Honda CBR 600 RR: Made for the racetrack

You don't have to explain to Honda how to build a sports bike, they've known that for a long time, their CBR is downright legendary. The look of the CBR is also super hot, sporty from A to Z, aggressive in design, a textbook racer look, almost astronomical in the Repsol race look. And yet you can always go one better. This is what has happened with the new CBR 600 RR, which has been revised in terms of look, particularly at the front. With the enlarged air intake and the headlights that have been moved back a little, it has clearly gained in sexiness and race character. "Even more aggressive" was probably the motto during development. The side fairing is additionally spiced up by noble carbon pads, which looks classy and ultra-modern. The exhaust is hidden under the side fairing and the seat until it reappears under the tail light: Quite elegantly solved. And the tail light for itself is also very stylish. And how practical: the pillion seat can be released and folded up with the ignition key. A really talented designer has conjured up an extremely appealing look that is to be fallen in love with and gives the new CBR 600 RR something else that helps it on the road: optimized air resistance and better aerodynamics.

My verdict: The new CBR 600 RR is a beautiful piece of machinery right across the board, and its looks have improved considerably compared to its predecessor.

Controls probably designed by real bikers

And even sitting up, it continues the way it started when viewed from the outside. 100%ige harmony when looking at the instrument panel and operating the switches. Doctor Ergonomics must have had a hand in that. Honda has divided up the board in a practical, sensible and well-proportioned way. The analog touring indicator, which is easy and quick to read in any position and at any speed, is enthroned quite centrally. To the right of it, the speed is displayed digitally in large letters, and next to it, engine temperature, time, daily kilometers, etc. are displayed in small letters. To the left of the trip indicator is the fuel gauge, also digital, which is important and very practical for everyday use. When it comes to the conception of the instrument panel, I have to compliment Honda: "very well solved". Although a gear indicator is missing, I did not experience it as missing, but this addition would make the whole thing almost perfect. And the placement of the switches is also a dream: nothing is missing, everything is easily accessible, everything can be blindly felt and handled well. On the left side you'll find high/low beams, the headlight flasher, which is logically placed above it, hazard lights, an easy-to-palp turn signal lever, and the horn at the bottom. On the right side of the handlebars, you'll only find the start/stop button and the starter. No frills, everything you really need and everything in the right place and easy to use. The controls were probably designed by real bikers, so the whole thing is so perfectly tuned for bikers.

The party starts at 9000 rpm

One press of the starter button and off you go: one turn of the throttle elicits a powerful, warm roar from the 4-cylinder, 4-stroke inline engine of the CBR 600 RR. The sound is a plus in itself, sporty, powerful, warm. This is the typical Honda sport bike sound, simply awesome! Engage first gear, operate the throttle lightly and it immediately pulls cleanly, although with sportbikes there is always the risk that they pull nervously if you turn a little too hard on the throttle. At around 5000 rpm, however, it shows a clear lack of pull, especially in a higher gear, and it takes a while for it to pick up traction again. Especially in contrast to its bigger sister, the CBR 1000 RR, the smaller displacement proves to be somewhat more susceptible to weaknesses. The party starts at 9000 rpm, which the engine acknowledges with an impressive roar, then the cannon discharges and you can only hope that you get to your destination and back home in one piece. In one's mind's eye, one can already see the blue lights of the crashed car approaching, in another's mind's eye, the chequered flag waving at a race. If you're not used to riding sports bikes yet, you can get really scared, the distant objects come at you so furiously that you could constantly fear losing control, which is why the CBR also has strong control: tight sports suspension, massive brakes with ABS and also the engine brakes strongly when you let go of the throttle, even if the desire for more is always itching in your fingers. It's a machine that excites you to set speed records and this seems possible at 10-11,000 rpm, where it also unleashes its maximum torque (66 Nm at 11,250 rpm), so light and extreme does it pull forward. Here the lower weight in comparison to the CBR 1000 RR probably also makes itself positively felt. A downright terrifying power is unleashed and chases the speedometer rapidly into the next spheres. The bike is definitely something for the racetrack. In everyday life, however, the driver's license could be revoked on Swiss roads. Therefore, off to the race track or to neighboring countries on the highway, then you can give the part completely the spurs. Apropos also applies on racetracks: Open the gas tap and go over the 9000 revs! You wouldn't believe how often you see drivers who are afraid to open the throttle on the racetrack and experience the bare power development of a racing machine and instead cruise around in the mid-range. That's the joke of a supersport bike, my friends, that it has limitless speed! This is a high tourer: maximum speed and maximum acceleration at (almost) maximum revs. Riders who don't dare to give it stuff and push into the high tours - especially on the race track - are clearly missing out on the best! Over time, you can become addicted and the desire to become a GP rider matures.

Chassis optimized?

To keep the machine on the ground, it needs a sporty chassis, which has also been slightly revised. The new Big Piston front fork, optimized rear wheel damping, new filigree cast rims and improved air flow are intended to provide increased driving stability compared to the previous model. The sports suspension then also returns every bump in the road directly back to the driver, very sporty, which can, however, quickly lead to restlessness on the other hand. In my test, the machine already shook nervously when crossing a center line at higher speeds. For the everyday biker, the suspension could use a little more tolerance and be set softer, otherwise it can get dicey for hobby riders at best. So discuss with the Honda representative! The racer wants dry and clean asphalt without bumps. But in clean conditions it is also fast in the corners and pulls away even larger machines, a massive acceleration and a noticeably lower weight are its trump cards here.

All in all, the makers of the new CBR 600 RR have pulled off a great feat. A hot, promising race look, an impressive, even intoxicating race sound, pleasant handling and impressive engine performance with overwhelming acceleration in the high touring range make race hearts beat faster.