I love these years.... 2005 is a year when three out of four Japanese manufacturers introduced new or updated 600 supersports. This means there were three press intros to attend and three hot new sportbikes to enjoy.
It also means there needs to be a new middleweight shootout. But before we get to that highly anticipated contest, we have to wrap-up the individual bike tests for each of the new players.
This "street" test of the new Honda CBR 600RR completes the round of individual street and track tests for the new Kawasaki ZX-6R, Yamaha YZF-R6 and Honda CBR 600RR.
The new CBR 600RR hovers closer to the "racer" side of the street/track equation than any CBR to come before it.
Honda's CBR-RR series is known for solid feel and ease of use, and this new 600RR is no exception. However, it hovers closer to the "racer" side of the street/track equation than any CBR to come before it. In last month's track test, I praised this bike as being "the best streetbike I've ever ridden on a racetrack", and I wasn't kidding. Now, it's time to see how well this track weapon fares in the real world. I joined Ken Freund from Rider magazine and Jon Seidel from American Honda, for a long mid-week street ride through Malibu's Canyons. Unfortunately, recent SoCal rains left dirt and debris strewn across much of the "good" roads. This meant that a healthy portion of the day was spent making mid-corner line corrections, while dodging mud and gravel. In this environment, you really appreciate that CBR stability, coupled with the quick reflexes of a middleweight.It's situations like this, which transport you to a magical "Happy Place."
I can't say our pace was hypersonic, but I will say that in these conditions, we probably wouldn't have gone any faster on anything short of a super motard. Lest you think that the entire day was wasted, there were entire sections of clean/dry pavement, where it was possible to concentrate on the bike and the flow of the road.In these situations, the ease of direction change and the excellent brakes really stand out, helping you get into and through corners, as much as the boosted-midrange helps you get out of them. It's situations like this, which transport you to a magical "Happy Place". You know what I'm talking about; that happy place where time, bills, bosses and nagging wives fade off into the distance.
Now that I think about it, I tend to find these happy places most often on these hyperactive middleweight supersports or exotic Italian V-Twins. My afternoon of moto bliss is further enhanced by the delightful sound of this 15,000RPM screamer echoing off the walls of the deserted canyons. Only MO shares these kinds of aural treats with its readers. Although the 600RR weighs a little more than its competition, the bike's enhanced stability and confidence over rough surfaces seems to offset the extra weight it spots them, especially on the street.
Choose Your Color! | |||
Red / Black MSRP: $8,799 | Black MSRP: $8,799 | Black / Tribal MSRP: $8,799 | Metallic Slvr/Blk MSRP $8,799 |
Of course, the world isn't made entirely of racetracks or canyons, and 95% of these bikes will see semi-regular duty as a transportation tool. This is the one area, where I feel the CBR 600RR loses some ground to the comfortable new Kawasaki ZX-6R and Yamaha YZF-R6, thanks in large part to its stiff chassis and suspension tuning. I didn't spend much time on freeways and surface streets, but the little time that I did spend, saw my hands tingling from engine buzz and my back hurting from suspension jolts.
"The bike's enhanced stability and confidence over rough surfaces seems to offset the extra weight it spots them, especially on the street."
There's no denying; this bike has a bit more "edge" to it than the rest of the class, but when you're blitzing through your favorite windy road, it all makes perfect sense.
The stiffness issue is compounded by the 600RR's full-race riding position, which is a bit too extreme for the street. There is no denying that this bike has a bit more "edge" to it than the rest of the class, however, when you're on a racetrack or blitzing through your favorite windy road, it all makes perfect sense. Truly, this bike is aimed at hardcore backroad enthusiasts and track day junkies.To summarize the 2005 CBR 600RR's updates; Honda has endowed the 2005 CBR 600RR with a set of 41mm Honda Multi-Action System (HMAS) upside-down forks with radial brake caliper mounts, revised the intake ports and fuel injection tuning for a wider powerband, totally redesigned and lightened the frame by 3.5Lbs, redesigned and lightened the sub-frame, redesigned and lightened the new cool-looking inverted-gull top triple clamp, simplified and lightened the exhaust system, simplified and stiffened the swingarm and rear suspension mounts, lightened the rear shock, coated the pistons with a new low-friction moly surface treatment, and equipped it with updated Dunlop D218 tires.
The new bodywork is flawless, with a thinner and more aggressive looking tail section that houses a tall racer-esque seat.
All together, Honda claims that the new bike has lost 9Lbs. In addition to the technical updates, they also revised the aerodynamics and bodywork to more closely resemble the RC211V. Street riders who aren't into Tribal Flames or Racer Graphics will appreciate the new all-black paint option. The new bodywork is flawless, with a thinner and more aggressive looking tail section that houses a tall racer-esque seat.The seat height might be a problem for those who are short of inseam, but the high tail, allows the seat-to-peg distance to remain somewhat reasonable, with the pegs high enough to provide outstanding ground clearance.
The CBR's ease of direction change and the excellent brakes really stand out, helping you get into corners, as much as the boosted-midrange helps you get out of them.
However, the pegs are tucked-up a bit too tightly for sustained freeway use. The instruments are logical, clear and easy to read at a glance, while the controls work with the usual Honda smoothness and positive feedback.Honda bumped the CBR's price by $200, from $8,599 up to $8,799. Part of this price increase is offset by the upside down forks, radial calipers, improved motor and 9Lb weight reduction.
Is there a noticeable difference between it and last year's CBR 600RR? Yes. As with the track test, I was lucky enough to have a 2004 model along for the street ride. On the street, it is harder to tell the difference between the '04 and '05 chassis, but the newly enhanced midrange shines through loud and clear. Last year's 600RR is still very fun in the canyons, but the '05 is a little less work to ride and noticeably quicker out of tight corners.
Honda concentrated on improving the 2005 CBR 600RR's racetrack performance, while Kawasaki concentrated on improving the new ZX-6R's road manners. Who made the right choice? Stay tuned, as Motorcycle.Com should have a thorough shootout ready before March 15th.
2005 CBR600RR ** Information And Specs Provided By Honda ** | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FEATURES AND BENEFITS The 2005 CBR600RR incorporates a host of next-generation upgrades that elevate this full-on sport mount to all-new heights. New for 2005
| SPECIFICATIONS
|
0 comments:
Post a Comment