2016 Honda CBR600RR
It may have been the least developed 600 of its era, but the CBR still topped the sales charts for many years in typical Honda fashion. Dressing the RR in Showa BPFs and snazzy multi-spoke wheels, and offering the fabled Repsol replica, aesthetics were obviously a key means of attracting customers. And rightly so – I think the last incarnation was one of the best looking 600s out there.
Jumping aboard, it’s a slender arrangement with narrow ’bars to keep things cosy, sharing the most diminutive stature with the Triumph. Showa fork tops are the only genuine concession to contemporary performance in the cockpit – the Honda is analogue thrashing at its finest. No quickshifter, no ride-by-wire idiosyncrasies to tolerate and no pointless mode buttons to faff around with pre-ride. Even the dash looks like a 1980s Amstrad CPC, which kinda alludes to its overall performance.
Useful trinkets such as a fuel gauge are scant redemption. If you like your bikes like you like rough sex, you’ll be disappointed when spanking the Honda. Ridden at less committed speeds, it’ll tick every box imaginable with a straightforward riding protocol and no-nonsense manners – again, in very typical Honda fashion. It’s super-easy to ride with light and intuitive controls, a crisp throttle action and faultless fuelling that offers a sublime rear wheel connection. Even the lack of quickshifter isn’t the end of the world, with a solid gearbox execution – first gear is painfully short though, with a massive gap to second.
Despite being one of the heaviest on test, the RR behaves like one of the lightest, prancing delicately on its springs primed for your next input. While Bridgestone T30s – fitted to this bike – offer plenty of grip for the road, they are very much a touring tyre, although an abundance of mechanical grip and confidence on this test gives you some idea of the RR’s chassis aptitude, bragging a front-end that you can bet a bollock on. It steers with pace and precision, leaving you questioning how the CBR could be bettered on UK roads. Until its adversaries are sampled…
As rivals progressed, Honda neglected to install a slipper clutch, which ultimately scuppers fast road etiquette. In general, braking is good and you can rely on that front-end to supply the goods. Its only digital feature is Honda’s C-ABS: guff on track by being over-intrusive but an authentic ally on the roads when iffy surfaces and conditions arise. Lacking a slipper clutch plays havoc during staunch rides, particularly when arriving at slow-speed corners. Manual slip is so 1998.
It’s a shame, as the chassis carries far more pedigree and potential than meets the eye, and deserves a motor worthy of its talent. Don’t let Honda’s involvement in Moto2 with the CBR motor (or that HRC sticker on the fairing) fool you into thinking the road bike’s powerplant bears any
resemblance. Makingig justjt over 100bhp at the rear wheel, the CBR makes less power than the Euro 4 compliant Yamaha. Of all the bikes on test, the Honda feels like the most castrated of the foursome, wheezing through its rev range in very linear fashion. It does, however, respond eagerly to a full system and fuelling module, where you’re bound to see 120bhp.
Like many Hondas, the CBR600RR is a cracking little bike in isolation but lacklustre against juicer machinery. It’s good, but not great. Then again, this particular bike had just 500 miles on the clock and you’ll get some manufacturer warranty thrown in with a massive saving.