mud guard extension
- Horn upgrade

 

[sacbiker]

This is my first pre owned vehicle purchase. I have always stayed away from purchasing a used vehicle due to unknown factors which might end up as expenses. From my current experience, it has proven true and gave me a reality check. This bike was with its 3rd owner at the time of purchase and he was a gentleman who took it to Honda authorised service center for service. He has explicitly told them to replace whichever faulty part that needs replacement. Let alone replacing anything they didn't even torque certain bolts properly and even had a radiator mount bolt missing. The engine mount bolt which require 27Nm was only barely tightened.
Only after disassembling the fairings of the bike, I was able to understand that the fairing had multiple dings and cracks at certain places which are not visible from outside. I have patched them up properly through plastic welding zip ties. I am not someone who seek 100% showroom condition from my vehicles. I believe that vehicles are meant to be used and certain imperfections are unavoidable. Unless and until it's an eyesore or a safety concern, I don't see any logic in spending a lot to fix these. Anyhow, I did a gamble with this purchase and I am glad that it was not the nighmare kind like a fellow rider who bought a Ducati 1199 and had to do a full engine restoration. Mind you, the guy has half a dozen Ducatis and other exotic bikes. Yet, he had to spend lakhs and months of chasing right parts to get it fixed even with the help of Ducati. So, things can always go bad with pre owned bikes.

But thankfully, the bike is perfectly fine mechanically and it's a huge relief. It could have been worse if the engine, gearbox or even the abs module had any damages. So, it is basically a gamble unless you personally verify every bit of the bike, especially if it's a fully faired bike. These things runs on bearings, nuts and bolts and anything can fail anytime. Even new bikes can blow up.

Am I feeling cheated or regretful?
No, I paid the depreciated price for the bike, which was similar to the price of a Honda City of the same year as the bike. Plus, if we are to go by the thousands of old Honda vehicles which are still on road, the probability of of a major mechanical failure is very low. My other option was a brand new Ninja 500 which has only 2 cylinder and half the power. It was a lifelong dream to own an inline 4 bike and I am grateful I was able to fullfill it.