Only 5% will be localized.
Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India President and CEO, Keita Muramatsu at a press conference in Chennai, confirmed to reporters that the much anticipated CBR650F would be seeing a July 2015 launch. The Honda CBR650F, showcased at the Auto Expo 2014, would be a direct competition to the Kawasaki Ninja 650R, which is currently the only middle weight sport tourer in the country.
It was also revealed that the sport tourer would be imported as a Complete Knock Down (CKD) unit. There is currently a localisation of just 5% planned for the machine, which would grow in a phased manner.
At the launch, due to the low localisation, the bike is expected to cost around Rs 8 lakh (ex-showroom), which is quite high comparing to the Ninja 650R which comes in at Rs 5.35 lakh (ex-showroom). On the other hand, the CBR650F produces 16 bhp more than the Ninja 650R.
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For the price, the CBR650F would be compared to the likes of the Triumph Street Triple, Kawasaki Z800 and the Hyosung GT650R.
The CBR650F is strapped with an inline-four cylinder, 649 cc liquid-cooled engine that produces 87 bhp of power and 62 Nm of torque that is channeled to the wheel via a six speed transmission.
