Hello All! What do you guys think of this bike as a daily commuter, weekend trips etc. This will be my first midleweight bike, and i allways been a fan of Honda. I would love a Fireblade, but i lack both money and skill for that one . It seems to be liked by the general motovlogger and motojournalist, but i thought i would hear if any one in here have tried it and have an oppionion about them Cheers!
I'm sure you could find a very nice Blade for similar money. Skillset is not really an issue...you just don't ride bonkers until at least 15 mins after you've bought it ....seriously though you don't have to ride like a twat on the blade, it's a comfortable weapon. I'd look for a Blade over that.
I support the 650. Nice new bike with warranty and no probs, although I don't suggest a low mileage pre-owned Blade would have probs. I think it would be a very manageable bike to ride/own especially as a multi purpose ride. Needs a tail tidy though
I think it would look good with a tailtidy, pillion seat cowl and new exhaust. Living on westside of norway, we have a lot of winding roads and not much straits and long sweeping corners, so it might be better choice over the Fireblade – I´m not sure. Not completely sold yet though
Well I've come from a 2017 CBR650F to a Blade (and still own/ride both) so am reasonably well equipped to answer this question, although my Blade is older (2007) so it's a less direct comparison. The 2019 CBR650R is pretty much the same bike as mine - slightly lower bars, different styling, forks, some more electronics but it's basically the same engine and chassis so will ride similarly. If it's your first middleweight bike you won't go wrong with the CBR650R - it has plenty of power for road use - you just have to use the revs more than you would in a Blade. It'll certainly be a safer, friendlier companion (you don't want Fireblade C-ABS and there'll be no TC on a comparably priced (2008/9/10?) Blade) whilst still having enough go to be exciting. If I were you I'd get the 650R, ride it for a year - see if you feel like you're reaching its limits, and then maybe think about stepping up again to a Blade. If you're coming from smaller bikes than the 650 it's already going to feel like a big step. But as Nigel says, go get yourself a test ride. I went nuts test-riding everything before getting my 650F - when you get on the right bike for you, it just feels like being 'home'. That's the feeling you want and I certainly got it then Keep us posted! PS - you may also want to go visit the other forum I frequent... You'll probably find a more positive response to the idea there, here you'll most likely get a lot of 650R - pah! https://650f.bike/threads/cbr650r-2019.1069/
We always stress the following to our students: Do not buy a bike you think you will "grow" into. Buy the smaller bike, ride it and sell it on when you're ready. Not many of us can even exhaust the potential of that 650.
I completely agree with Spygoat. I had my 650F for a year, did 8 track days on it including 3 levels of the California Superbike School. Went from back of the novice group to somewhere in the middle of the inters. I have just bought a blade to do more track days on this year. BUT it wasn’t the bike holding me back, even on track where you can explore the limits far more than you can on road. If a quick and experienced rider couldn’t go at least 10 seconds/lap quicker than me on my 650 I’ll eat my hat. And my tail tidy too. I think if anything I’ll be *slower* on the Blade, at least for a while till I get fully familiarised with it.
Its all about getting the most fun out of the bike at your own level. I might do Brands Indy/GP day or two this year...but I'll slap bang in the middle of the novice group...not done a track day for about 12 years
Had a spin with the naked Cb650r , better brakes , better fork , better low grunt compare to the old.