Honda Cbr600rr

HONDA CBR600RR

STREETWISE

No more Mr. Nice Guy

To be a contender in "MasterBike World," a motorcycle need only circulate a racetrack at breakneck speeds en route to a quick lap time. That's great and all, but what it fails to illustrate is how a bike performs anywhere else.

Honda's CBR600RR has always been a good streetbike, offering comfort and refinement, but previous generations were hampered by their weight and less-than-aggressive handling dynamics. Problem is, this category is totally unforgiving and ruthless. In recent years, what works on the track may not make the best "streetbike" and vice versa. Other manufacturers have taken the approach of building the ultimate Supersport-ready middleweight, but Honda has stuck to its guns, making sure that the new CBR not only impresses on circuits around the world but is enjoyable to ride down to the local coffee house on Sunday morning.

That’s a tall order to fill, as the two parameters are bookends to all of the ingredients that make a good sporting motorcycle. We are happy to report that CBR600RR does it all. What’s interesting is that this is the same ability that so enamored us of the Triumph 675, the RR’s main competition. Like its English brethren, the Honda rips around a racetrack with uncanny ease, carves back-

roads better than any four-banger in the class and moonlights as a great commuter and do-everything sportbike.

Riding the RR and the 675 back-to-back became an exercise in hair-splitting. It was surprising how close the two were from a performance standpoint, especially considering that the Honda gives up 76cc to the Triumph. Quarter-mile time, roll-on acceleration, top speed and, yes, even laps of the Jerez circuit show how dynamically similar the two bikes are.

Ultimately, we couldn’t ignore the Honda’s impeccable refinement, strong engine and amazing handling aided by a speed-sensitive steering damper that lets it flick through the tightest corners like a GP bike while also offering the stability of a long wheelbase in fast sweepers, even though it doesn’t have a long wheelbase!

In the case of the RR, sometimes less is more. Blake Conner

HONDA

CBR600RR

$9499

A Triumph-matching perfor mance from 599cc A Light, flickable chassis A Top-level refinement v Most expensive middle weight v Complete lack of storage space v [non sponsorship not included