Launch: 2013 Honda CBR600RR

HISTORY

Honda’s CBR600RR is 10 years old this year. Before the RR model came about, it was the CBR600F, in its various iterations (F2, F3, F4) that carried the middleweight sport bike torch for Honda. The F model was a gentler, street-friendly motorcycle, but it wasn’t as track-ready as the GSX-R600s, R6s and ZX-6Rs of the day.

The CBR600RR didn’t replace the CBR600F4i, but was offered alongside as a sportier, more track-oriented option, both for competition, as well as riders wanting to scrape knee sliders at local track days. To the chagrin of many, Honda eventually dropped the F4i, but the CBR600RR nonetheless proved itself a rather competent street bike.

With styling and technology based on the RC211V MotoGP bike, it has gone through four revisions since its introduction, the latest coming this year. I joined reigning Canadian Pro Sport Bike champion Jodi Christie at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway, located one hour west of Palm Springs, California, for a track test of the latest CBR600RR.

WHAT’S NEW

The biggest change in recent years for the middleweight CBR came in 2009 with the addition of combined ABS as an option. This year, the CBR gets a few mechanical and chassis tweaks, as well as some more obvious styling changes.

Among the updates is a new fairing design. The new headlights, fairing shape and windscreen were designed to improve airflow over the bike and rider and reduce the drag coefficient by 6.5 per cent. That doesn’t sound like much, but the reduced drag has helped increase claimed fuel economy from 40 mpg U.S. to 44.

Also new on the styling front are 12-spoke wheels, replacing the three-spoke items on the previous model.

The ram-air ducting has been revised to improve airflow to the engine at speed, and ECU mapping has been tweaked to improve midrange power delivery. What Honda hasn’t added is traction control, something Kawasaki and MV Agusta have both resorted to with their middleweight supersports. However, I don’t think this omission is detrimental to a 600’s performance – something I wouldn’t say about an open-class supersport.

The biggest change to the chassis is the addition of a Big Piston Fork (BPF). The 41 mm BPF uses a larger piston (hence the Big Piston part of the Fork), which reduces internal friction and generates damping force at lower pressures, both of which contribute to reduced harshness and smoother suspension action.

Finally, the C-ABS has been revised to redistribute braking pressure, reducing braking force at the front wheel when the rear brake is used. This is said to improve braking feel for track and sporting street riding.

THE RIDE

Chuckwalla Valley Raceway is a surreal place. Located in arid desert country an hour from any civilization, it is devoid of massive grandstands, fanfare or even permanent structures. The only permanent building is the bathroom facility; everything else is either a tent or trailer.

None of this matters once you get on the track. The 4.3-kilometre, 17-turn racetrack is technically challenging, smooth, grippy and despite its desert location, has some strategically placed elevation changes.

There are blind and decreasing-radii turns, and many are banked, like the 180-degree bowl that has a 10-degree banking. It has no long straights, but some of the turns are quite fast. In other words, it was made for 600s.

From my very first session on the 600RR, I feel at ease. Even though it’s been a couple of years since I’ve ridden a CBR, it feels immediately familiar. There’s nothing surprising or alarming about its handling. It turns in with little effort, and holds a line as if the tires are riding on tracks. It rails around sweepers with poise.

As speeds pick up in later sessions, I feel even more comfortable on the bike. Running deep into corners and still hard on the brakes doesn’t upset the handling, and the front end remains communicative.

The only chassis adjustment I make is to add one step of preload and a touch more rebound damping in the rear shock. Both measures are meant to cope with my larger-than-I’d-like proportions. This sharpens handling and improves front end feel further, especially when entering and exiting turns.

Power delivery is smooth and surprisingly wide. The engine has useable power from about 8,000 rpm, and continues pulling in a linear manner until the rev limiter kicks in softly as the tach needle sweeps past 15,000 revs. This is a surprisingly wide range of useable power, and with the stock gearing allows me to save a shift between a few of the turns.

The only minor hitch in the power delivery is a slightly choppy throttle feel at just about 8,000 rpm.

While I’m railing around at a speed I feel comfortable with, and even post the fastest moto-hack time of the day by a second, 21-year-old Canadian champ Mr. Christie rides around me like I’m road kill.

After just three sessions at the track, which he’s unfamiliar with, he posts the fastest lap of the day and the fastest lap ever at Chuckwalla on a production (read non-race-prepped) motorcycle. He laps as fast as American Honda’s own test rider, an accomplished AMA rider who races at the track.

The folks from American Honda take notice; there are some informal discussions about inviting Christie to a U.S. race. They don’t bat an eye at my blisteringly fast lap times, which are seven—that’s seven—seconds slower than the young racer’s times.

He obviously liked the new CBR, complementing its suspension feedback, especially from the new fork.

CONCLUSION

How does the new CBR600RR compare with the competition? Frankly, I have no clue, as no-one should  unless the bikes are ridden back to back in a comparison test. Despite the tweaks, pricing is unchanged from last year, starting at $12,599 for the non-ABS model and $13,599 for the braking-assisted bike.

Two colours are available; red, which for the first time in CBR history, is completely devoid of graphics, and a tri-colour, red, white and blue model, the latter of which is the only colour option if you choose ABS.

The biggest changes came to Honda’s CBR600RR back in 2007, and they worked so well that the bike has only received two updates to that design, once in 2009 and again this year. They’re not drastic changes this year, but rather minor tweaks and adjustments that have made an already user-friendly middleweight supersport even more useable.

GALLERY

Check out all the pics that go with this story! Click on the main sized pic to transition to the next or just press play to show in a slideshow.

Jodi Christie, last year’s pro sport bike champ, will be helping with the presentation of the pro sport bike series highlights this year.

The CBR’s dash is your standard mix of digital and analogue gauges.

Red/white/blue is the only colour option if you want ABS.

Those 12-spoke wheels are new for 2013 as well.

The CBR600RR is available in red with no graphics for the first time this year.

MSRP for the standard CBR600RR is $12,599; add $1,000 to that sticker if you want ABS.

The F series has been dropped from the CBR600 lineup for a few years.

Costa’s best time on the CBR wasn’t even close to Jodi Christie’s.

Costa liked the CBR’s handling at the desert racetrack.

The CBR’s new fairing has been re-designed to be more aerodynamically efficient.

The 600 is also available in Repsol colours in other markets.

SPECIFICATIONS