A customer stood at our counter on Saturday with his phone out, halfway between a CB650R and a CBR650R, and asked: "Kalau Hornet baru dah RM44,999, apa guna aku beli 650?" Fair question — Boon Siew Honda has cut the 2026 CB750 Hornet to RM44,999, down RM5,000 from RM49,999. If most of your kilometres are Johor Jaya to Tebrau and back, though, the sticker price is the part of this decision that lies to you the most.
What Honda actually changed this week
Boon Siew Honda has expanded Honda's E-Clutch system to three more models here. It was already on the CBR650R and CB650R. The new prices, as reported between 11 and 15 September:
Honda CB750 Hornet with E-Clutch — RM44,999, down from a recommended retail price of RM49,999 in 2025. One colour only: Gold Finch Yellow.
Honda NX500 with E-Clutch — RM34,099.
Honda Transalp with E-Clutch — price to be advised, arriving December 2026. For reference, it was RM56,800 in 2025.
All three figures are recommended retail prices and exclude road tax, insurance and registration. Nobody rides away paying exactly RM44,999.
The Hornet is the 755 cc parallel-twin with the 270-degree crank: 90 hp at 9,500 rpm, 74.4 Nm at 7,000 rpm, two-channel ABS, riding modes and Honda Selectable Torque Control. The NX500 is the 471 cc twin, 50 hp and 45 Nm.
Why RM44,999 messes with the used 650 maths
The CB650R on our books is the 2023 bike, with the 649 cc four-cylinder making 93.9 hp at 12,000 rpm and 64 Nm at 8,500 rpm, RRP RM44,499. The CBR650R is the same engine in a fairing, RRP RM46,499. So a brand-new CB750 Hornet at RM44,999 lands right in the middle of that pair, and it makes 74.4 Nm against the 650's 64 Nm, at 7,000 rpm instead of 8,500. That is the more useful engine in Johor traffic by a clear margin. Worth checking, though: our 2023 650s do not have E-Clutch, which came to the 650R family later.
Same story a tier down. A new NX500 at RM34,099 sits below our CB500X (RRP RM36,099) and level with our CBR500R (RRP RM34,499), and all three use the same 471 cc twin. On paper the new one wins.
So does the new bike always win? No. A used bike is available today; a launch price is available when the unit reaches the showroom, in the one colour they brought in. Depreciation has already happened on ours: the first two years of a RM45,000 bike's life are the expensive ones, and someone else paid for them. And a used 650 leaves budget for the rest of the kit; we have watched more than one customer stretch to the absolute limit of their loan and then ride away in a five-year-old helmet. Our current stock is here.
What it really costs to put one on the road
RM44,999 is a showroom number. Yours will be different, and different from the next person's too. On top of the RRP you are paying road tax, insurance and registration, and of those three only road tax is fixed by the government. Insurance depends on your sum insured, your NCD, your age and your postcode, so two people buying the identical Gold Finch Yellow Hornet on the same afternoon can walk out RM1,000 apart on the total, purely on NCD. Road tax is by engine capacity, and 755 cc sits in a higher band than 471 cc or 649 cc. If you want a straight answer on what a service interval costs on a 750 versus your current bike, that's what our service desk is for — ask before you sign, not after.
Who should wait for the Transalp
If what you actually want is the adventure-tourer rather than the naked bike, sit on your hands. The Transalp with E-Clutch is confirmed for December 2026 and Honda has not announced the price. It was RM56,800 in 2025, and whether it lands above or below that is worth waiting three months to find out.
Otherwise, buy the bike that fits the riding you actually do. If most of your kilometres are Johor Jaya to Tebrau and back, the honest answer might still be the NX500 — or an ADV160, and we will tell you that to your face even though it's a smaller sale. Come and sit on them; that settles more arguments than any spec sheet.
Sources: paultan.org (11 September 2026), BikesRepublic (13 September 2026) and Zigwheels Malaysia (15 September 2026). All prices quoted are recommended retail prices and exclude road tax, insurance and registration. Used-bike prices referenced are from our own listing as at September 2026. Prices and availability change — confirm current pricing before purchase.
