2026 Honda CBR650R E-Clutch

The Honda That Took Away the Clutch Lever, and It Works

Here's the thing about the 2026 CBR650R. On paper it's the same friendly middleweight Honda's been quietly selling for years, a 649cc inline-four, 94 horsepower, 466 pounds wet, $9,199. But this one has the trick that everybody's been asking about: the Honda E-Clutch. You still shift. You just never touch the clutch lever. And when you do grab it, the bike flips itself into normal manual mode for you, no menu, no fuss.

I came in skeptical and left a believer. Not on everything. The brakes and the suspension didn't fully land for me. But as a complete package at this price, people are sleeping on the CBR650R, and they shouldn't be.

Performance highlights

Throttle response gets a 6. Down low this thing is torquey and punchy, way more than you'd expect out of an inline-four, and on the highway that light throttle is awesome, I can just rest my hand and go. The catch is the E-Clutch. When you're barely moving it gives you this on-off hit, and it's almost physically hard to roll the throttle smooth enough to avoid a little kick. On a normal bike I'd feather the clutch to clean that up. Here I can't.

Acceleration lands at 6. The 40 to 80 felt disappointing, it took longer than I expected, and the power band really dies off up top around 10,000 rpm. But weirdly, down low it pulls great. You get that fun punch off the line. So it's quick where you actually live day to day, just don't go chasing it way up high.

Agility is a 7. It's fun leaning this thing over, I'll give it that. But I gotta be honest, it's not incredibly stable. I can feel it wiggling around on me and I'm having to force it where I want it to go instead of it just falling into the corner. Still a good time, just not as planted as I wanted.

Brakes are the low point at 5. We've got Nissin brakes and there's just not a ton of feel, I'm squishing on a sponge and not getting much back. Big asterisk though: this bike is brand new with 36 miles, so the pads haven't even scrubbed in yet. I'm not going to fully crucify them. But right now? Not exciting.

Suspension gets a 6. These are Showa forks and I had higher expectations, honestly. I wanted it to feel locked and it just didn't. The R7 suspension felt a little better to me. On the highway it's incredibly smooth, no vibrations, but the second you push it in the corners it's not as composed as I was hoping. Not bad. I just got excited and wanted more.

Rider experience & tech

This is where the bike earns its money. Tech is an 8, and the E-Clutch is the star. Automatic clutch, you still shift, you just never touch the lever, and the quick shifter up and down is phenomenal. The screen's fine, and the new little D-pad is the best size and setup of any bike I've used. The only headscratcher is no ride modes, which is genuinely weird on a bike that would be great for beginners.

Ease of use is also an 8, and it ties right into that E-Clutch. It totally lowers the bar to get into riding. If you've never run a manual, you literally don't have to worry about the clutch. Stop and go traffic, red light to red light, your hand never gets tired. Shorter riders are going to flat-foot this easily too. The only knock is that parking-lot jerkiness costing you a bit of low-speed finesse.

Comfort surprised me at 7. I thought the seat was going to be uncomfortable and it's totally fine, it's wide and the rear holds me in place nice. Mildly sporty position, slight lean, low bars, but I could ride this all day and happily take it to the mountains. Only knock is the wind hits my upper chest on the highway, and there's no cruise control, which I wish it had.

Versatility is a 7. This thing is well-rounded. It eats up the city, it's solid on the highway, it's fun in the twisties, and it'll commute forever, it's a Honda, you'll put a hundred thousand miles on it. I just wish it had cruise for the long touring days.

The Chase Score & final thoughts

The 2026 Honda CBR650R E-Clutch lands at a Chase Score of 68/100, Good Tier. That's Ride 30/50 and Usability 38/50, and that split tells the whole story. The brakes, the suspension, the up-top power, those are where it gives a little back. But the way it lives in the real world, the comfort, the tech, how easy it is to just ride, that's where it shines.

Fun for the money is an 8, and that's the headline. Just over nine grand for this is a solid deal. The E-Clutch makes it a novel, genuinely fun ride. Buy it if you want a first bike that removes clutch anxiety entirely, or the perfect second bike to rack up miles on next to your fun bike. Skip it only if you're chasing top-end supersport power or need brakes that bite hard out of the box. People are sleeping on the CBR650R, and after a day on it, I don't think they should be.