Honda CBR600 RR – the famous one has returned

It is one of Honda’s mythical names and is now back in the brand’s range. With several improvements in various departments, the 2024 600RR continues to be the bike we have always known: easy, agile, and fast, it may well be the ideal bike for the first steps in sport riding on the track. This is one of those bikes we have heard about since we were kids. Many of us grew up dreaming of the CBR 600, so it would be a shame if we didn’t find this model in European dealerships, from where it left in 2017. Fortunately, Honda has managed to bring back some of the brand’s iconic names, such as the Africa Twin and the Transalp, with this being just one more. And it would possibly be even easier for Honda to follow in the footsteps of its rival Yamaha and relaunch this model without road homologation (Yamaha has already done it with the R6 and will do the same from January with the R1), and even give it some more abilities for the tracks. Honda chose not to do this, preferring to relaunch the CBR 600RR as we have always known it: easy and fun to ride on the road, with good abilities for the tracks. And of course, with good preparation, it can go far in competition, as it has done in the past with world titles in Supersport. NO AIAThe history of Honda presentations in our country is quite extensive, and several CBR 600s were presented in the past at the Estoril Circuit. Now we were at the Algarve International Circuit, just a few weeks before the MotoGP arrives in our country, and we also had the most recent evolution of the Fireblade available, which we will talk about soon. And as Honda attaches great importance to this type of events, we were once again with a large group of Japanese engineers who participated in the development of the two CBRs presented. And furthermore, as track guides we had none other than John McGuinness, winner on 23 occasions at the Isle of Man, Freddy Foray who is a former Endurance world champion and Jordi Torres, a MotoE world championship rider and one of the most cheerful we know! The CURRENT 600RR Speaking specifically of the CBR 600RR, it had been removed from the lineup in 2017, at a time when the sports bike market was not as strong, returning in 2021 in some markets outside of Europe. Now it is back, with several improvements and naturally with all the necessary homologations. And of course, as we expected, it is a super fun model to ride at the Algarve International Circuit, the famous roller coaster (or a beautiful amusement park for adults), where a 600 cc is always a delight to ride, with a lot of excitement but without the physical difficulties that bikes with over 200 hp end up generating, not to mention the scares that more powerful bikes surprise the less prepared riders with.

This model now features improved aerodynamics, with a front end much more similar to the Fireblade and even has small side wings at the front. The rear, on the other hand, maintains a slightly older, wide shape (the Fireblade’s rear is much smaller) with a generous passenger seat, as it keeps the exhaust under the seat. The exhaust has been improved for this year, as well as various engine components, but above all this bike stands out for its electronics, which did not exist before. We find a 6-axis IMU and thus have traction control, various riding modes, and also an ABS that has been improved and is much lighter in this generation.

Inside the inline four-cylinder engine, the intake and exhaust valves now operate slightly differently. The exhaust has even lost weight, after much development work to comply with the new regulations, and some internal components are also lighter, leading to this engine being 3.4 kg lighter than the CBR 650R, a higher-displacement bike but with lower horsepower. The intake has improved and we find larger throttle bodies, while the final drive is slightly shorter. In terms of electronics, the Bosch 6-axis IMU is the same as the Fireblade, and allows for safe traction control, cornering ABS, and wheelie control for the front under acceleration and the rear under braking. There are 9 levels of traction control, and there is also an electronic steering damper.

MORE DETAILS

It is necessary to say that this model returned to Honda mainly because there was a large gap between the CBR 650R and the Fireblade in the brand’s sports range, so this model positions itself again in the Supersport range, which continues to be important and maintains full grids in various championships and also in the world. During the presentation, we learned another curious fact. It is that 2023 was a very good year for the Golden Wing brand, in terms of sales of medium and high displacement motorcycles, so the brand says it made perfect sense to return with this model at this stage. In this generation, this engine delivers 119 horsepower, includes a slipper clutch, the gearbox has a bidirectional quickshifter, and the front Showa BPF fork is also improved in this generation and is fully adjustable, with even more travel than before.

Source: Honda
The TFT instrumentation is quite complete, with all information being very legible. We can also see the adjustments at the top of the Showa BPF fork.

Fonte:Honda
A secção dianteira foi inspirada na Fireblade e dificilmente poderia estar mais bonita. Agora até temos asas laterais que pretendem gerar uma maior estabilidade em reta e curva em velocidades elevadas.

Fonte:Honda
A travagem correspondeu às expetativas, embora por vezes a manete tenha ficado ligeiramente esponjosa quando fazíamos voltas “ao cronómetro”. Gostámos muito do funcionamento da forquilha Showa Big Piston.

Source: Honda
The under-seat exhaust was already a trademark on the CBR 600RR. Although similar, in this generation the system was redesigned, with a characteristic sound.

Source: Honda
The bidirectional quickshifter system proved to be excellent in precision, speed, and smoothness of operation.

Source: Honda
The power and torque values have not changed much, but the engine has been revised and now features lighter components that facilitate revving up.

Among the 3 driving modes, we chose the most racing one because we only rode on the track, but we could also manage our preferences in User mode. In the TFT instrument panel, we also used the most sporty display, and in terms of chassis, we highlight the very light frame and in terms of braking, we find Tokico equipment, with radial mount calipers at the front. As standard, this CBR comes with Dunlop Roadsport 2 tires, but we rode at AIA with Pirelli slicks, and compared to the last generation of the 600RR that we knew, this one is 3 kg lighter and has a 5 mm shorter wheelbase. Interested parties can also find two accessory packs, Racing and Comfort, so that everyone is satisfied.

SENSATIONS

As we imagined, this is a very easy bike to ride, we just have to keep the engine speed relatively high so that we always have a response coming out of the corners, especially in those uphill corners, as there are some at the Autódromo do Algarve. So it is advisable to have some speed in the corner to never lose speed, knowing that the engine has everything to show above 10,000 rpm, as is common in this type of models.

In this CBR we loved the quickshifter system, very smooth but precise, and despite being an easy bike we were able to ride quite fast and enjoy the ride. Of course, the Pirelli slick tires also helped a lot, and we also liked the 4.2-inch TFT, as it manages to have excellent visibility even when we are at high speed on the track. We also noticed that the riding position is not too radical in terms of seat height or weight we carry on our arms. Everything is easy, the agility is huge, the exhaust screams the way we expected, and we had the feeling that we already knew this bike, but now it is slightly better in everything. Otherwise, only when we abused it did we feel that the brake lever became momentarily a bit spongy, but for track day rhythms there will be no problems. The suspensions give an excellent feeling and we understand everything that happens under us, and the transmission allowed us to stretch the fifth on the long straight of Portimão (a little beyond 240 km/h) before braking hard. At the time we write this text we still do not know the price of this model, but above all we hope that this return of the 600RR to the Honda range is this time to stay, for many good years. The Supersport segment is missing in the world of sports bikes and the Honda CBR 600RR – more than a marked place – deserves to have a fixed place among the best medium-displacement sports bikes!

HONDA CBR600RR

4-cylinder in-line engine, DOHC, 16 valves, liquid cooling

DISPLACEMENT 599 cc

POWER 119 hp (89 kw) @14,250 rpm

TORQUE 63 Nm @11,500 rpm

TRANSMISSION 6 speeds

FRAME double beam in aluminum composite

TANK 18 liters

FRONT SUSPENSION Showa Big Piston adjustable inverted fork, 120 mm travel

REAR SUSPENSION Showa adjustable monoshock, 128 mm travel

FRONT BRAKE 2 310 mm discs, Tokico radial 4-piston calipers

REAR BRAKE 220 mm disc, 1-piston caliper

FRONT TIRE 120/70 ZR17

REAR TIRE 180/55 ZR17

WHEELBASE 1,370 mm

SEAT HEIGHT 820 mm

WEIGHT 193 kg

RRP to be defined €