Honda's CBR 600 RR is a keen machine offering 100 per cent fun, sensational handling, but zero practicality
A decade or three ago the sports bikes of the day were much like the run-of-the mill, conventional looking, everyday bikes. Add a roartier exhaust, clip on bars and racing seat and you had one. Which are what many of us did. Then, you could not buy the sort of machine that aces were riding. That was the era when motorcycles were inspired by engineers.
Then, came the age of the marketing men, and their allies the accountants. They realised that there was a huge potential market for machines, which looked, felt and smelled as if they had come straight from the track. Look at the offerings outside most bike shops today and the majority are decidedly sporty.
Honda has long been masters at making machines that people want. Its Fireblade concept, now in its 20th year, is a prime example. It spawned a host of imitators and the battle is still on. Even BMW, once the epitome of the "sensible" machine, has pitched in the battle. Occasionally another manufacturer gets to claim a few more bhp, another a slightly higher top speed but, down the years, Mr Honda is still writing the book when it comes to sports machines.
The current model of their CBR 600 range, the RR, continues what is now regarded as the Super Sports theme. It aims to deliver ultimate power for those who can exploit its race-bred characteristics, sensational handling, perfect balance and weight distribution and the ideal partnership between man and machine.
All this in a machine with a top speed of 165 mph, a 0 - 60 mph time of 3.68 seconds and a thirsty 32 mpg consumption.
Viewed in the cold light of day, against yardsticks of practicability, comfort, economy or sanity it makes no sense. The thing is that it is not meant to. And, the marketing men and accountants tell you, it sells!
So, accepting that not everything in this life has to make sense, the acid test is 'does it do what it says on the tin? In short it does, very well.
First impressions: it looks beautiful, small and compact. The mirrors are barely adequate; the exhaust note is a powerful growl, the promise of things to come. The riding position is quite extreme, the rider's position has been moved forwards 70mm for optimum weight distribution. The seat is hard, but comfort is not a consideration on a machine that can run its tank dry in 45 minutes of hard riding.
The re-vamped Ultra Pro-Link rear suspension was superb, coping with the absolute worst of road surfaces (Harcourt Street). The gear change was always smooth, the brakes faultless at every speed. All the controls and the instruments are well positioned and easy to read.
The throttle is responsive but was very snatchy at roll on / roll off. The power build up, at first, seemed a bit slow in the low gears but then surged ahead smoothly.
In a variety of road conditions the bike turned beautifully, held its line and with smooth power delivery surged out of the corners. Any sports bike rider would soon feel at home. Some have said this machine is prone to tank slapping. Try as we might, and we did try very hard, we could not persuade it to misbehave.
On motorways it proved comfortable. At higher speeds the screen gave some protection but left sufficient windblast on the upper body to take the strain off the rider's wrists. By the end of the day-long test, with only the briefest of breaks, wrists hurt, his legs are tired and backside a trifle sore which is what is to be expected from a super sports machine.
Forget carrying a pillion. It might be able to carry one but was never built with that in mind. There's no space to carry a lock and chain. The tank is plastic (the 'real' tank is lower down just above the engine) so magnetic tank bags are out.
Forget practicality, this machine is all about excitement, cutting edge precision, stunning performance and leaving sense and sensibility far behind.
Its real home is not the everyday road but the track. It is not a machine for a novice and, without Saint-like restraint, could earn you enough penalty points in a day to turn you into a pedestrian. That said, 100 per cent grin factor.
TechSpec: Honda CBR 600 RR
ENGINE: Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, 16-valve, DOHC inline-4, 599cc, 12:1 compression, fuel injected. 86kW @ 13,000rpm, torque 42.7ft lbs @ 11,000 rpm. 6-speed gearbox, chain drive.
CHASSIS: 45mm fully adjustable HMAS cartridge type telescopic front forks with 120mm travel. Rear; Unit Pro-link with gas charged remote reservoir damper, adjustable pre-load and compression and rebound, 120mm travel.
BRAKES: Front: 310mm dual hydraulic disk, 4-piston callipers. Rear: 220mm hydraulic disk with single cylinder calliper.
DIMENSIONS: Wheelbase 1,395mm, seat height 820mm, dry weight 169kgs. Fuel capacity 18 litres (including 3.5 litre reserve)
PRICE: €12,199