Engine architecture
Inline four throughout
Every Honda middleweight naked since 1996 has been an inline four. Honda is now alone among Japanese manufacturers in keeping a four-cylinder middleweight at this price point — Yamaha went to twins/triples, Kawasaki went to twins, Suzuki went to twins/triples.
Power progression
Down then upbhp
75bhp CB750 → 102bhp CB600F Hornet → 87bhp CB650F → 94bhp CB650R. Power peaked with the original Hornet (which used the CBR600 motor) then dropped when the platform shifted to the lower-revving CB650 engine. Currently rebuilding.
Real cost change
−£2.4k
CB Seven-Fifty was about £5,200 in 1996 (£10,400 today). The 2026 CB650R E-Clutch is £8,899 — about 23% cheaper in real terms (Honda dropped the CB650R E-Clutch price for 2026 as part of a wider sportbike value push). Honda pricing the CB650R as an A2-friendly entry point.
Honda E-Clutch
Industry first
The 2024 CB650R was the first Honda with E-Clutch — an automated clutch system that lets you change gear without touching the lever, but still keeps a manual gearbox if you want one. Optional. Probably the most interesting tech innovation on this page.
Weight progression
−6kg
Modern bike basically the same weight as the original CB Seven-Fifty (allowing for the dry vs wet measurement difference). Honda has held the CB middleweight at around 200-210kg for 30 years.
Hornet name moved
Now CB750 Hornet
The Hornet name moved upmarket in 2023 to the new CB750 Hornet (parallel twin, totally different bike). The CB650R now sits below the Hornet in the Honda lineup — A2-friendly four-cylinder, while the CB750 Hornet is bigger, more aggressive, and twin-powered.
Cheapest way in
£2.5k
A clean CB Seven-Fifty from the late 90s. Air-cooled inline four, simple, indestructible, no electronics to break. Also good: an early CB600F Hornet — same money, more horsepower.
