Page 18 - LHR Motorcycle Magazine May 2024

Author:Michael Neeves
You can trace the CBR600RR supersport model’s
journey from its launch in 2003. It oozed quality,
looked like Rossi’s then new RC211V MotoGP
and carried on all the way to 2017 when it
disappeared from Honda’s UK line-up. Tempted
by retros, funky nakeds, adventure bikes and
everything in between, we simply fell out of love
with supersports bikes and it wasn’t worth Honda
updating it for the Euro 4 emissions regulations of
the time (like the Yamaha R1 with Euro 5+
now).But that wasn’t the end of the story. Honda
refreshed and restyled it in 2021 to create a very
similar version of the CBR600RR you see here. It
was sold in Japan, Australia and some other
Asian countries and proved to be so popular that
Honda decided to give it the Euro 5+ treatment
and bring it back into their UK range. It sits nicely
between the softer CBR650R and the
CBR1000RR-R Fireblade and comes in HRC
colours or matt black.
The eagle-eyed would’ve also seen this latest
CBR600RR incarnation used by supersport and
TT race teams over the past couple of years. It
will race in the UK in ‘24 with the full backing of
Honda Racing in the hands of supersport
maestro Jack Kennedy. And talking of racing, the
RR has topped just about every podium and
championship in the world in its time, as well
being an MCN supersport shootout winner and
the darling of the sadly departed Ron Haslam
Race School. We ran the original in MCN’s ’03
long term test fleet and loved every mile.We’re
not going to pretend the new Honda CBR600RR
is the second coming. The truth is despite the raft
of changes it’s still the supersports weapon it
always was: light, agile, revvy and compact. That
said the addition of electronic rider aids make it
more appealing than before.
They’re reassuring when it’s wet and the slightly
lower tank makes it easier to get tucked under
the bubble, but it would be easier still if the
screen wasn’t so tiny. It's a lovely machine to ride
on track, even a wet one here at its world launch
in Portimao, thanks to its friendly power, plush
suspension, accurate steering, strong brakes and
crisp new up and down quickshifter.
If you loved the Honda the first time around, you
still will and if you didn’t you won’t. But while the
CBR600RR hasn’t really changed, the biking
landscape has. Honda used to be the
mainstream, but now it’s niche it’s taken on a
certain charm and all-round specialness.
Strip the CBR6000RR of its new bodywork and
it’ll look the spitting image of the 21-year-old
original. It may have been refined along the way,
but Honda have never strayed too far from its
magic formula. It’s well balanced, agile in corners
and has plush, controlled suspension. There’s
nothing quite like taking a corner at full pelt on a
supersport bike and knowing you’re not even
scratching the surface of what it’s capable of.
Brakes are powerful but have a slightly spongy
feel at the lever.