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All 650's What did you do with your 650 today?

User26

2020
CBR650R ABS
Aug 8, 2019
Riding Since
2010
After doing my first trackday with the cbr650r yesterday, today I've put the mirrors, license plate and turn signals back on the bike, raised the tyre pressure and checked if the bike was completely ok for road use - everything perfect, only the tyres show signs that they were on track.

20210419_163630.jpg

For the ones interested, Ive put a link to a lap around the track on the cbr (video) in this thread.

https://650f.bike/threads/riders-up-for-a-trackday-in-2021
 

Jerry

2016
CBR650F ABS
May 18, 2017
The Netherlands
Not something I did with my bike, but just a story I thought I'd share:

This morning my brother showed up at my house unannounced. He was on a motorcycle, but not his own Yamaha MT-09 I noticed. When I got a closer look before opening the front door I noticed it was a... well, a Kawasaki H2 SX 😲

He just casually said he thought it was time for something a little different. I said "noooo waaaayy"! But he admitted the dealer had made a mistake in his favor. He had brought his own bike in for a service job and when he made the appointment, he applied for a free loaner bike. Usually these are pretty old worn out abused bikes. Turns out they made a scheduling error so none of the loaner bikes were available. For some reason, the alternative they came up with was this 190 horsepower, supercharged hyperbike 🤣
He had it for the rest of the day to try and lose his license 😉

He actually messaged me at the end of the day that the bike isn't actually all that fun. Under 3000rpm it's a bit jerky and he said it's very obvious when the supercharger kicks in. So if you're doing 80kmh and want to go 90, the supercharger kicks in somewhere right around 4500 rpm and suddenly you go 110.
He also complained it's nowhere near as nimble as his MT-09 and the power is more of a nuisance than a practical thing. It's just too leary for every day use.
 
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JH09

2019
CB650R ABS
Jul 29, 2020
Riding Since
2010
Not something I did with my bike, but just a story I thought I'd share:

This morning my brother showed up at my house unannounced. He was on a motorcycle, but not his own Yamaha MT-09 I noticed. When I got a closer look before opening the front door I noticed it was a... well, a Kawasaki H2 SX 😲
did he get there a lot quicker than normal? 😂
 

miweber929

2014
CBR650F
650 Alumnus
Staff
Feb 13, 2015
Woodbury, MN
Riding Since
1975
Not something I did with my bike, but just a story I thought I'd share:

This morning my brother showed up at my house unannounced. He was on a motorcycle, but not his own Yamaha MT-09 I noticed. When I got a closer look before opening the front door I noticed it was a... well, a Kawasaki H2 SX 😲

He just casually said he thought it was time for something a little different. I said "noooo waaaayy"! But he admitted the dealer had made a mistake in his favor. He had brought his own bike in for a service job and when he made the appointment, he applied for a free loaner bike. Usually these are pretty old worn out abused bikes. Turns out they made a scheduling error so none of the loaner bikes were available. For some reason, the alternative they came up with was this 190 horsepower, supercharged hyperbike 🤣
He had it for the rest of the day to try and lose his license 😉

He actually messaged me at the end of the day that the bike isn't actually all that fun. Under 3000rpm it's a bit jerky and he said it's very obvious when the supercharger kicks in. So if you're doing 80kmh and want to go 90, the supercharger kicks in somewhere right around 4500 rpm and suddenly you go 110.
He also complained it's nowhere near as nimble as his MT-09 and the power is more of a nuisance than a practical thing. It's just too leary for every day use.
I have seen a lot of this supercharged Kawasaki's for sale with under 5,000 miles and was kind of thinking that there might be something like that with living with one every day. Sweet machines, lot's of tech but sometimes "simple" is "better".
 

Jerry

2016
CBR650F ABS
May 18, 2017
The Netherlands
Had a ride together with my brother today. The provence of "Zeeland" (Sealand) is nice to ride around, with a nice coastal road past and over the famous Dutch Delta Works. There's one problem, to get there from where we live, you need to cross the biggest Dutch industrial area (The Botlek area) which is just a bit filthy and smelly. I had recently discovered it's possible to pretty much get around the Botlek area by taking a small ferry in a village close by. This is a pretty great alternative.

We had actually swapped bikes for the first part of the ride, so I got to ride his 2018 MT-09. I must say, it's a very nice bike. Three things stand out mostly. First of all, the ergonomics. The seating position is much more upright than my CBR650F. I think it's a little more upright than the CB650F as well, but it's not an inactive position. I find you still sit a bit "in" the bike and not as much on top of it. I liked the ergonomics better than I expected. I was afraid the position would be a bit lame and un-sporty, but despite the CBR being way more aggressive, it wasn't bad.

The second thing is the power, especially down low. On the CBR, I really need to rev it high to get a similar response. The MT-09 has so much oompf, you really need to mind the throttle. Even when riding highway speeds, accelerating at full throttle makes the front end feel a bit light.

Which brings me to the third thing, which is its nimbleness. Steering is so light. It tips in so easily. I actually found myself turning in too early in corners at first, because I was used to the CBR's slower steering response.
The downside is that the MT-09 feels less stable. It likes to tip over so much that on the highway, it feels a bit jerky and shaky. Wind protection is non existent. The little windscreen and fairing in the CBR definitely help.

All in all, I wouldn't necessarily trade my CBR for the MT-09, but a bike that has all of the positives of the CBR's firmness and the stability and the lightness and power of the MT-09, dressed in a sporty looking package would be a winner for me. *Eyes the Aprilia RS660* 😅
 
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Goblin

2019
CB650R ABS
Sep 2, 2019
Had a ride together with my brother today. The provence of "Zeeland" (Sealand) is nice to ride around, with a nice coastal road past and over the famous Dutch Delta Works. There's one problem, to get there from where we live, you need to cross the biggest Dutch industrial area (The Botlek area) which is just a bit filthy and smelly. I had recently discovered it's possible to pretty much get around the Botlek area by taking a small ferry in a village close by. This is a pretty great alternative.

We had actually swapped bikes for the first part of the ride, so I got to ride his 2018 MT-09. I must say, it's a very nice bike. Three things stand out mostly. First of all, the ergonomics. The seating position is much more upright than my CBR650F. I think it's a little more upright than the CB650F as well, but it's not an inactive position. I find you still sit a bit "in" the bike and not as much on top of it. I liked the ergonomics better than I expected. I was afraid the position would be a bit lame and un-sporty, but despite the CBR being way more aggressive, it wasn't bad.

The second thing is the power, especially down low. On the CBR, I really need to rev it high to get a similar response. The MT-09 has so much oompf, you really need to mind the throttle. Even when riding highway speeds, accelerating at full throttle makes the front end feel a bit light.

Which brings me to the third thing, which is its nimbleness. Steering is so light. It tips in so easily. I actually found myself turning in too early in corners at first, because I was used to the CBR's slower steering response.
The downside is that the MT-09 feels less stable. It likes to tip over so much that on the highway, it feels a bit jerky and shaky. Wind protection is non existent. The little windscreen and fairing in the CBR definitely help.

All in all, I wouldn't necessarily trade my CBR for the MT-09, but a bike that has all of the positives of the CBR's firmness and the stability and the lightness and power of the MT-09, dressed in a sporty looking package would be a winner for me. *Eyes the Aprilia RS660* 😅
I also ridden the MT-09 and the ergonomics are nice but I didn’t like the handlebars, a little to wide for me personally and the looks. I like the KTM super duke gt a lot. Great ergonomics, super comfortable, easy to ride, light steering as well and a ton of power, but expensive. The RS660 I really love that bike! I tested it and it’s just a perfect weight and power combo, not to agressief and a really nice seating position. It’s such a great looking bike for a reasonable price. I’m really considering buying the Acid Gold one (maybe next year)
 

Jerry

2016
CBR650F ABS
May 18, 2017
The Netherlands
Yeah the wide handlebars take some getting used to. Not sure how they compare to the CB650R handlebars, but I reckon those are a bit smaller still?
Somewhere the coming weeks, if weather permits, I'm going to try and get a test ride on the CBR650R and Aprilia RS660 back-to-back. I'm definitely not buying a CBR650R (unless something happens to my 650F) but I'm just curious how it differs from the 650F.
I keep trying to talk myself out of the Aprilia but my mind can't let it go. A test ride probably won't help there though 😅

Anyway, a new bike (if any) is still at least a year away. First need to get some home improvement projects out of the way. New bathroom, new kitchen and an extension for our livingroom are things we have planned. If there's any money left after that I can start thinking about considering a new bike :)
 

Rafe

2019
CBR650R ABS
Oct 1, 2019
United Kingdom
Anyway, a new bike (if any) is still at least a year away. First need to get some home improvement projects out of the way. New bathroom, new kitchen and an extension for our livingroom are things we have planned. If there's any money left after that I can start thinking about considering a new bike :)
Home improvements budget - new bike purchase = net home improvements budget ;)
 
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