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-   -   Updated Honda CBR 650F launch. EDIT: Bookings open at Rs. 7.30 lakhs (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superbikes-imports/190080-updated-honda-cbr-650f-launch-edit-bookings-open-rs-7-30-lakhs.html)

Source - http://bikeindia.in/updated-honda-cb...estive-season/



At a price of Rs. 6.65L or LOWER!! Now that will make things interesting for Kawasaki who are enjoying quite a monopoly till now.

Cheers...

Really want honda to get more aggressive in this game. Honestly amongst all big bike companies in india, honda has so far got the best rep. Every single customer has only good things to say about them.

If i venture into big bike ownership one more time, it will only be a honda (used or new).

It would be great if Honda could come up with a single colour as an option along with this dual colour. This dual colour scheme looks a bit cheap IMO. Also, Honda can easily bump up the output to 100 PS. It will look good on paper as well.

Dayyum this is going to be sweet. clap:

At ~6.5 lakhs ex-showroom prices, the CBR650F can easily pull away prospective customers from the Ninja 650. Add to that significantly lower maintenance costs when compared to the Kawasaki motorcycles !

Honda should get the red-black colour combo with the facelift/engine updates. Looks great IMO.

The Red-Black color combo is the new updated model and in most probability will be the color coming to India. The older color schemes are not there in the face lifted model.

I would love to see this pricing from Honda and I agree with everything everybody has said. But I doubt this news. From what I have heard, its going to be launched at the same price at which the earlier model was launched originally which was 7.3 Ex showroom Delhi. I would love to be proved wrong though. :)

CHEERS!!

Rachit

I skipped the CBR650 mainly due to the looks, which was outright denied by wife. The colour scheme made it very sober and almost same as the 250 and 150 siblings.

The Red-black combination not only solves this, but it looks smashing as well. Should give good competition to the Ninja 650 if priced at 6.65L as rumored.

Sure it costs a lakh and a few thousands change more than the Ninja, but an inline4 has its own charm always.

I doubt if a magazine like Bike India will publish such a news lightly unless it has some proper insider information, it is the No. 1 Bike magazine in India after all. And I do not see why. It is about time for Honda to up the ante. It is the no. 1 motorcycle company in the world for God's sake. I hope you are enjoying your CBR. It's in-line 4 and smoothness cannot be matched by a twin. I would definitely pick up a inline 4 over a twin if the premium is even 50k-1L more. But as I said elsewhere, India is a very price sensitive market, even for Superbikes. Let's hope it's happy days for us customers.

Cheers...

True.

7.3L would be pushing the luck to the extreme. They've already tried that and failed against the Z800. Now they have a tougher fight on their hands, with the Z900 priced at 7.68L. Even the STripple 765 is not too far away.

6.5 or lower would be an ideal positioning for the Honda.

I would honestly like to agree with you sir.

My CBR experience has been good and it continues to be a No Fuss bike.

What I also want to say is that the new Ninja 650 is a very good package now, so Honda needs to be careful with the pricing.

CHEERS!!

Rachit

+1 to the fuss-free ownership experience. I've done about 16k kms on my 2015 650F and its been pretty chilled out so far. Wishlist: Honda opens a standalone Wing World (big bikes only) in Bangalore - majority of CBR650Fs and Africa Twins have been sold here:)

The Z900 is priced very well too. Yes, they are different bikes, but a lot of potential buyers (who aren't too sure of their biking needs) will consider the Z900 if its in range. Honda better not get greedy with the pricing of the new 650F. It should slot in between the N650 and Z900 (in the middle?).

That would be letting go of the biggest advantage that Honda Superbikes owners currently enjoy - low costs of service.

A dedicated facility means all the costs involved in setting up and running that facility will need to be born by the limited number of superbike owners, and the costs will skyrocket similar to other brands like Kawasaki, HD and Triumph who have such facilities.

As long as the service quality remains satisfactory - better not to seperate the divisions.

I always had this question in my mind about the ability to provide low cost service. Kawasaki had low cost service when they were with Bajaj. Was it due to the fact that all Bajaj/KTM/Kawasaki service centers earned their bread and butter from the Bajaj bikes and so they can afford to provide low cost service for the bigger Kawasaki/KTM bikes ? It looks like that. Similarly I think Honda service centers earn from servicing the city commute bikes and they are in a position to afford a relatively low cost for servicing bigger bikes. That may be one of the reasons why Honda is not aggressive in their sales target and they can afford to do so. As you said, I too feel that Honda should continue with its good job rather than messing up things like Kawasaki. Even as of now, Kawasaki Bangalore has no stocks for the Ninja 650 Air filter :Frustrati What else one can do ? Of course, one thing the Honda can do better is the pricing. Probably Honda may be feeling that they would be better off with low sales number in order to provide goodservicing with what ever limited big bikes they have.

True that. Us Honda owners aren't complaining. A big bikes only showroom might create a better initial impression which might help Honda sell a few more bikes i guess. Probably when Honda has a wider big-bike line-up and is doing decent volumes, then the economics of a premium dealership might make sense.

PS: I remember your Versys review where you mentioned visiting the Honda dealer in Blore - "...Upon visiting this 'premium' showroom - we could only find Activas and the likes displayed in the showroom". :D

True.

Issue was - the corner where they had allotted for the 650 was also empty. The 650 was stacked in the dim unlit basement. The showroom space was entirely used up to highlight the Navi which was launched back then.

That said - if the product still was worth it, I wouldn't have cared much about it at all. In my case, the main issue was the colour scheme and looks, which got an extreme veto from wife. May be, the condition of the bike could have had a negative impression on her though! It was sitting right next to a sea of similar CBR150s and 250s and she said she can't find what's worth 7L more for the 650 as compared to the 150! I didn't push it too much either because of the pricing.

Double edged sword, that one. :D If I'm upgrading though (which won't happen unless I win a lottery or something), no bad showroom is going to stop me from checking out the Honda Africa Twin. Thats a good product at a good price as well!

When it comes to the 650, that red and black combination sure looks nice. And the pricing, if 6.5L is nice for the product too. :thumbs up

:OT I can understand a non-enthusiast saying something like that, but I'm surprised you accepted that too. :D Anyway, as they say, to each his own.

I was in the market and was torn between the Versys and the C650 too. But decently long test rides one both of them and the C was a no brainer. And I'm glad I chose it. The inline 4 refinement, bullet proof Honda reliability, the versatility to be a decent corner junkie and a tireless tourer and the icing on the cake being the very affordable service costs, all translate to a joyful ownership experience, IMO.

Anyway, coming to the topic, Honda being Honda, I have a nasty feeling this bike won't be priced below 7.5L ex showroom. Let's wait and watch!