Came for the bike, stayed for the scenery. Beautiful place.

I bought a similar Honda CB650R with an E-clutch back in May, largely thanks to your videos where I heard it’s also suitable for taller riders (I’m 192 cm). Initially, I was also considering other bikes like the Yamaha XSR900. Unfortunately, the dealership here in Lithuania didn’t have it in stock. I wanted to sit on it and get a feel for the riding position, and I wasn’t keen on ordering it blindly. I got my license on August 13th, and by then, I had already put around 1000 km on the bike, learning and practicing with it. I even took my driving test on it. In driving school, we trained on the Yamaha MT-07.

One of the things I love most about the Honda CB650R is its four-cylinder engine. It’s incredibly smooth, especially when compared to the twin-cylinder engine of the Yamaha MT-07. As you’ve mentioned, if you keep the revs low, it’s very beginner-friendly despite having 95 horsepower. But if you feel like having some fun, revving it over 7,000 rpm transforms it into an entirely different beast.

The only thing I had to adjust to was the throttle. It has an unusually long free play at the beginning, and the throttle response is quite sensitive — almost jerky.

I’ve added some mods to the bike: Evotech Honda CB650R crash protection (sliders), heated grips (which I consider a must-have), and a small Honda windscreen for the instrument panel with an aluminum insert.

So far, I’ve ridden 6,300 km around Lithuania, and I’m extremely satisfied with the bike.

I did encounter one issue, though: As I was riding, I suddenly noticed that I couldn’t shift gears using the gear change pedal. The pedal felt loose, and there was no resistance or response when I tried to change gears. After pulling over and inspecting the situation, I realized the 7 mm flange nut had unscrewed, causing the gear change sensor to completely disconnect from the gear change arm.

Luckily, I was in the city when it happened, and I was able to knock on a nearby house and fix it temporarily with two nuts — and it worked just fine! :) Later, the Honda dealership replaced the parts with original ones. I found out I’m not the only one who experienced this problem. Either the nut wasn’t secured with threadlocker, or it loosened up due to vibrations. I’m not sure, but I would’ve added a locknut to prevent it from happening again.

Now, after some time, I realize that for long trips (over 400 km), I’d probably prefer a different bike — something with a more comfortable seat, wind protection, and cruise control. But for city riding and trips under 200 km, it’s perfect.

As for the E-clutch, I find it really convenient in traffic. When you let off the throttle, the bike coasts smoothly and gradually slows down to a stop. It automatically disengages the clutch as the engine revs drop below idle. You can maintain a speed of 3-5 km/h by just giving short bursts of throttle. Most of the time, you don’t need to use the clutch at all, which is very convenient. However, there are a few things to keep in mind. For example, in driving school, we were taught to do U-turns and slaloms at idle speed. With the E-clutch, it’s possible, but in tight turns, the bike loses a bit of speed if you let go of the throttle. You need to be aware of that. On the flip side, it allows you to make tighter turns. If you want to do a U-turn while maintaining constant throttle, there’s a trick: press and release the clutch lever before the maneuver, and the E-clutch disengages for 5 seconds. There are some nuances, but it’s really beginner-friendly.

What I don’t like: sometimes downshifts aren’t as smooth as they would be if done manually. I think this is because the throttle is cable-operated, and the system can’t blip the throttle during downshifts. I feel like the E-clutch would perform much better if the throttle was ride-by-wire, allowing the computer to manage the throttle more accurately during shifts.

Overall, I’m really happy with my choice. For long trips, I’d like a second bike with an engine as smooth as this one. I’m currently considering the Yamaha Tracer 9GT+ or Ducati Multistrada V4S as a second bike.

The exhaust systems Honda puts on them OEM are works of art. I always loved the angle and symmetry of the headers on these new CB's.

Damn 15.000 km in a year. That’s massive I’ve done 4.000 kilometers since April on my 2021 mt-09. Awesome video!

Bro got that san andreas style garage door 😂

This is the best review so far. Very detailed and insightful.
You have helped me a lot to make a decision

Loved this, I am a beginner and am looking into getting the 2024 Honda CB650R so this video really helped. Appreciate it, keep up the good work man.

CS Racing exhaust man, like eating candy with your ears. Also get rid of that lizard tail, haha. - About the video, I think it's a fair and good review of the bike. A lot to be agreed there. Nice job on the talking also. I was going to make a "tour" on my bike some weeks ago but.. felt kinda dumb talking to the vid. Maybe I'll do it on a later date.

You're one of the most disciplined riders I've seen. For a beginner, you're pretty good!

This is such a cool bike and if it was in my budget I would definitely get one!
Also I never knew Slovenia was that beautiful and it looks like an amazing place to ride!

Superb review.

Cheers for the words and the amazing scenery. I'm currently torn between this, the CB750 Hornet and the Trident 660 as my first bike.

Clicked for the review and my god what a gorgeous country

The new intakes look so much better than the last ones imo. Great video

I've passed my license a month ago and got the same bike in grey😊 but 2025,beautiful, great motorbike 🏍

Excellent review man, thanks!
I just got this bike a couple days ago, waiting for my gear to come in before I start riding.
Only experience I have is the MSF course here in the states, so I’m happy to hear it can be beginner friendly in the lower RPMs.

I'm considering this as my first road bike. I grew up on dirt bikes and motocross racing but haven't ridden in 15 years. I'm 184cm tall, so it's nice hearing it's a good fit for me. Here in Australia the speed limit on a freeway is 110km/h, so you only probably ever need 120 to pass a truck or something, so I don't think it's really a problem it struggles past 200. Awesome to hear your thoughts.

I heard a lot of Japanese manufacturers are not giving full power or full opening of the throttle butterfly on acceleration depending on what gear and other computer calculations. This is probably due to new restrictions. I was watching a tuner mapping the computer of a xsr900 and it showed in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, gears at about 8000 rpm the throttle butterfly was only half open. I think he was able fix this issue and tweak another 12hp out of it and increase redline rpm. Personally, I think any 600cc or higher motorcycle should have a rpm limit above 10,000 rpm. You can hear a lot of Yamaha 800cc bikes run out of rpm during fast riding, especially on the track. I started on a 2000 R1 and was always a litre bike guy, but enjoyed the Suzuki sfv650 with the 10500 rpm redline which I would smash into a lot but that bike was just great fun!  I think I will get a Cb650r when I ever start riding again. Great review. I really do like the crash bars. I'd also get a flyscreen on mine. Nice!

Hi! Greetings from Japan. Really enjoyed your review. I'd recommend a 125cc or a 250cc bike for learning and just for fun. There's something really special about riding a small displacement bike at 100%. They are fun and light! Of course power has its place too!  Be safe!

very great way to use this footage, enjoyed the talkover on the POV, i really want this bike