The Kawasaki Z800 has been around for a while now. The most affordable in-line four-cylinder motorcycle was launched at the Auto Expo ’14. Dressed in green, the streetfighter received a lot of applauses from motorcycle aficionados in the country. At the same time, Honda also announced their own in-line four, the CBR 650F. A year and a half later, it is finally here, and immediately got us shaking our legs impatiently to get on Honda’s segment entrée.

Before we tell you what the motorcycle is like, let’s talk about the elephant in the room – the CBR 650F’s price tag. Honda has priced its middleweight at Rs 7.30 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), which puts it in the same price league as the Kawasaki’s naked Hulk, the Z800. Both motorcycles are Japanese in-line fours, but the Kawasaki has a bigger engine, and at almost the same price. Thus we decided to pit the two against each other, and find out which one gives a better bang for the buck.

Honda has retained some of its CBR DNA in the 650F, but has held back from giving it the all-out aggressive appeal that its sibling, the CBR 600RR has. It looks a tad more conservative from the front, with the nose housing a single, conical headlamp. Above that is a large, clear windscreen with nicely designed rear-view mirrors mounted on the fairing.

The CBR comes with a broad, split instrument cluster, which works quite well, displaying all essential information that is easy to read even under sunlight. The clip-on handlebars are well positioned, and the quality of the switchgear is noteworthy. The control levers are finished in buffed alloy and the front brake lever is reach-adjustable.