The lack of such complication is what makes the 2014 Honda CBR650F such a breath of fresh air.

The design of the CBR650F is similar to other members of the middleweight sport class, but don’t confuse it with hard-core supersports machines like Honda’s CBR600RR, even though both have 4-cylinder engines and slick cowlings. The first hint of the difference is apparent in a glance at the price tag: $9,309 for the 650F compared with $11,800 for the racetrack-ready 600RR (prices include the destination charge).

Image The CBR650F, accompanied by a Yamaha FZ6, at an overlook of the Tamar River in northern Tasmania. Credit... Norman Mayersohn/The New York Times

There are many contributing factors in that price gap, among them the CBR600RR’s sophisticated, multiadjustable suspension and a 50-pound weight reduction. Those advantages, along with a multitude of other refinements, make the RR a far more suitable mount for the rider with racing aspirations.

The competition-level hardware is far less vital for enjoying a bike on the street, and the 650F’s simpler approach results in a more rational price. Though years past the era when it would have been called the leading edge of technology, the 650F’s gear works very well. The conventional front fork (not an inverted design) offers no adjustment of compression or rebound damping, yet its factory settings proved well suited to my size and riding style. Likewise, the twin-piston front calipers are not the latest radial mounts, but they perform very well in real-world riding on public roads, where you should not be pushing the limits of traction and luck.

My test was not a casual Sunday ride, but more like an end-of-the-earth evaluation. The vacation was in Australia — I picked up the bike in Melbourne, caught the ferry to Tasmania, and with my daughter (who was riding a Yamaha FZ6) chalked up 1,500 miles exploring the sights (which included the Great Ocean Road when we returned to the Australian mainland).

For me, the ergonomics were just about perfect — the handlebars were low enough to keep me out of the wind blast, though a little more fairing protection would have been appreciated on chilly mornings — and the seat was perfectly acceptable for a factory unit. The engine, dyno-tested at 78 horsepower by Cycle World, may not have been awe-inspiring, but it was fully up to the job on Tasmania’s roads, where speed limits topped out at 110 kilometers per hour (about 68 m.p.h.).