Honda CBR650F Begins Production

Launching an exciting line-up of bikes for this financial year, Honda Scooters and Motorcycles India had earlier confirmed the CBR650F to be up for sale in Honda showrooms real soon.



The latest news reports point out that production of the Honda CBR650F has begun production and is already rolling out units from the assembly line. For now though, Honda will limit production of the premium motorcycle to one unit per day and increase production once a launch date is set and a significant demand is achieved. This in-line 4 cylinder sports-tourer model has been in the pipe for some time now and was recently spotted at the Buddh International Circuit doing laps possibly for testing purposes.



With this performance bike, Honda plans at introducing a premium distribution format for 20 cities that Honda identifies as top priority. The Japanese manufacturer however, will not be resorting to a complete import of the bike, as a CBU import would remain slightly over-priced. Instead, the CBR650F would be assembled in India thereby saving on taxes and cutting production costs. This in turn would mean that pricing of this bike would be at a competitive range, although sources have hinted at quoting a price of about Rs 8 lacs, which might be a little hard to afford. It sports a 649cc, liquid-cooled engine, producing 87hp @ 11000RPM and torque up to 63Nm @ 8000 RPM. Honda Scooters and Motorcycles India, under its proposal to launch 15 new products in India, will be looking to launch the 650F by July. Other bikes include the Honda Livo, a bike that is destined to be a replacement for the outgoing CB Twister, owing to lack of sales performance. Other products to be launched are yet to be known but the CBR650F will be a striking competitor, battling against the Kawasaki Ninja 650 and the DSK Benelli TNT600GT.