Page 19 - LHR Motorcycle Magazine May 2024
P. 19
As well as its engine upgrades, Blade-esque coaster whoops, it’s reassuring to know electronics
design (it’s hard to tell the difference between are there, just in case.
supersport and full-blown superbike at a glance
now) and a 3kg reduction in weight, the 2024 It’s equally comforting to have the safety net of
CBR6000RR gets new wings. Honda says they’re cornering ABS as you trail brake into slow corners,
more to add stability coming off the brakes than for too. And then there’s the colour dash, that’s just
any assistance keeping the front wheel down. nice to look at, handy riding modes, adjustable
They may make a modicum of difference, but engine braking control, anti-wheelie, an
you’d be pushed to tell in isolation. That said the up/quickshifter that works with seamless precision
CBR600RR always was and still is incredibly and powerful LED headlights.
stable and never a natural born wheelie merchant. These modern-day niceties add to the Honda’s
Honda says this is the slipperiest supersport already sparkling, confidence-inspiring
machine and has a drag coefficient of 0.555 with performance on track and will be even more of a
the rider tucked in. benefit on the road. But the CBR600RR has
another trick up its sleeve: the simple fact it exists.
Compared to the 2017 model the weight- Compared to the latest sporty parallel mid-
centralised RCV-inspired hollow die-cast capacity twins, it has an edge about it, genuine
aluminium is basically the same, but the racing heritage, more drama and it’s better
aluminium swingarm us 150g lighter. It has a finished.
shorter wheelbase, slightly lazier steering
geometry and it still sits on fully adjustable Showa The Honda used to swim in a sea of supersport
suspension. The forks are 15mm longer than competition, but now there’s only one: the
before. They protrude above the top yoke and can Kawasaki ZX-6R. It too has been revived for 2024
be dropped to raise the front ride height. and costs 100 quid more.
The fuel tank is reshaped and 10mm lower to help
the rider get tucked in more along the straights. It’s We’ve ridden it against an Aprilia RS660 and
still a small bike, though, but not as tiny as some Triumph Street Triple 765 RS. The Kawasaki is
would have you believe, though. As a six-footer it’s just as nicely made, every bit as quick and
relatively roomy, but my left size 10 sometimes handles just as beautifully, but is a more
nudges the gear lever by accident and the tiny archetypal, single-minded supersport weapon. It’s
screen and frontal area makes it tiring to hang on ultra-cramped and so short geared you can pull
at sustained high speed. away in top gear. The Honda is just as yobbish
when it wants to be but does it with more
So why would you buy a new CBR600RR when sophistication.
you could have an almost identical old one for less Engine
money? New electronics play an important part in Honda’s bulletproof 599cc inline four-cylinder
its appeal. You could argue you don’t need lean CBR600RR engine has been there and done that.
sensitive traction control on a 600 and that maybe It’s won supersport races and championships the
true, in the dry, at least. But romping through the world over and powered the Moto2 grid from 2010
sweeping fourth gear right-hander leading on to to 2018, until Triumph took over with their 765cc
Portimao’s start/finish straight in the wet or triple. Revived for 2024 it gets a host of upgrades
accelerating hard at an angle over its roller- to get it through Euro 5+, including 100g lighter
