Honda Neo Sports Cafe concept

While the rest of the world’s motorcycle industry focussed on the Intermot show in Cologne Honda turned its attention to the Paris Motor Show – a largely car-oriented event – to reveal its new Neo Sports Cafe concept.

If that name sounds familiar, it’s because a year ago the firm showed another concept bearing the same title. That bike swiftly turned into the 2018 CB1000R, and the new Neo Sports Cafe is likely to make just as quick a transition to production, as the 2019 CB650R.

It’s instantly clear that the engine is straight from the CB650F, and the frame is also similar, albeit with a new cast section around the swingarm pivot. The swingarm, again, is straight from the CB650F – it’s clear that most of the components on this concept are already in production, so it’s not a big leap for it to become a showroom model.

Where the Neo Sports Cafe differs from the CB650F is in its styling, which takes its cues from the CB1000R, CB300R and CB125R, which were all launched simultaneously last November. The new concept’s headlight is a stylised, machined-aluminium piece, but it’s easy to see how the circular lamp from the CB1000R would slot into its place.

Like the trio of CB-R models launched in 2017, the latest Neo Sports Cafe concept features upside-down forks and radial calipers, giving a sportier edge than the CB500F that its mechanical components come from.

The appearance of a production CB650R is likely to be just weeks away, with Honda planning to reveal most of its 2019 models at the EICMA show in November. Expect that production machine to look near-identical to this Neo Sports Cafe concept, with changes limited to a more sensible headlight design, the addition of turn signals, mirrors and licence plate brackets, plus a different exhaust silencer.

Last year, Honda previewed the CB1000R with another Neo Sports Cafe concept, but then surprised us with the CB300R and CB125R as well. This year there’s scope to do something similar – we’re already expecting the CB650R, but the CB500F twin is also crying out to be given an ‘R’ makeover in the same style.