[abhisheksircar]

Yes, It's a Honda this time after riding Yamahas for almost 2 decades. It's the 2021 CBR 650R which lured me away from the Yamaha while keeping me mesmerized with the Japanese finesse.



What you will Like

- Build quality is TOP NOTCH
- Engine is extremely refined. Carries the Honda Bullet Proof attributes.
- Gear shifts have no drama and clicks right in place and slipper clutch assist makes it seamless during downshifts although the first gear clunks in when you start
- Pleasant Torque at every gear. You could go from 40 kmph to 3 digit numbers in 6th gear making it very useful in highways
- Linear acceleration making it very easy to connect with and control
- Dual Channel ABS with Dual 310 mm Discs in the front makes braking crisp. I personally loved this bit.
- Looks stunning from absolutely any angle you look at
- Not too aggressive stance making it a good sports tourer
- Sound of the inline 4 is eargasmic to say the least
- Showa Separate Function Big Piston front shockers is adequately stiff to give a very controlled ride
- 7 step monoshocks with adjustable preload at the rear let's you tune it just the way you want it
- All LED headlight setup looks sharp and works great and not compromised by design elements
- HISS. Honda Ignition Security System. Bike will not start until the microchip in the key is close-by
- Smaller details like engine cutoff when side stand is engaged, hazard light coming on automatically on sharp braking or well designed grab handles beneath the rear seat to hold on when needed are nice
- Does not guzzle fuel and does a good 20+ km/ltr and with a 15ltr tank capacity, gives a good 300+ km range

What you will Not Like

- Price ! It would be best at an onroad of sub 10
- Some weird switch placements. Traction control switch is in the usual Pass Switch position. Horn has an inverse way of application. Indicator switch position takes time to get used to
- Missing adjustable clutch lever. Brake lever is adjustable. Levers are long for short hands like mine
- Vibrations at around 6000 RPM. Rest of the bands below are super smooth.
- Engine is a bit too refined and misses the grunt
- Missing touring creature comforts like USB port on the handle and bluetooth connectivity with map integration
- Tail light, a compromise in design when compared with the overall bike design
- Stickering in the red color is overdone but that is subjective
- Low Ground Clearance. 130mm. To give a perspective, BMW Z4, a pretty low sporty roadster has the same ground clearance. I have not scrapped the bottom yet but it will be pretty close with a pillion onboard
- At this price, it would have been good to have some usable riding modes like city, highway, track, rain etc.

And now, I'll share my buying experience along with my review based on the first 60 days with the bike and long time ownership experience as it builds up.

Prelude
Delivery
The Bike
The Instrument Console
CBR 650R 2019 vs 2021
PPF, Ceramic and Subtle design changes
Accessories
First Service
Introduction to the Honda Bigwing Topline Family (Bengaluru)
Gallery

[abhisheksircar]

In a way, it's a full circle as the first experience of mine on a bike at the age of 4 was sitting on the fuel tank of a supposedly CKD unit of a Japanese made Hero Honda CD 100 which made me grin all the way. It was a short ride by a family member every evening but it is still strong in my memory. Decades later, I grinned again around a Honda with a tad more powerful engine, a 650cc. In between there were two other Hondas which has caught my attention. CBZ and the Karizma. And then came the RX to my life and I was sold to Yamaha to an extent that I even had the bug eyed Fazer. This was followed by the R15 and then the R3.

Due to sporadic schedules, I stopped riding for sometime and a close friend got interested to pick up my ride (Yamaha R3). He is amazing with his vehicles and I thought, if it has to go, it has to be with him and she will be pampered. And true to my thoughts, till date the bike looks and is kept as good as new.

Then came the itch to get back to riding. Covid lockdowns made the urge to step out and ride free even more strong. Seeing my friends taking their steeds out for some glorious rides tempted me to book one right away and this was in June 2021. A calm and balanced head decided to take it easy and gift myself one on my birthday in early 2022. Then came July and I already broke down on my thoughts and decided to pick up one right away. I started looking around and the first option was definitely to look at the Yamaha stable and I would not mind picking up the R3 again. I browsed their website and felt like may be they have a new division and website call, Yamaha Big Bikes or something. To my surprise, there were some smaller bikes and scooters. What happened to the super bikes ? It was all gone. Then I started seeing some bike in camouflage with Inverted forks and some blogs started reporting them as the new Yamaha R3 and I decided to wait for the launch and pick it up. Being a part of few well observant rider groups, it was soon noticed that the engine placement was just a replica of the R15 and is definitely not the R3 but could be either the R15 v4 or the R2 which was recently trademarked in many places in the world. Neither of which really lured me in as I wanted something at par (R3) or an upgrade.

So I started looking around and my first pick was the Honda CBR 650R because of the Honda quality and the finesse. And the CBR650R felt like a perfect upgrade from the R3. I started reading more about it, watching almost all youtube videos out there and decided this is it. Not sure about the color, I called up the showroom and I asked if the 650R was available and it was Jeril on the other side who said, sure and it's ready for delivery too. I could see no end to my smile and the first weekend after that, I decided to check out the colors as they had the red and black, both and then take a call. The same day, a known acquaintance was picking up an Africa Twin so we waited patiently admiring that bike and then came our turn to inspect the go-down. We went and Jeril stood next to the CB 650R and said, here it is. And I was like, what just happened after a 30 mins of wait. I looked back at my whatsapp messages and realized it was my mistake. I kept saying 650R and the mind reads what it wants to as Jeril read it as CB 650R instead of CBR 650R cause he had that in stock. That was not the end. I accepted my mistake and asked Jeril to show me a CBR 650R and to my surprise, the response was, 'It's sold out for this year'. I was like, let me get this right. CBR 650R 2021 which was launched in around March 2021 and deliveries started sometime later is sold out by July 2021 ? Yes, was the answer. I went back home, updated in team-bhp (2021 Honda CB650R and CBR650R launched at 8.67 & 8.88 lakhs) to avoid any further heartbreaks to others.

Now, there was no looking back and there had to be a bike in the stable soon cause the hunger increased more after visiting the showroom. So if it's not the Honda CBR 650R then which other inline 4 and then came the option of the Ninja 1000 SX or if I had to 'settle', the Ninja 650 although not an inline 4. I inquired and was promised a delivery in 3 weeks for either. That was great but somehow I was not convinced and was still fiddling around. I could not believe the 2021 CBR650R were sold out in India and I reached out to Jeril who sure tried and still came back with a negative response. I still did not want to accept that and thought of one last crazy idea. I recalled Mr .Yadvinder Singh (or Yadvinder San as he is called internally in the organization) was in the press releases of Honda in India quite a few places. I read a bit more about him and realized that he is the Director and Board member of HMSI. I searched and found him on linkedIn and expressed my desire to get back into biking and nothing was really working for me in terms of connect within the budget I had. I messaged and kept the phone aside with honestly no hopes, still browsing other bikes. Just about an hour later, he replied courteously asking for my coordinates to get this done and I kept telling myself, is this for real? Next day, Mr. Harmeet from HMSI Gurugram connected over whatsapp and said, do not worry, we will get one directly assigned from the factory, which dealer will you prefer? I never dealt with a situation like this and all this was a very warm welcome to the Honda stable. Honda BigWing Topline, Bengaluru was my pick.

The very next day I got a call from Jeril saying that they will process my booking as they got an additional allocation, beyond what their usual allocation count was, just for me. He also thanked me for making this happen which was quite amusing. We both had a hearty laugh out of joy and then began the booking process. The booking amount was paid and then began the wait. 2 weeks later I got a call from Ayush who owns the show at Honda BigWing Topline, Bengaluru confirming that the bike is allocated, confirmed and is getting dispatched the next day from the factory and hence I could start the formalities of payment and everything else. I still remember his words. 'I have a fantastic news for you', and fantastic it was. Till now, starting from Mr. Yadvinder to Ayush, everyone was really courteous in their conversations and I was slowly settling in this Honda ecosystem and after 2 decades it was a big step to 'Try' a new brand. I honestly was a bit skeptical after my experience with Honda Cars division where their arrogance had made me buy the Ciaz instead of the City but this has been a welcome change.

[abhisheksircar]

23Aug2021 : I got a message from Ayush that the bikes have reached the warehouse. What a message to get on a Monday. Things were surely moving super fast. I requested Ayush to let me know when the bikes reach the showroom so that I could do a quick PDI and confirm one from the lot.

25Aug2021 : I was told that the bikes have reached the showroom and I could come and have a look. My day was already planned and hence I had to move the PDI to the next day. It was going to be a long wait to the next day.

26Aug2021 : And finally the day where I would be able to see the bike. I took my neighbor, Paul, along with me to check out the bike. We had a quick breakfast on the way and then straight to the showroom. We reached the showroom and were directed to the basement where they had all the CBR650Rs were lined up. What a view that was.



I was definitely overjoyed and started looking at all the identical bikes. Every bike was perfect. No issues at all at least in the first glance. The build quality was amazing. I tried to use the freedom of having the bikes in front of me by adding up numbers and all the works to take a pick. After picking one, I asked them to assign it to my name and in came the surprise that all bikes, other than one was already booked. Riders were not as occupied as I unfortunately was and they came the very moment they got to know that the bikes have come and booked it against their name. So I was left with 'The One' and I had no qualms as none of the bikes had any flaws.

Spent a little more time with the bike and it was time to get some life into her. On came the ignition and got the message of the Angels around blessing the moment. The time on the console was 11:11.



The sound of the bike was absolutely amazing. An Inline four waking up is something to be experienced. With the mild echoes across the basement, it was symphony to the ears. I could hear that through the day but then that's for later.

After the required formalities, the bike got registered on 27Aug2021, which is just about one month from when I started my conversation with Honda to get the bike. That, comparatively was quite quick, considering that this bike has shown people even months of wait before they got a hands on one. Although the bike was registered, considering advises from people around me on a good date, I decided to wait for 2 more days before I get the new member of the family home.

In these two days I would have looked at the pics for a zillion times and I personally found too many stickers on an otherwise beautifully designed bike. The sharp angles, the design elements were just perfect. The stickers were not really needed and I started working on photoshop to see how it would look without the stickers. One thing I got to know is that the sticker on the tank was under the clear coat and hence I could not remove it and it had to be the rest on the fairing and all which I could remove.



This looked MUCH better and this would be the first change that would be done after I get the bike. If I could, I would remove all, but to keep in synch with the sticker in the tank, this would be probably the best way to appreciate the design elements well.

My R3 was completely wrapped with a zillion stickers and here I am trying to remove every possible sticker coming from even the factory.

30Aug021 : D Day. It was but obvious a sleepless night preparing myself for the big day. Waking up every hour to check the time. The usual anxiousness did not spare me. Finally it was morning and I was all ready with my riding gears to leave for the showroom. A family friend, TJ, who also owns a CBR650R (Black-2019) came in, in his bike. That sure added up to the moment. He parked the bike and we went to the showroom in my car. It was fun driving the car with riding boots on. The only thing missing was the helmet. I would not mind that actually !!

The delivery was scheduled for 11 in the morning and we (TJ and my family) were there by 11. We started looking at the bike which was still in the basement to check if everything was okay. I had got most of the required accessories beforehand itself and the showroom team were kind enough to have installed everything nicely, ready for the delivery. (The accessories are mentioned in one of the posts below). The bike was all ready and I went upstairs to complete the last few formalities to add up few necessities like Extended Warranty and Road Side Assistance.

Extended Warranty : Extends your factory warranty by 3 years or 42000 kms, whichever comes first. So I bought my bike in 2021 which makes it valid by default till 2023 but with this, it gets extended to 2026.
Road Side Assistance : In short, it covers you for any issues to be attended to if the issue is within 300 kms from your closest Topline dealer. After that, it's 30 INR/km. This includes towing costs, if required. Spares are on actuals.

All formalities done and it was now time to unveil. Unveil a bike which I saw few days back and then again few mins back but the fun of unveiling had to be lived !! It's customary.



Yep, she is the one.

https://youtu.be/G6GQA3KWzoQ

The Unveil

A little thank you for the one (Jeril) who almost gave up on me being a customer with the unavailability. He was quite patient.



The customary key handover by Ayush who was quite helpful in the whole process.

It was an amazing feeling to get back into riding after these lockdowns and everything else. I could not stop grinning and it continued for sometime now. Took the bike to a Shell outlet right around the corner, tanked up and was ready to ride. The ride back home was lot on learning the bike, getting used to the controls, weight, power etc. It's the time when the biker and bike bond ! Right after reaching home, TJ took his bike and we went for a very short spin to take some pics to mark this day !



And that concludes the wonderful delivery experience !!

Evening my Neighbors, Reba, Paul and Eva pulled in a surprise cake cutting with a yummy home made chocolate cake with a super fun creative. It's moments like this which makes a good moment, great !!



That full day was really overwhelming and a day to remember.

Next day was the day to get blessings from the Gods for the happy and safe miles ahead.



Not to forget the welcome gift from Honda







The box had a Honda branded coffee mug, wrist band, key holder and chocolates.

Soon I was also added to few whatsapp groups where Honda riders catchup and discuss the bikes or plan rides.

1. Blr Topline group for CB/R 650 R/F owners in Bangalore (Managed by Bigwing Topline Bengaluru)
2. S.H.A.R.K.S. - Superbike HondA Riders of Karnataka (Managed by few Honda Riders from Bengaluru)
3. CBR 650 riders - All India group for CBR 650F/R riders

It was good to reconnect with many riders whom I had ridden with almost 15+ years back. And that completed my welcome to the Honda Family.

It was not surprising to see many R3 riders already in the group and more joining in, in my few months over here. Yamaha's miss, Honda's gain.

[abhisheksircar]

I took my time to write this one as I wanted to get a good feel of the bike before I wrote on this. I have done around 2500 kms on this bike now which gives me a relatively good understanding of the bike.



Honda launched the precursor to the CBR 650R in 2014. It was a perfect sports tourer called the CBR 650F. It was a beauty for munching miles. 2019, after few intermediate releases, this bike stopped production and in came the new lineage of a sports bike called the CBR 650R. This bike also got a refresh in 2021 and that's what I was lucky enough to pick up.

This bike is definitely not a super-sport and it is still more inclined towards being a sports-tourer. The sitting position is committed but not committed as much to kill you on a 500+kms ride. The footpegs are rear-set but again not in an uncomfortable way. What really is working for it, is it's similarity to it's bigger cousin, the Fireblade. The twin lights and the sporty design gives it a super-sport look while giving the comfort of a sports-tourer ergonomics. The bike is relatively (Coming from lighter bikes) heavy but otherwise light for a 650cc at 200 kgs. Once the bike starts rolling, you just do not realize the weight of the bike. It's extremely well engineered.

The Engine



For me, this is what one gets to really enjoy the bike for after they pick up the bike without even testing it as it's not available for test rides anywhere. The moment you start the engine and hear the symmetric humming of the inline 4s, you just know it's the right pick. The bike feels extremely smooth till 4k RPM but after about 6K RPM it's like the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The bike just changes character. The way it picks up, the way it sounds and the stability at high speeds is to be ridden to be really experiencing the beauty. This is yet another Japanese marvel. I am not surprised why this was one of the best sellers in the middle-weight categories when it was launched. The acceleration is extremely linear and you are always in control of the bike. The bike reaches 3-digits in no time and you do not even feel it. There is usable torque in every gear. In the highway, you barely need to change gears. You can stay in 6th gear and go as low as 40 and pull to top speed from there without any fuss. To sum it up, extremely refined with a very behaved linear acceleration. The bike peaks at about 86bhp at around 12000 RPM. It's so mesmerizing to see so much packed in neatly in such a small place. It's a piece of art.



The engine mated with these inline 4 exhaust system is more gruntier and is really a visual treat to the eyes. The CB650R flaunts these more proudly although the designers have done a good job to not hide this beauty in the faired CBR as well.

The Brakes



While the engine is definitely the crown jewel of this bike, I really feel that it's not just about how fast you can build up but also how fast you can slow down while having the bike in control as a prime criteria while selecting the bike. This bike is a pleasure in this department. The Nissin four-piston radial-mount front brake calipers with 310 mm floating hydraulic discs in the front and a single piston rear caliper 240 mm at the rear supported by Dual Channel ABS works wonders. There is adequate bite and it stops with a lot of composure which is quite confidence imbibing.

The Tyres



The tyres are also kept functional with a balance of usage and longevity. The CBR650R rides in India on Dunlop Sportmax 120/70-ZR17 (36 psi) on the front and 180/55-ZR17 (42 psi) on the rear. I have not done anything extreme on the bike to really test out it's limits but the overall feel is quite balanced. The worst I have done is riding in relatively shallow showers and I did not have any issues in braking although none of them were really panic situation, thankfully. But one thing is for sure that there are better tyres out there in the market and the first change will surely help. A good tyre can just change the behavior of the bike. This, as I mentioned earlier, is balanced. Not awesome but not bad as well.



This is a very nice illustration shared by a biker friend, Zubair, who rode 10,000 kilometers in just couple of months. It shows that the tyre is holding pretty strong across the usage and it can go another couple of thousand kilometers although he reported uneven wear of the tyres.

The Tank

No fancy fiber here but a solid metal tank with a fuel capacity of about 15 ltrs giving it a range of 300 km with a tank full which is quite decent for almost a 90 bhp bike. Again a great plus for touring if planned well.



The Headlight Unit

2021 gets a little better designed all LED headlight unit which has a very sharp spread and is always on mode in low beam. It looks mean and just uplifts the mean character of this bike. The ducts under it are not fake but functional to breath in better which ends right next to the air-filter on the other side. It's a very neat setup. All the lights are LED including the indicators and tail light setup.





The Suspension



This is biggest upgrade when it comes to the 2021 CBR650R over the 2019. Showa 41mm SFF-BP USD forks. The upgraded Showa setup has a pressure separation damper in one fork tube and spring mechanism in the other delivering high damping performance making it lighter too. I could not compare it with the earlier bit but for what it has, it's a very sweet setup and although it's on the stiffer side is what I felt, it takes in the potholes quite well. One good thing I like about this is the bike not diving down when braked hard which was a major issue in the R3. The one on the CBR650R is adequately stiff and the feedback is quite good.



The rear shockers has a 7-stage spring preload adjustable setup which is defaulted at 3. I am still on the default but I am told that at 7, the control and riding quality is stiffer and much better giving it a balanced feel, removing the rare bounce off undulated roads.

The Mirrors

This is where the designers have to balance it well to keep it functional but at the same time keep it with the sporty design theme. I think the designers have done a good job here as well where it definitely is a bit more inclined towards being functional but blends in well at the same time. I had no major issues in terms of blindspot although I would not mind putting a convex small addition to add on at the edges.



The Levers

This is one bit I did not like in the bike. The levers are Looooong for my short hands. It's a reach out and looks ugly. The brake levers are still 6 step adjustable and makes up for it but the clutch lever is way out there. They could have made it adjustable. I have replaced it with PUIG levers which makes it much better in terms of control.





The Switch Gears

The other bit which I do not like although I am hoping that I'll get used to it over time. The Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) let's you switch on and off the Traction control by holding a button for few seconds and the button is placed exactly where the pass switch is usually in most bikes. The Pass switch in turn is in the place of switching beam modes. The horn has to be pressed inverted to work, towards the console and finally the indicator is placed way too low for my comfort. In short, quite messed up but I am getting used to it as there is no other way out on this one.





The right hand controls on the other hand is thankfully kept standard and simple with the ignition start and kill switches.



The Pillion Seat



The pillion seat, as you can see, is just about flat and barely a step up seat like in most sports bike and that's not a bad thing as it is quite comfortable that way. I went for some short rides with a pillion and there was no problem at all but please note that we have been riding bikes with sportier stance and hence it's subjective. That said, as compared to the R3, this is more comfortable. The padding is good and the width is also quite nice. I plan to get a seat cowl in the near future though as I do not like riding with pillion much.

The Other Bits



2021 now has a C-Type USB port to charge your devices but it's very inconveniently placed under the seat. The only way I find it usable is to extend it somehow with another cable close to the phone mount but that will have wires to be managed in a neat way. I have installed a standalone setup which is mentioned later in one of the posts.



Quite simple to reach under the seats though with a single key operation under the pillion seat.



I like the neatly tucked in rear grab handles which is not visible and is nicely camouflaged under the rear pillion seat. And the best thing is that it's functional too. The rear lights would have looked much better with a sharper design and clear glass view.



This whole unit is redesigned for the 2021 edition. It looks more aerodynamic with those winglets kind of design and has the metal bracket to hold the number plate mount. Although better than the previous edition which was all plastic and lacked inspiration, I have replaced it with a tail tidy to give it a more meaner look and go with the design flow.



Factory fit rim tapes branded CBR looks cool.



The Fuel cap is a cool Aeroplane style fuel cap which was a big deal when bikes started with this but now it's a standard across most bikes.

[abhisheksircar]

The initial thrill. The resolution is much better. It's pixelated because of the app I used to convert it from mp4 to gif.



That's the default screen. It's quite easy to read and on a UI perspective, I'll give it full marks due to the layout and font usage.

- The Tacho redlines at around 12500 RPM
- The gear indicator is very easy to read
- The variable numbers are on Set A and Set B. Set A is where you have the avg on this screen and Set B is where you have the total kms run. These can be changed and played around with
- It also has a fuel, time and heat indicator on the console.
- Beyond the console it has torque control indicator, high beam indicator, Neutral Indicator, Low Oil Pressure Indicator, ABS malfunction indicator,PGM-FI malfunction indicator and the HISS (Honda Security) indicator which keeps blinking every few seconds once the bike is locked. This flashing light can be switched off too
- The left and right indicator are individually placed for ease of understanding
- The console has two buttons. Set and Sel which can be played around with to change the view and set some settings
- On the extreme right is a bright flashing rev indicator which can be configured to a desired RPM



Set A can be changed to display the following

- Current Fuel Mileage : Instant fuel mileage in km/l or miles per gallon. This goes blank if speed is less than 6 km/h
- Average Fuel Mileage : Mileage for a specific Trip Meter (A or B). This can be reset for a specific Trip
- Fuel Consumption : Fuel consumed for a specific Trip Meter (A or B). This can be reset for a specific Trip
- Average Speed : Average Speed for a specific Trip Meter (A or B). This can be reset for a specific Trip
- Elapsed Time : Operating time for a specific Trip Meter (A or B). This can be reset for a specific Trip
- Reserve Fuel Consumption replaces whatever is shown in Set A after it goes into reserve and shows the consumption from the time it gets into reserve. The capacity is 4 ltrs.



Set B can be changed to display the following

- Tripmeter A : Distance traveled since last reset
- Tripmeter B : Distance traveled since last reset
- Numerical Tachometer : Numerical display of the RPM
- Reserve Tripmeter : Reserve trip meter replaces whatever is shown in Set B after it goes into reserve and shows the distance traveled from the time it gets into reserve.

Few other things that can be changed

- Time
- Time format 12H <> 24H
- Brightness
- km/h <> mph
- ltr/100 km <> km/ltr
- RPM at what the Rev limiter will flash at an accuracy of 250 rpm
- Changing of Tacho Display mode

[abhisheksircar]

BS6 : The 2021 edition is BS6 compliant making it a more cleaner bike when it comes to pollutants emitted. This should have definitely made revisions to the ECU Mapping, engine, exhaust etc.

Showa Shockers : Showa 41 mm Separate Function Big Piston from Showa Dual Bending Valve forks. This is the biggest change in the 2021 model although the differences will not be evident to most riders unless they hit it hard. The 2019 itself was known for quite good handling. 2021 is no exception to that. The forks now have pressure separation damper in one fork and spring on the other.

Instrument Console : Most of the riders complained about visibility issues of the instrument console, primarily because of the glare from the sun. The 2021 version has the console tilted a bit more towards the rider, reducing the glare and hence making it more visible. The font sizes on this one is slightly bigger to make it more readable.



Headlight : The 2021 CBR 065R has made a great headlight awesome with new headlamp reflector design making the spread and throw of light more desirable.

Availability of USB-C Type Charger : This one is exclusive to the 2021 model but is weirdly placed under the seat making it quite unusable.

Design Changes : The sticker design is changed although still feels a lot more than it should have. The bike is so good looking that it looks best with actually no stickers on it. The Tail piece is redesigned with sharper designs with steel holders but as per me is still a forced addition to meet regulatory norms.



Price : Not many admirable changes, but the prices have gone up by around 2 lakhs, on-road. Point to be noted is that this bike is around 7 Lakhs to start with and rest is GST + Road Tax + Insurance taking it to around 11 Lakhs On-road in Bangalore.

[abhisheksircar]

Before I go into details, I must say, I went a little overboard on this one but I loved it. Detailing of a brand new bike. The more I have owned cars and bikes, the more I have realized that things like PPF, ceramic coating should not wait after taking it out of the showroom if you have plans to do so. The earlier you do it, the closer it remains to factory finish.

For my new bike, I decided to go all out to protect the bike and keep it in pristine condition for the years to come. I was recommended by Ayush from the showroom to try out Krithi Car Care who is quite passionate about detailing. My plan was to go to the usual PPF chains but there is a whole lot of difference in delivery when one does it for the salary and the other does it for the sheer passion. Krishna of Krithi Car Care is driven by passion. He is quite recommended by TBhpians in Bangalore too. You can read a thread on his work here. He is also an R3 rider and was recommended by other riders too and hence my comfort of him handling bikes as well. His mechs are trained well to handle superbikes and he is very particular about the way his Mechs handle the bikes. He does not allow them to even sit on them, leave aside start or ride. This was important for me as I was leaving the bike with him the very next day to get the best out of the detailing.

Services done

- Removal of few factory stickers to make us better appreciate the design of the bikes.
- Complete PPF on all painted panels
- Ceramic Coating on all non painted panels. Alloys, Engine, Frame etc

What he did beyond that was to even apply ceramic coating on my helmet and a hydrophobic layer on my helmet to make it useful during rains. The whole process took about 3 days and those 3 days were as long as it could get, waiting for the final output and Krishna does not fail to tease with some bits and pieces in pics over whatsapp over the time.

The process involves removing any minor scratches or swirls which would have happened while handling the factory bike before delivery and machine polishing it to further get that liquid sheen. What I finally got was absolutely worth the wait and the money spent.

The highlight was a single piece application of the PPF on the tank. This is not an easy job. If you go to the usual places, they just say that it's not possible at all but here is my bike with a single piece PPF carefully stretched to perfection. Although the whole bike in the painted regions are covered in PPF, you can barely make out the application.

So the process involves a correction followed by machine polishing to get that liquid sheen on. For me, it involved an extra step of removing few factory stickers. My intention was to remove all the stickers and give it that clean look but the sticker on the tank was under the clearcoat and I did not want to interfere with it.







After the the minor corrections and polishing, the next step was to cover it with PPF with whole sheets and avoid cuts in between to make it look seamless.







And once this is done, whatever rest is covered with Ceramic coating. Now I could have also gone with Ceramic all over the bike but Ceramic is difficult to maintain and is not really scratch proof. PPF on the other hand is self healing to an extent. Krishna imports this PPF custom made for him with the right attributes to make it work good. Krishna did not even leave my helmet when he went all out for the Ceramic coating and it's actually nice. PPF also helps to keep away the gradual UV decoloration which keeps the paint factory perfect for years to go. Krishna provides a 5 years warranty on PPF for absolute protection to the paint.



Before : Left, After : Right. Personally I loved it with those stickers taken off. Specially the one on the front which resembles a 'Tilak'.









I was really impressed with the work and I look forward to this keeping the bike in a pristine condition for years to come. As you can see closely, you can't just make out the PPF application. It's neatly tucked behind panels. After 2 weeks I had to return for a thorough inspection by them to see how it's holding up as they say that if something has to come off, will happen in these few days. Final finishes were made and the bike is now ready to face the sun and dust for years to go. Hopefully !!

[abhisheksircar]

The bike is 'almost' complete but it requires a bit more to get there. I must say, there is no end to what can be done, but to keep it to the bare necessities, here is what I picked up.

Evotech Frame Sliders/Engine Guard



With all the fairings and fiber parts around, even a small fall can create substantial damage and the most effective one I feel is definitely the Frame Slider or what Evotech calls it, the Engine guard. It not only protects the fibers but also the engine in case of a fall. It's surprising but most falls happen in the slowest speeds. Turning the bike around, parking etc. In these times, the frame sliders work wonders. My choice of brand for these critical parts have usually been a good brand, Evotech in this case, cause there is a lot of R&D that goes in to see the impact on fall and make changes as required. I have seen cheaper ones which definitely looks like doing the job but on fall has damaged the engine on the other side as it's bolted right into the engine. It's worth the extra bit.

Product Link

Evotech Radiator Guard



As per me, the second most important bit. The radiator fins and the way it's designed helps a lot to keep the engine cool which is very crucial. At the speeds in which these bikes ride, even a small splinter hitting at those speeds can effect the performance of the cooling although these are designed to work efficiently with quite a bit of damage due to these hits. In one of the group rides, it was not a splinter but a whole bird which got sucked within the fairing into the radiator grill on another bike. Hits like these can start the radiator to leak which makes the bike almost unusable with no or less than desired coolant. Evotech Radiator Grills have been popular in most of my bikes although a well designed local ones should also do if it has been tested for heat management. Too many openings and it does not serve it's purpose and too less and you are not letting the radiator breath.

Product Link

Evotech Front Fork Bobbins



Continuing the series of protectors, then came the Evotech Front Fork Bobbins. Again, great for slow falls or even regular falls to protect the shockers and the calipers and also for fitting in the front paddock stands. My purpose is more around the protection.

Product Link

Evotech Tail Tidy







The first fancy accessory in the list. The rear tyre in the 650R protrudes beyond the rear light and I think as per rules in European and other countries, you cannot have the part of the bike protruding at the end and hence the design resulted in a LONG overhang beyond the tail lamp which holds the license plate and the blinkers. Fulfils the legal requirement but looks very out of the place. In comes the Tail Tidy solution, again from Evotech, which makes it hug around the taillamp making it much more inline with the design. It has it's banes of splattering mud, but that supposedly has a solution.

Product Link

Do note that the tail tidy from 2021 onwards is different as it has the mounts on the sides.

PUIG Racing Windscreen



A gift from my family and biker friend TJ, this is another in the list which is for aesthetic view only and is not very functional. The tinted glass makes it looks amazing but it's almost as short as the stock one making it not very functionally enhanced. There is a high possibility that I might upgrade to a touring one as this bike will be mostly be used for long distance riding. MRA is the one in sight.

Product Link

PUIG Shorty levers, adjustable and foldable





I have short hands and it takes an effort to go all the way to use the levers. The brake levers are adjustable and that's a savior but I really do not know as to why they missed out this simple thing on the Clutch Lever. I wonder if there is some technical reason around it. My solution has usually been Shorty Levers which are adjustable. PUIG levers works great as a solution for small hands like mine. It's not only convenient, but the reaction time is also quite quick due to the play involved. Something to be careful about this one is to install it correctly, else one might end up with a burnt clutch very soon. These levers are foldable and can be adjusted for reach and length.

Product Link

PUIG Rear fender extender



The rear fender extender is to compensate the revised tail setup with the Evotech tail tidy. I do not ride much in rains and slush but I hope it works when it's needed. Will update. I also needed the PUIG front fender extender but it's difficult to locate them at this moment. Import Issues. But this is a must as friends who have been riding the CBR 650R say that the slush comes all the way till the console and if you are crouching, on your helmets too. I have to get one soon. The factory instructions suggest to use a double tape to fix it but I opted for a riveting method to make it more durable. This would need holes to be drilled on to the stock rear fender. I got it installed in Gear Gear Motorcycles (GGMC) in Bangalore who did a pretty neat setup.

Lightech Carbon Fiber Tank Pad



Even though the vehicle is now laden with PPF and Ceramic coating all over, it's quite harsh when the riding jacket rubs against the polished tank and hence the need for a Tank Pad. Lightech makes some amazing parts with Carbon fiber and I got quite interested in this one. Nice Matte Finish. Subdued shine of the Carbon Fiber finish and just the right size. Not too small, nor overwhelming. It fits in well to serve it's purpose.

R&G Rear Spools



This one is much needed for those quick servicing like cleaning the chain, lubing them or cleaning the bike in general. Very useful and definitely much needed.

Ultimate Add-On Stem Fork Phone Mount







When it comes to having a holder for your bike when you ride, it's usually RAM mounts which are quite well known but this time I was advised the Ultimate Add-On range of products. What worked well with my bike is a ball mount Stem Fork mount on which another UA product which holds the phone can be clamped in. It holds quite strong, you can take out the phone with the hard case cover with just a click and the case is waterproof. The issues I face is that it's almost facing the sun which makes the glare too difficult to see anything. It's so close to the tank that I cannot tilt it much. In the night, of course it's a different story and fits in perfect. And yes, you can operate the phone from above the case itself. One issue with this one is the fact that it's right under the sun and to make it waterproof it has no air inlets to cool the phone down. This results in overheating issues and I have faced this already couple of times.

Rear Paddock



This is from GA Engineering from Mumbai. Very good product and in general I love products which are made with care in India. Again, a much needed product to take care of your bike well. I had another one for my R3 but this one needed a more durable one which can handle bigger bikes. It's adjustable and hence universal. There are two types of adapters. L and V. L if you do not have a rear spool, V if you have a spool as it slots in perfectly.

Hepco Becker Side Stand Extender



This is a first for me and never had it in any of the other bikes I had but I can relate to the problem it tries to solve. We ride in all kinds of places and it's not always that you get firm ground to park your bike. Extenders like this help you to hold the bike in it's place with an extended spread of surface area keeping the contact to the ground more intact. These bikes are heavy and the whole weight leans on the stands. I am hoping this to help it stand firm.

Sensairy External TPMS



That's the unit which screws in like a normal valve cap but it is protected by a special nut for which you have to always carry a small spanner to open it before removing the unit to fill in air.



So that's the interface on the phone. This is a very useful add-on as with the speeds and undulation on the roads, it's much safer to have the right pressure in the tyres, always. You can define the range to alert accordingly. This unit keeps refreshing every 1 min.

Another Made in India product which is about 1/3rd the price of the likes of imported products like Cyclops, Clifftop etc. and it does it's work well. Tyre Pressure Monitoring. I had an incident in my previous bike where I did not notice that the front wheel was low on air. Not enough to make me realize but enough to bend my alloys when it hit a ditch. It was quite an incident. This helps me to keep a good idea about the air pressure, leakage or any other issue, including temperature check. They have both internal and external ones. Internal ones require the whole tyre to be removed which is not very straightforward with the rear wheel. The bane is that it has a protective nut which does not let you open the external TPMS as an anti-theft mechanism which ends up in you always opening the nut using a special tool every time you fill in air. And of course there will be wear and tear as you will be handling it way more than the internal one. It's a trade off and for me, it's the external for the bike and internal for the car.

Optimate USB Charger



Yes the 2021 version of this bike has a USB charger but placed in such a weird place that is barely usable. The options were to either extend it from under the seat, to the front where the phone mount is or to go for a completely new unit which can be used for charging the phone for long rides. Option one was a possibility but I had to look for a heat resistant long wire which has a cap on the other end to make it weather proof. I went for option 2 cause it's tried and tested. A standalone unit from a Belgian company called TecMate/Optimate which comes with an indicator to monitor the battery status. It connects directly to the battery although it has a fail safe mechanism where the unit switches off after an hour of the ignition going off. Because of the split handle bar, I could not go for the ones which can be mounted on the handle bar, instead this can be strapped in to the handle with a slim ziplock cable. What is needed in addition to this is a small USB to C-type cable which does it's job. The USB end has a cap making it weather proof as they call it. The indicator is seamlessly installed right under the console for a good visibility.

Product Link

TPH Pilot 373 Cover



After all this, to keep the bike safe and clean, a premium cover from TPH as I have the same for my car as well and it's quite good. It's weather proof and has a soft clothing towards the inside avoiding scratches while putting and removing the cover. The only qualm I have with this is that its too tight a fit and I think it's primarily because it these are custom made and the took the dimensions of the bike but missed out the long over hanging tail piece. It's usable, quite nice but takes a good 3-5 minutes to cover it since it's too good a fit. Super Slim Tailor Fit is what I would call it !

Akrapovic full system exhaust

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=329_pH435gY

Saved the most desirable one for the last. I do not ride in the city much but love to ride on open roads. One thing that I miss is good music. I have the Sena setup but Sena is not great to listen to music on. The music from this exhaust is a sheer pleasure. The inline 4 with the stock setup, in general already sounds crazy good, but with this one, it's a different level altogether. At low RPMs it's quite silent but wring that throttle and you hear the track of music you would never want to change !! This bumps up the power also by a small percentage and makes the bike about 10 kgs lighter but I'll confess, my buy was primarily due to the character it builds in for the bike. This was not supposed to get installed so soon and I thought I'll run the bike for 5000+ kms and then install it. But I am impulsive and here is the beauty !!

Product Link

BMC Airfilter

To complement the exhaust, I also have a BMC airfilter which let's it breath easier. It's easy to maintain and no hassle of changing it as well. Although this sits under the tank and hence to occasionally clean it (Every 15k-20k kms; although I personally would prefer every time I service the bike), you have to really take the tank off to get it cleaned. What would complete this setup is a remapped ECU but I think I'll hold that for now.

One thing that I am still missing is a good luggage carrying solution, front fender extender and may be a custom ECU to get the best off the changes done.

Quite a few of these accessories were picked up either before the bike came in or at a very early stage. The protectives came in before and were installed by Honda at delivery itself making it very convenient. I picked up the accessories from the following places.

1. https://evotech-performance.com/ ,(UK) : I bought directly from them and in 5 days, I had it in my door step. It's definitely cheaper when you pay online but by the time it reaches you, the cost is almost same as the local vendors selling these. 42% duty and Shipping (50 GBP) contributes to the added cost. Now that I know this, I would personally prefer to but from the local vendors as you atleast have good support in case something is not right.

2. https://www.bikenbiker.com/ : They have a very neat setup in Bangalore and have a very good range of products. The support in general has been good.

3. Tyre Care Center, Goa : Owned and Managed by Sayeesh, he is helpful in sourcing your needs quite quick and is quite helpful in easing out the import and purchase decision and execution.

4. Honda Big Wing Topline Bangalore : This is where I picked up the bike from and they are quite liberal on aftermarkets unlike others who will be ready to tear off your warranty paper the moment you even add a clamp to hold your weekend touring luggage.

5. https://tphcovers.com/ : TPH bike covers are available online on their stores or can be picked up in Amazon as well.

[abhisheksircar]

The way you break-in your engine really matters a lot is what I have noticed in the vehicles I have owned in the past years. This bike was treated as good as all the other bikes of mine. With loads of love



The instruction was to keep the bike within 4000 RPM for the first 1000 kms which I mostly did but to not make the engine lazy, I also took it through short bursts of 6000 or at times a bit of more as well. This keeps the engine peppy and does not make it a laggy engine. This was probably the most fun Running-In that I did on a bike although the R3 was not as bad as well. I road on highways, city roads and different terrains as well to keep the Engine varying through the various gear shifts and bands. The suggested first service is at 1000 km but I usually do a quick change of Oil and filter in sub 300 kms as well to take out any finer parts although I was told that engineering in these new age bikes are at a different level and this really does not need as much care and is prepared for abuses. I kept it easy, leading to a pre-first service at 255 km on the odo. The factory oil was changed with a fresh batch. After riding another 750 odd kms, the first service was done at 1035 kms.

The first service is usually to identify factory production defects to see if all is well and the basic checks along with engine oil change. This was no different. The usual checks, oil and filter change and a wash which I avoided since I avoid the high pressure washes to not damage the PPF on the bike. The overall cost was 3341/- which included cost of all consumables. The oil used in the service center is Throttle Fully Synthetic Engine Oil which is graded at 10W30, of course, fully synthetic.



In Bangalore we have just one service center which for me is quite far (~40 kms) which is a Bigwing Topline Service Center, but I do not mind the quick ride to get it serviced well. The 'Topline' tag allows these centers to service bikes greater than 350cc as well. The service center is quite welcoming with courteous staff, enabled engineers and a nice lounge with a glass panel to admire your bike while it is being serviced. The service center is usually filled with ATs, 650Fs and the 350s. The Rs trickle in once in a while. Overall, I was good with the service but again, the first service is a simple engagement. The future services will be good to evaluate but in general, I saw happy faces around.

Service Schedule :

[abhisheksircar]

26-Sept-2021 : Ride to Hotel Dhruvathare

This was a ride organized by Honda Bigwing Topline, Bengaluru and this was the first time I rode with the Honda riders who own a mix of Africa Twins and CB/R 650F/Rs. The ride started from the showroom at Lavelle Road where we all met. I was meeting most of them for the first time.



Backup vehicle, Ambulance and all the works was in place to make it an organized ride. After signing off few forms, there was a flag off on time to let the riders head towards the destination which is a known eat out in the Bengaluru<>Mangalore route. Dhruvathare. The ride was fun and it was absolutely amazing to see those massive ATs flicking around with ease and negotiating the roads like no ones business. The in-lines screaming all around was a symphony I really enjoyed. After a good ride, we all reached the location where there was a pretty good breakfast arranged for. The food was tasty and the options served was more than what my normal breakfast allows and hence I had to stop. The whole section was booked for us and it was nice to catch up fellow riders.



It was wonderful meeting new riders and few old friends. It's a shift from the Yamaha Family to a new Honda Family. It was quite a well arranged ride organized by Ayush from Honda Bigwing Topline. We were also accompanied by few Honda officials who gave us few quick tips before we started the ride.





And finally a shot of the lineup



and the goodbye with me enjoying riding this phenomenal machine !!



The massive yet nimble ATs

[abhisheksircar]

There are lots of memories to be built with this beautiful bike but for now, these are few parting shots.







1000 kms running in completion celebration.



And finally the 2021 Black Beauty owned by friend, Zubair. I was so split on the color as both look amazing but at the end I was left with the fact that getting the bike itself is a big deal. In the 2019 Black edition, the whole bike is Matte Black where as in the 2021, the tank is glossy, rest is Matte. I just love the minimalism in the bike focused on the core design elements in the black edition.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[camitesh]

Wow, what a superb thread on the newest baby fireblade. Very crisply written and the selection of all usable accessories is wonderful. I recently rode alongside a very sweet sounding CBR650F and the inline 4 singing in all its glory is indeed all the music you need.

It was also really good to see how the Honda Senior team helped you achieve what was seemingly impossible. I do remember reading your post in CBR650 thread about the bike being out of stock and it was indeed surprising.

Wish you lot of safe miles on this beauty, keep the thread updated please. Cheers!

[AtheK]

Congratulations on your new bike, it looks amazing and rides equally well. I personally am a big fan and agree this the best mix of practicality on our roads and our conditions. Have had the pleasure of riding it quite a bit and have always appreciated bit.

Also kudos for such a detailed review, shows the love you have for it. Wish you kms and kms of happy and safe riding.

[Rocketscience]

I have my eye on this bike for a long time, will almost surely buy this next but then i hardly use my bike and am more than happy and yet to fully explore my r15v3 which has done just 3200KMs in around 2.8 years.

What i don't get is, whoever has driven this bike describes the acceleration as linear and not manic, controlled and subdued.
However, i expect a bike which does 0-100 in 3.XX seconds to feel bonkers, this is supercar and superbike territory acceleration, i mean the fastest most exciting bikes i have driven are Duke390 and even the interceptor's torque was mad too, even they felt overkill for our roads but very exciting indeed. (6.5 and 5.5 seconds 0-100 that too when you can feel the wind is no small deal)

Why is it then that even in your review i don't see you or for that matter anyone else raving about the acceleration of this bike? Is it the lack of torque? I mean if you have driven the Duke 390 which is supposed to be much slower than this bike, how does this compare?