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HONDA CBR600F2 Sticking with a sure winner

IT'S NO SECRET THAT WINning roadrace championships will promote the sales of a sportbike. But it's just as certain that if, in winning those championships, a bike becomes too expensive, or too extreme for daily Street duty, potential buyers will tend to steer clear of it.

Honda got the best of both worlds when it came up with the CBR600F2. At $5899, the bike is fairly affordable, and since it's introduction in `91, this very civil and comfortable sportbike has put the competi tion on the trailer with total

domination in the AMA Na tional 600cc Supersport series, sustaining only a single loss in two seasons of racing. Com bine those results with its sec ond-consecutive selection as Best 600cc Streetbike in the annual Cycle World Ten Best Bikes balloting, and it's no sur prise that the bike is selling as fast as Honda can build it.

Honda's design team struck an ideal balance of perfor mance, function, comfort and style with the CBR. The bike is powered by a compact, liquidcooled inline-Four that's bolted solidly into the bike's twin-spar steel frame. Throttle response from this very willing engine is crisp throughout the rev range, with power building steadily as the revs climb towards the en gine's 13,000-rpm redline. Midrange power is more than adequate, but for really serious backroad work, the rider has to spin the engine past 8000rpm.

Clutch feel and action is ex cellent, but shifting through the six-speed gearbox can be a bit notchy at times. Our only other complaint, albeit a minor one, is the moderate level of high-frequency vibration that sneaks through the bars and footpegs at freeway speeds.

One important reason the CBR is such a well-rounded sportbike is its suspension. The CBR's spring and damping rates are right on the money, delivering a super-comfortable ride, yet maintaining racer-like composure when the pace is hot. It's interesting to note that while the European-spec CBR600F2 will be fitted with a more expensive cartridge fork in `93, the U.S. model remains unchanged in the suspension department. That may not be such a bad thing, considering how well the bike works with its current components.

Aside from new black/red! silver and white/red/blue color combinations, the only change to the bike for `93 involves Honda's use of.Bridgestone BT5O Battlax radial tires as standard equipment. These tires use the Battlax race com pound, but differ slightly from the racing Battlax in that they feature a more pliable con struction to help absorb bumps, and a deeper tread depth for in creased tire life and wet-sur face grip.

So the 600cc Supersport Champ returns for `93 with a fresh set of hides and new cos metics, which just proves that Honda knows the drill: There's no need to mess with success. -Don Canet