HONDA CB650 (1979-1980) Specs, Performance & Photos

In 1980, the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer released the Honda CB650, a bike developed from the CB550 model, which was derived from the CB500 bike. The CB650 machine was the last successful air-cooled SOHC motorcycle that began with the 1969 Honda CB750.

The Honda CB650 was a standard motorcycle in the CB series powered by a four-cylinder SOHC engine and manufactured from 1979 until 1985. In its second year of production, the CB650 was re-styled without any significant mechanical changes.

The bike frame was almost identical to the one used by the CB550 model, while the handlebar levers and the instrument panel were also carried over from the smaller model. The bike featured a design that allowed it to be manufactured on the same production line as the CB550 predecessor, which saved money for the company.

For suspension, the bike packed a center axle coil spring fork on the front and dual Showa shock absorbers with spring preload adjustability on the rear, while the braking performance was handled by a 275 mm disc squeezed by a single-piston caliper on the front wheel and a 180 mm drum unit on the rear wheel.

Also, the bike packed standard features, such as a black-finished steel frame, an analog instrument panel, a round headlight, a dual seat with a passenger grab handle, a chromed exhaust system, and cast aluminum wheels.

As for the power figures, the 1980 Honda CB650 took its muscles from a 627cc four-stroke four-cylinder air-cooled engine fed by four Keihin carburetors that helped deliver an output power of 63 hp with a peak at 9,000 rpm and 52 Nm (38 lb-ft) of torque available at 8,000 rpm.