Restricted Honda CBR650R  Does 0-60 mph in 5.39 seconds

The Honda CBR650R is an extremely popular motorcycle with both new and experienced riders alike, and it has enjoyed strong sales success across many markets.

The CBR650R is offered in two main versions. The full-power model produces a claimed 94 horsepower, while the restricted A2 or LAMS version is limited to 46-48 horsepower.

The restricted version is designed not to exceed the legal power-to-weight limits of 268 horsepower per tonne (A2, without rider) or 200 horsepower per tonne (LAMS, with a 90 kg rider).

In other regions, there may be slight variations in the restriction levels or specifications to comply with local A2 or LAMS regulations.

Traditionally, learner motorcycles have always used smaller-capacity engines with learner-friendly power outputs.

Depending on the country you live in, the bike you can buy and ride as a new rider is strictly governed by specific learner licensing laws.

In recent years, many countries have adopted learner laws that share a good degree of commonality.

This makes it much easier for manufacturers to produce one or two models that meet the requirements across multiple markets, rather than having to create entirely different versions for each country.

For A2 or LAMS riders, the rules typically require you to ride a restricted motorcycle that complies with the relevant power-to-weight limits for a minimum of two years.

After this period, riders either automatically progress to a full unrestricted licence or must pass an additional practical test to obtain one.

Only then can they purchase and ride a full-power, unrestricted motorcycle.

With this in mind, many new riders now face a clear choice: they can opt for a small-capacity, low-power (but unrestricted) learner motorcycle, or they can choose a larger-engine bike that is electronically restricted to meet learner laws.

Both options have their advantages and disadvantages.

The restricted A2/LAMS version of the Honda CBR650R is one of the more popular big-engine learner choices, and for good reason.

The main advantage of buying a restricted large-capacity motorcycle is that after the two-year probationary period, you can simply derestrict it to full power without needing to buy another bike.

In contrast, if you choose a smaller-capacity machine such as the Kawasaki Ninja 400 or Yamaha YZF-R3 that already complies with learner regulations, there is no derestriction option available once your probation period ends.

If you then want a full-power, larger-engine motorcycle, you will have to buy a completely new one.

This is a common dilemma faced by many new motorcyclists when choosing their first bike.

While full-power big-capacity motorcycles are regularly tested for their performance, restricted learner machines (A2 or LAMS) are often overlooked by the motorcycle press.

This is surprising, given the huge interest from potential buyers who want to know exactly how fast these restricted learner motorcycles perform both in isolation and when compared with other learner-legal bikes, whether restricted or full-power.

We have already tested the full-power version of the CBR650R (linked here).

Restricted A2/LAMS CBR650R Dyno and Engine Performance

The full-power Honda CBR650R produces a claimed 94 horsepower at the crank from its 649 cc inline-four engine.

This makes it a seriously quick motorcycle that can keep pace with many Supersport 600s.

In its restricted A2/LAMS form, the CBR650R is limited to roughly half that output, around 46-48 horsepower.

This brings it into line with other popular learner machines such as the Kawasaki Ninja 400 and Honda CBR500R.

Achieving such a large reduction in power while keeping the bike rideable and protecting the engine is no simple task.

Honda has used a combination of clever factory modifications, primarily through ECU mapping, intake and exhaust restrictions, to tame the CBR650R.

These changes have effectively taken the sting out of the bike’s tail.

The restricted CBR650R produces 39 horsepower at 9,500 rpm and a healthy 36 ft-lb of torque at a relatively low 3,500 rpm.

By comparison, the full-power version delivers 82 horsepower at 10,500 rpm and 44 ft-lb of torque at 8,500 rpm.

Simply halving the power does not mean the engine character and delivery are simply halved as well.

The restriction completely changes the personality of the inline-four.

Normally, motorcycle engines, especially sportsbike engines, thrive on revs.

The harder you push them, the more eagerly and enthusiastically they respond.

There are exceptions, such as Harley-Davidson’s big-capacity, long-stroke V-twins, which generally do not like to be revved much beyond 5,000 rpm.

Oddly enough, the restricted A2/LAMS CBR650R behaves in a remarkably similar way.

Its power and torque curves are shaped much like a Harley’s, albeit spread over a wider and higher rev range.

That is a strange characteristic for a mid-sized, four-cylinder sportsbike engine.

– A2/LAMS CBR650R – CBR650R

If you were to compare the power and torque curves, the restricted A2/LAMS CBR650R behaves surprisingly like a diesel car engine.

Most diesel engines, however, rarely rev beyond 5,000–6,000 rpm, whereas even the restricted CBR650R will happily spin past 12,000 rpm.

Looking at the dyno curves, the restricted version actually produces comparable – or even slightly more power and torque than the full-power model from just above idle up to around 3,500 rpm.

From that point onwards, the restricted CBR650R builds power very slowly while torque drops off sharply.

Pulling away from the lights, you would barely notice any difference between the two versions.

However, as soon as you demand more speed by raising the revs in the normal way, it quickly becomes clear that the engine has very little left to give.

The most usable part of the rev range is between 3,000 and 6,000 rpm, where the bike feels most responsive.

Taking it higher than that often feels as though the engine is simply making noise rather than actually propelling you forward – whether that is objectively true or not.

Gear plotted against speed. It is your torque curve represented in each gear.

Thrust (or acceleration) is what you actually feel when you open the throttle.

Thrust curves are far more useful than simple power and torque curves because they show the real acceleration the motorcycle delivers in each gear at any given speed.

As the graphs clearly show, the restricted CBR650R has a very peaky thrust/acceleration curve in every gear.

It delivers the majority of its acceleration early in the gear, after which the rate of acceleration drops off quickly.

At that point, you need to consider changing up.

In normal riding, this encourages you to short-shift quite early, treating the bike more like a truck engine than a high-revving inline-four.

Because of this characteristic, it is surprisingly difficult to judge exactly when to change gear for the best acceleration on the restricted CBR650R.

To get the optimum acceleration through the gears, you should ideally change up at or just before the point where the thrust curve of one gear intersects with the next.

On the majority of sports motorcycles, unless they have a sharp drop-off in torque or power at high revs or unusually close gear ratios, there is rarely massive overlap or large gaps.

This means you can usually take each gear right to the rev limiter before shifting.

Looking at the thrust curves for the restricted CBR650R, first gear overlaps with second gear at around 56 mph (90 km/h), which equates to approximately 10,900 rpm.

As speeds increase, this overlap occurs with every subsequent gear right up to sixth.

This is something you rarely see on unrestricted sportsbikes.

What this tells us is that, for the best overall elapsed times, you should not rev first gear beyond 56 mph (or roughly 10,900 rpm).

If you continue past this point, first gear actually produces less thrust and acceleration than second gear would from 56 mph onwards – even though first gear still has more rpm and speed available if taken all the way to 12,000 rpm.

Despite knowing this from the graphs, when you are actually riding and trying to execute a quick overtake or blast through the gears, the engine does not feel intuitive.

It gives you mixed signals.

As a result, you are never quite sure when to change gear or which gear is best for the fastest acceleration from a given speed.

This feeling stems from the power delivery falling away after its peak as the revs rise, while the engine noise continues to increase.

It creates a strange audio/performance dissonance: the frantic scream of the four-cylinder engine suggests it is still pulling hard, yet the actual thrust and acceleration are already tapering off.

It is a very odd and counterintuitive experience.

– A2/LAMS CBR650R – CBR650R

We already know the restricted A2/LAMS version of the CBR650R is slower than the full-power model, but simply saying it has “half the power” does not tell the full story of how the two engines behave on the road.

If we compare the thrust curves of both versions, the difference is striking.

Below 3,500 rpm, roughly the first quarter of the usable speed range in each gear, the two bikes are surprisingly close.

In fact, right off idle and in the very early part of each gear, the restricted version actually delivers a fraction more thrust than the unrestricted model.

This is because it produces slightly more power and torque below 3,500 rpm.

I am not sure whether this was a deliberate design choice or simply a side effect of the restriction (or even dyno variation), but the restricted CBR650R holds this small advantage in the initial part of every gear.

The full-power version does not take long to assert its dominance.

From approximately 3,500 rpm onwards — which equates to:17.8 mph in 1st gear, 23.2 mph in 2nd gear, 28.9 mph in 3rd gear, 35 mph in 4th gear, 39.8 mph in 5th gear, 44.9 mph in 6th gear!

The unrestricted model pulls strongly ahead, and the gap widens rapidly as the restricted bike’s thrust tails off sharply.

In simple terms, the restricted CBR650R feels breathless once you ask for more than gentle acceleration. It responds best when short-shifted.

For the strongest performance, you should not take it much beyond 11,000 rpm.

Changing up between 7,000 and 9,000 rpm may cost you only around 5% in outright straight-line speed, but it will save significantly on noise and fuel consumption.

Restricted A2/LAMS Honda CBR650R Acceleration- 0-60 0-100 and top speed

Now to the part everyone wants to see: how the restricted A2/LAMS CBR650R actually performs in the real world.

Despite the engine’s rather breathless power delivery, the restricted CBR650R is deceptively quick.

Considering it produces only 39 horsepower and weighs a hefty 208 kg wet, its acceleration is better than you might expect.

It covers 0-60 mph in 5.39 seconds and 0-100 km/h in 5.71 seconds. That is roughly two seconds slower than the full-power version.

As mentioned earlier, the engine is not particularly intuitive from the saddle, making it difficult to judge exactly when to change gear for the best acceleration.

After testing, the most consistent results came from shifting between 10,000 rpm and 11,000 rpm.

Before attempting any performance runs, you should turn the traction control off.

The system is very basic and intervenes even when there is no wheelspin, causing the bike to bog down and jerk uncomfortably – almost as if it has run out of fuel.

It feels nothing like the more sophisticated traction control found on larger, unrestricted bikes.

I suspect the TC is either a gimmick or is intended only for slippery or wet conditions to help learner riders, because the restricted model simply does not have enough power to spin the rear tyre in the dry.

For the quickest launches, you need to dump the clutch quite aggressively.

You can achieve slightly better 0-60 mph times by using the full length of first gear and avoiding the gear change, but this approach will hurt your quarter-mile time and any other acceleration benchmarks beyond 60 mph.

The restricted CBR650R takes 18.40 seconds to reach 100 mph – a full 11 seconds slower than the full-power version.

It is still a respectable time for a restricted learner bike, but it trails behind the Kawasaki Ninja 400, Yamaha YZF-R3 and Honda’s own CBR500R.

To achieve the best quarter-mile time, you need to sacrifice around a tenth of a second from your 0-60 mph run. The restricted CBR650R manages a decent 14.29 seconds at 92 mph.

Again, this is a solid performance for an A2/LAMS bike, but it is not class-leading. Most riders will realistically see high 14-second or low 15-second runs.

A2/LAMS CBR650R Top Speed 110.8 mph

The restricted CBR650R feels most effective and responsive below 90 mph.

While it will still reach 100 mph without too much drama, the final 10 mph towards its top speed of 110.8 mph takes another 20 seconds or so.

Getting to the restricted CBR650R’s top speed requires a long, straight road. For example, it needs a full mile to reach 110 mph from a standing start, yet it will hit 90 mph in just a quarter of a mile.

The bike has a small frontal area and enough room to get into a reasonable tuck, but the screen is very low.

This means the modest 39 horsepower has to work hard to push through the air above 100 mph – though it will get there if you are committed.

The restricted A2/LAMS CBR650R can reach its top speed in three of its six gears, fourth, fifth and sixth. It almost hits the limiter in third gear too, running out of steam at around 105 mph.

Remember that the restricted model uses the same gearing as the full-power version. In theory, both could exceed 160 mph (260 km/h) if they could reach their rev limiters in top gear, but neither can.

Overall, the restricted CBR650R offers decent performance for a learner motorcycle. If it is your first bike, it will feel fast enough until you become used to it.

Full-power learner bikes such as the Yamaha YZF-R3, KTM 390 Duke, Kawasaki Ninja 400 and Honda CBR500R are all quicker accelerating and have similar or better top speeds.

They are lighter and have more exciting engines that reward you when you rev them hard.

The smaller bikes have not had their power cut in half, so their character remains far more performance-oriented.

On the plus side, the CBR650R is still a 650 cc motorcycle.

Even with the power halved, its torque output remains relatively strong and close to that of the full-power version.

This gives it a lazy, flexible nature that pulls well from low rpm and is not too fussy about which gear you are in.

Around town, the restricted CBR650R can actually feel peppier and easier to ride than some of its smaller rivals, which often require more frequent gear changes to make good progress.

For pure thrills, the restricted version is not the most exciting bike. However, if you play the long game, once you derestrict it after your two-year probation period, you suddenly have a motorcycle with genuine big-bike performance and character.

A full-power CBR650R will comfortably outperform any of the smaller learner bikes without breaking a sweat

.Some riders choose to derestrict early (illegally, of course), and that remains an option if you are willing to take the risk.