Reader Josh Atkins reveals his highs and lows on year-old CBR
‘I’ve always liked supersport bikes. They’re just cool, fast and sleek. They’re the bikes you see in movies; the cool guy will always have the best bike, which is pretty much always a supersport machine.” It’s fair to say that Josh Atkins is a sportsbike fan, so it’s little wonder that he went for this all-black Honda CBR600RR after passing his test. Josh also has a car, but says he uses two wheels pretty much every day, unless it’s “pissing down”.
Josh told us: “After I passed my full test last June, I was split between the Suzuki GSX-R750, Triumph Daytona 675 and the Honda CBR600RR as a first big bike. What made me go for the Honda was its shape.
“I was upstairs in the showroom at Wheels Motorcycles in Peterborough and I looked down on the Honda and all I could see was its curves. I bought it and then it sat there for two months while I actually took my bike test. That probably wasn’t the smartest move in the world, but it gave me an incentive to pass my test quickly and graduate from my A2-friendly CBR500R.
“The GSX-R and the Daytona are very small and they’re both quite thin. I like bikes with a bit more presence and, although I liked all three of them, the shape and stance of the Honda are something else. It’s also black, which is perfect for me. “Another thing that drew me to the CBR was the silencer. I love a bike with an underseat exhaust; they guarantee no sticky-outie bits at the sides and they help the lines to flow. “I also looked at reviews from all sorts of places and visited various Peterborough dealerships to have a browse of different bikes. There was a Triumph 675 at Webbs of Peterborough. There’s no denying it looked really nice, but I still preferred the CBR.”
But it’s not all about looks. Josh was also drawn to the practical side of the Honda’s nature: “Because the seat is quite wide, it’s quite comfortable. I’ve ridden for five to six hours straight before and it’s been fine. Yes, you get a little bit of bum ache, but nothing that I can’t handle.
“Because I ride almost everywhere, I’ve done a lot of motorway miles as well as more twisty stuff, especially when I’ve forgotten to set my satnav for the most direct route.
“At the end of May, I’m riding to Wales and I have trips to see friends planned too. If I’ve got any spare time, then I’m out on the CBR.”