The Honda CB650R is a great vehicle with a beautiful balance of e-clutch features. It is emotional yet accessible and modern. Lively, but not intimidating. You can set the clutch to automatic, but shifting is your responsibility. This is a great bike for new riders or veterans looking for new technology that makes riding not only easier but also better. For me, especially, riding a Honda e-clutch bike was nothing short of life changing.
We don’t often publish motorcycle reviews here, but this story is for anyone with a general interest in vehicles. If you’ve never ridden a motorcycle, here’s just some of the technical reference you need:
- Sequential manual transmissions are configured the same way in almost all motorcycles.
- The clutch is the left handlebar lever.
- The shifter is a rod that you move up (upshift) or down (downshift) with your left foot.
- braking is done on the right
- Right handlebar lever activates the front brake
- Right foot pedal activates the rear brake
Here’s a view:
riding a motorcycle with a disabled hand
I am uniquely equipped to appreciate auto-clutch motorcycles because my left hand is amputated. It is a long and sad story. The short version is that I overturned a UTV in the deep woods, and as I fell, my paw got stuck between the earth and the roll cage of the vehicle. Can you believe that I was getting married a few hours later that very day? In fact, I still did – my wife and I were officially married in the hospital hallway just minutes before we went into surgery.
In the year after that accident, the only thing I was on was an endless merry-go-round of medical visits. I resisted selling the bike I owned at the time, a Yamaha WR250R with completely custom suspension tuning, thinking it could be my motivation to regain the functionality of my hand. But as the months passed, the doctor’s bills mounted, while clutch-pulling seemed to have no effect. The Yummies were sold out, and the motorcycles were out of my favorite list.
That accident happened eight years ago now. Today, only a few people have noticed that my left hand has become slightly crooked and the pinky is missing. Fortunately, I still have very limited dexterity and strength. There’s also a distant hum of pain that I can never quite suppress.
But I promised this would be the “short version”, so let’s get back to the bike. I haven’t ridden a proper motorcycle since 2018 – I think my last one was a loaner Honda Rebel 500. So, throwing a leg over this CB 650R and zooming down my driveway was a very emotional experience. The strangest thing is that by the time I got from my garage to my mailbox, I felt at home again on the steel horse. And I was immediately convinced that Honda’s e-clutch is amazing.
What is Honda’s e-clutch?
Practically speaking, the Honda e-Clutch gives you a complete and proper manual-transmission motorcycle, except you don’t have to touch the clutch. You still shift and fully manage the throttle, but clutching is optional. Yes—optional, it has not been removed. If you want to use the clutch, it still works completely manually, and you can deactivate the e-clutch in the CB650R’s Settings menu. It’s a little annoying to find, but as we’ll discuss in this post, I doubt most owners will want to turn it off that often. E-Clutch functionality is at “Auto” by default.
No-touch-clutch motorcycles are not a new idea. It has aftermarket auto-clutches (like Recluse), and now there are also some dual-clutch automatic motorcycles (Honda is big with itVery). Honda’s e-clutch arrived in 2024 with the CB650R and the sportier-looking CBR650R – all of which is to say that it’s been on the road for years, but it’s so new that many people are still not familiar with it.
How does e-clutch work?
While the programming and engineering that implements an e-clutch is complex, conceptually it is very simple: The clutch has two input methods. It can be controlled by hand lever or computerized lever. With the e-clutch disengaged, the rider controls clutch engagement directly with the lever like any other motorcycle. With the e-clutch activated, the rider indirectly controls through their regular riding behavior when to use the clutch – the bike’s ECU estimates when to engage the clutch based on information from a plethora of sensors.
Honda E-Clutch Structure and Control Overview
In practice, having an e-clutch means you never have to pull the lever, even at a stop. You can walk without stopping at first. Just remember that you’re in gear before turning the bike – if you forget you’re not in neutral you could inadvertently throw yourself forward! Luckily, there’s a big old gear indicator on the dash.
E-Clutch Reference Material
If you want to go really in-depth on e-clutch technology and development, Honda has published some brilliant cutaway diagramA technical briefingand a great interviews with engineers Who brought it to life.
Pricing, Value and Competitors
Motorcycles are an amazing price-to-performance deal compared to cars. The all-new CB650R e-Clutch is priced at $9,299, including destination charge, placing it between the larger and smaller models in Honda’s lineup. The e-clutch isn’t an add-on you pick up at the dealership; It has been included in some Honda models. In this middleweight standard-moto category, there are a few options I haven’t ridden, but we can compare their specifications.
The Kawasaki Z650 S is much cheaper at around $7,700. Other rivals include the Triumph Trident 660, Suzuki GSX-8S and the Yamaha MT-07, considered by many to be the benchmark in this mid-weight no-fairing category. Honda’s value proposition is that it’s a four-cylinder (smoother than rivals powered by a twin) and, of course, the e-clutch, which none of its rivals in this size have.
If you want to get an e-clutch as cheaply as possible, the CB750 Hornet e-clutch is a parallel-twin that costs around $8,600 with destination.
Honda CB650R E-Clutch Ride Review
If I had to name the ultimate “car-dork cliche”, and I’m totally guilty of it myself, it’s talking about “pure” driving experiences in terms of vehicular engagement at raw speed. However, it’s true – if we’re going for a fun drive, give me a 90-horsepower Caterham 7 over a Tesla plaid any day of the week. That’s why the Miata is a perennial darling of auto writers, and that’s why people who never buy an off-road Jeep love it—it just feels good to drive something that feels lively. It makes you feel, and here comes the line: “The one with the machine.”
After about 60 seconds on the CB650R, I remembered: Crap, driving a motorcycle feels worse than driving a McLaren (which is a comparison I can actually make, because I just reviewed one). now stop. No biker on the planet would call this middleweight standard motorcycle “badass.” Its aesthetic and personality is more khakis and a blazer over a T-shirt; Clear-lined maturity with an aura of youthful irreverence.
However, when it comes to feeling united with your machine, there is no comparison between a car and a motorcycle. Forget looking for steering feel in a comfortable leather seat. On a bike, you’re just as vulnerable to the wind as your engine. Car is a vehicle; A motorcycle is like a prosthetic limb.
I’m emphasizing this to highlight how important rider engagement is and why riders are right to be skeptical of a feel-good aid like the e-clutch. But also want to emphasize that I didn’t really feel like I was missing out on any of the fun of riding in clutchless mode. This was my biggest takeaway: it not only makes riding “easier”, it also makes it better. I still felt completely connected to the motorcycle as I clicked up and down the gears without needing my left hand – and to me, that’s the best support anyone can give this concept.
During the weeks I had this CB650R testing, I toggled between turning the e-clutch on and off a lot. Although I was pleased to find that I could use the clutch lever more easily than I thought, I barely used it. The e-clutch made me enjoy the ride more, full stop.
As far as the rest of the bike’s characteristics are concerned – the CB650R is described as “balanced”. It handles predictably and consistently, and feels reasonably responsive, but it’s certainly no sport bike. It’s fast enough to be entertaining, but the suspension isn’t overly harsh, and you’re in no danger of accidental wheelies.
This bike is very accessible to new riders with an upright, comfortable riding posture, but also welcomes experienced riders who don’t feel an intense need for speed. I found the CB650R exciting and engaging without encouraging dangerous behavior, which I think is a great place for powersports equipment to live. It’s also not annoyingly loud, which I also appreciated.
The only real disappointment for me is the gauge cluster. It’s serviceable and great, and it gives you some freedom (there are some view-changing display modes), but a big rectangular display is just kind of… Blood. An analog tach would really help make this thing look and feel good.
Still, I enjoyed driving it a lot, and now I’m completely hooked on Honda’s e-clutch concept. This should be a great catalyst to get more people on board. And as attractive cars become harder to find, more driving enthusiasts should really start looking at motorcycles as the next frontier of fun machinery.
Want to talk bikes? Drop me a line at andrew.collins@thedrive.com.
