VFR and CBR650F confirmed for Canada

Honda Canada has just announced what new and exciting stuff we can expect to see this year, confirming that the new VFR800 and CBR650 (that were first announced at the Italian EICMA show) will be coming.

Sadly there’s no word on the CBR300 — a bigger CBR250 — which will undoubtedly make it a tough year for the 250 with Kawasaki’s Ninja 300 likely to continue to steal sales and new competition from EBR 250, KTM’s expected RC390  and even Yamaha’s SR400 , though none of these have been confirmed for Canada yet.

But back to the bikes we do know are coming in. The VFR has been absent from Canadian dealers for a few years now, and although still available in other markets, has essentially remained untouched since the V-TEC addition in 2002.

The V-TEC remains (switching from two valves per cylinder to four) but with a softer, more linear transition and there has been a boost in bottom and mid-range power too. The VFR also gets traction control, a single muffler, new forks and swingarm, radial brakes, LED lights, heated grips and an optional shift assister. All the changes have also lead to a 10Kg drop in weight.

Styling has been updated as well, along with a new adjustable height seat (789 or 809 mm) and slimmer mid section. Available colours are red and white and MSRP is $14,499.

The CBR650 is brand new from the wheels up and signifies a step back to the days when supersport 600s were actually quite usable off track too and is Honda’s latest attempt to appeal to younger riders. Announced at EICMA in naked CB and sporty CBR formats, Canada will be seeing the CBR version.

Honda claim that the motor has been developed for low- to midrange power, especially below 4,000 rpm. To keep costs down the frame is twin spar steel with an aluminum swingarm, though the bike still features ABS and fuel injection. High mounted clip-ons and a single seat should make it relatively comfortable too.

You can read more about it here, but MSRP will be $9,499, just under the magic $10k ceiling.