Every year, we here at AutoInfluence look through all of the motorcycles released or updated for the current model year and determine which of them is worthy of being named the Most Influential Motorcycle of the year. We are looking for a bike that has the biggest impact on the industry as a whole; it doesn’t mean that it has to be the “best” motorcycle that has come out this year, but a bike that brings something new and impactful to the world of motorcycling.
This brings us to the trusty CBR650R, a longtime staple of the Honda lineup. It was originally intended to take the place of the older CBR600F4i, which had served as a more relaxed alternative to the track-focused CBR600RR. The CBR650R brought a better option to the Honda lineup for riders who wanted a sportbike but did not have serious track intentions. Its 650cc inline-four engine was less powerful than the high-revving motor of the CBR600RR but offered a much broader torque curve, making it much more suited for street riding. But what is such a longtime staple of the Honda lineup doing being selected as the Most Influential Motorcycle of 2024?
More Butts in More Seats
Honda, more than any other Japanese motorcycle manufacturer, has been pioneering automatic transmission motorcycles for nearly 50 years now without ever really nailing it. In an attempt to make motorcycles more accessible, Honda released the CB750A in 1976 with the Hondamatic two-speed semi-automatic transmission. It had no real performance intentions and was intended to allow more people to be able to ride. However, the Hondamatic was not very popular with experienced riders due to its inefficiency.
Honda wasn’t ready to give up on the idea of an automatic motorcycle, and in 2010, it released the VFR1200F with a fully automatic dual-clutch transmission (DCT). This new design had the majority of the outright performance of a manual gearbox but had much less rider engagement due to the only method of shifting your own gears being buttons on the grip—not to mention the lack of a clutch lever, which can make low-speed maneuvers feel somewhat unnerving. Honda was well aware that the DCT wouldn’t appeal to performance-oriented riders, and it was never offered with any sportbikes or naked bikes; instead, it was reserved for Honda’s cruisers, adventure bikes, and tourers.
Discerning Tastes are Hard to Satisfy
After half a century of hard work, Honda has finally developed an automatic motorcycle transmission that can satisfy even a performance-oriented rider. The reason that the CBR650R has been selected as our Most Influential Motorcycle of 2024 is the inclusion of Honda’s new E-Clutch technology on the bike (we could have also chosen the CB650R as it also has the same technology, but there’s gotta be one winner people).
The E-Clutch, much as the name suggests, is not actually an automatic transmission but rather an automated clutch; think of it as a really sophisticated quick shifter with the party trick of being able to start and stop without having to use the clutch. This means that it will not change gear automatically, and while the E-Clutch does not require the usage of the clutch lever, the rider can still opt to use the clutch if they desire. The E-Clutch is actually quicker to shift and smoother than a traditional up-and-down quick shifter.
It functions by adding a pair of electric motors to actuate the clutch on an otherwise normal manual transmission (Honda does state that it could have used a single motor, but the two smaller motors reduced the bulk on the side of the bike). Because the E-Clutch is simply an external unit bolted to the side of a traditional manual transmission, it is possible to turn it off completely, and it only adds a meager four pounds to the weight of the motorcycle. This means there are effectively no downsides to having it on the motorcycle, which is why Honda has made it a standard feature on the CBR650R for the 2024 model year.
Training Wheels on a Tiger
For a large majority of riders, the hardest part about learning to ride a motorcycle has little to do with keeping the bike upright or shifting gears at speed but rather just getting the motorcycle moving with proper clutch actuation. Even if you have driven a manual transmission car before, motorcycle clutches are used in a number of different ways when moving slowly to keep the bike stable. Many new riders get turned off from the sport (or don’t even try to learn to ride) simply because of the complicated nature of operating the clutch.
With this in mind, you would think that Honda would have picked one of its more beginner-oriented motorcycles, like the CBR500R, which is not a 650cc inline-four that makes nearly 100 hp. While the CBR650R is not exactly the fastest or rowdiest on the market, it is certainly a little faster and more expensive than most would recommend as a first motorcycle, especially a first motorcycle for a rider who has difficulty operating a clutch. I would very much like to see Honda release a more beginner-oriented motorcycle with this technology, which is probably pretty likely considering the positive reception the E-Clutch is receiving. It would seem strange for Honda to develop such an intuitive technology for only a pair of motorcycles.
About The Horse You Rode in On…
While the E-Clutch is the star of the show here, I do want to give you some details about the 2024 CBR650 itself, as it’s a bit of a rarity in the new bike market. What makes the CBR650R so unique is that it’s something of a relic of a time past. Honda has yet to cave into the pressure of the parallel twin revolution completely, and the CBR650R is one of the last few non-supersport four-cylinder sportbikes on the market. While it’s hard to argue against the utility of a parallel twin for street use, there is something really special about revving out a smaller four-cylinder that no amount of utility can replace.
The combination of the E-Clutch with a street-friendly four-cylinder sportbike is a bit of a meeting of old and new. Overall, there is nothing all that special about the 2024 CBR650R—it weighs a pretty average 466 lbs wet and has a healthy but not exceptional 94 hp, which is certainly enough to get you in trouble but not enough to feel rowdy in any way. Its ergonomics are sporty but neutral to make it comfortable in traffic but still capable of carving up a back road with ease.
A Stalwart in a Sea of Compromise
The CBR650R’s theme of being a road-oriented sportbike does not waver throughout the entire build sheet. It is an absolute delight to ride on the road, not to mention that Honda nailed the looks for this year. Overall, the CBR650R with the E-Clutch technology should be able to bring new riders to the sport. The E-Clutch is a surprisingly uncompromising technology on a bike that otherwise follows the philosophy that compromise is good for a street bike. This mix should work together to bring riders who lack the skill or patience to use a clutch a robust motorcycling experience.
At the end of the day, the most influential thing a manufacturer can do for motorcycling is to bring more people to the sport, and that is what the E-Clutch system is all about. It eliminates the need to learn the nuances of a clutch without compromising the riding experience. Unlike some of the competing systems from other brands that lack a clutch or shift lever entirely, the E-Clutch is capable of doing anything that a traditional manual transmission can do, meaning that after nearly 50 years, Honda has finally achieved its goal of making a clutchless motorcycle that anyone, experienced or novice, can enjoy.
