CBR650R for beginner (or CBR500R)
Hello everyone,
I’ve recently passed my motorcycle license exam. I got a full, unrestricted license — where I live, you can get one without prior motorcycle experience if you’re over 24.
I do have a little bit of experience on a 125cc bike, maybe around 1,000 km done. Here, you’re allowed to ride a 125cc on a car license if you’ve had it for more than 3 years, and I’ve been driving cars for about 13 years.
Before starting my motorcycle course, I thought I would probably get a 300cc or 400cc bike as my first motorcycle. But during my lessons I rode an MT-07, and I completely fell in love with the feeling of a bigger and heavier bike. It felt much more stable and confidence-inspiring to me. Riding and slow-speed maneuvers on the training ground were much easier for me than they had been on a 125cc.
That’s why I started considering something around 600cc as my first bike. I’m also a fairly big guy, so maybe it’s not such a bad idea?
Some info about me:
- I'm just over 30.
- I’m 187 cm tall, so around 6'1"–6'2".
- I weigh 93 kg, around 205 lbs.
- The MT-07 didn’t feel especially heavy to me.
I’m currently thinking about the Honda CBR650R for a few reasons:
- It seems to have fairly linear power delivery below the really high RPM range.
- It looks like a good all-around motorcycle.
- The E-Clutch seems like a very useful feature, since I’ll mostly be riding in city traffic, sometimes in traffic jams during the week. At the same time, I’d probably turn it off on weekends when riding outside the city.
- I’d like to improve my motorcycle riding skills on a track. Defensive riding training and advanced riding courses are quite popular where I live, and I’d also like to occasionally attend track days.
- I guess an inline-four is a bit smoother and more refined than a parallel twin?
- And of course, the bike looks absolutely amazing.
- It sounds great too.
Now, my questions:
- I wouldn’t say I’m scared of motorcycles — maybe just a little 😃 — but I definitely respect them, especially when it comes to power. 95 hp seems like quite a lot for a beginner. Is the CBR650R beginner-friendly if I’m not actively looking for trouble? Is it forgiving enough for the kind of mistakes a new rider will inevitably make?
- Has anyone around my height owned or ridden this bike? How comfortable was it on longer rides?
- Has anyone here had experience with both the CBR500R and the CBR650R? What’s your opinion? Should I start with the CBR500R instead?
- If not the CBR650R, would the CBR500R even be a good choice for someone of my height and weight? It seems quite heavy for the amount of power it has, so maybe in that case it would make more sense to look at something around 400cc instead?
I’m really hoping someone with experience on these bikes can share their thoughts.
Of course, I’ll test ride the bikes before making a decision, but I still have to wait about two weeks to collect my license from the office. Also, a test ride won’t tell me everything.