2007 Honda CBR600RR- 20 years later, put the R in R
1987 saw the very first CBR years before Fireblades and Firestorms. Honda started the CBR series with a 600 and already in 1991 it boasted 100bhp. In 2003 the 600RR was launched and in 2007 an all new version of the CBR600RR, 20 years later.
Words: Tor Sagen/Photography: Martin Leyfield & Tor Sagen
In many ways the CBR600RR is the most focussed Honda that you can get your hands on for road riding. A lot of the modifications are made every other year or so to accommodate the race teams relying on the CBR, but also changes to make it a better road bike. The one modification that stands out and benefits everyone is the weight reduction. It is also the one single factor that for me makes the experience of a 2007 supersport so enjoyable.
The new 2007 Honda CBR600RR carries a claimed 155kg dry weight and a supposedly honest 184kg kerb weight (ready to ride, with fuel and battery…) For a motorcycle with huge performance, this lightness is absolutely stunning. Compare it to your average 250cc scooter and the CBR600RR beats most with at least 10 kilos!
Then take a more compact and high tech than ever new 599cc engine of 120bhp and 66Nm. Add the lighter new chassis, the longer swing-arm and new fairing with a centrally mounted ram-air duct and you have the new bike in a nutshell.
The single most important first impression that I get is the feeling of riding something very light and flickable. Secondly I notice how responsive that small new engine is even at fairly moderate rpms (which in this case is around 7.000rpm) I don’t have to twist the throttle fully open and wait for things to happen whilst yawning in higher gears as much as I am used to with the small in-line fours. That’s a star in the book straight away.
Despite this surprise in everyday midrange usefulness, the engine is still classified as a screamer and high revs in the range of 7K+ is pretty much the norm all the time. Albeit a decent midrange, I still feel left in no mans land where I can’t reduce the revs all the way down and I can’t go flat out. It’s a 600 and most of the time I am just longing for places where I can open up the throttle to really feel the power. And then when I find somewhere it doesn’t last long before speed has to be reduced due to obstacles in the road.
Oh yes I know, life on a sportbike is frustrating and when frustration leaves paranoia replaces it. I guess it’s for me as for everyone else; you live for that one moment to cherish. For me it happened where I knew it would happen on one of my regular test routes. Everything that is good about the CBR600RR could flourish and come to use during a 15 minute elevated motorcycle experience. Sure, I spent around 10 days on the 07 CBR600RR, but those 15 minutes was the most important time.
I was dying to flick the 07 Honda CBR600RR violently from left to right just to see how quick the steering really is. To really get the feeling with how light this motorcycle truly is. Then the many bumps and the natural jumps on the route, I would have to trust that new electronic steering damper. I never had any doubts about the suspension, I knew it would be up for the job and I was not disappointed in any way.
Why can’t all motorcycles feel this light I thought to myself whilst achieving effortless drive through complicated corner combinations. The brakes work better, the engine works better, the suspension work better, the tyres work better and I work better. I just found it very difficult to at any point feel out of control which is a great compliment to the motorcycle. I do try to push it a bit, but on the RR my brain would not allow more as the speed where I felt safe bordered to what suits a racetrack best.
I had had my cherished moment on the CBR on a perfect day. It’s all I wanted from the faster riding where suspension and chassis could be tested. The amount of feedback from the suspension about how the tyres were doing was nearly perfect and I never changed the standard set-up on the fully adjustable suspension. Despite the fact that the 07 CBR600RR has got a very good midrange for the supersport class, I still have to keep the engine buzzing at relatively high rpm for sporty riding. This annoys me each time I pass a car or people in general as everyone thinks that I am doing a million miles per hour rather than the legal 70 or so. But on this day I don’t care, there’s no traffic to mention and the road is mine. Revs are up and the small Honda is so easy to handle through complicated bend combinations and most of the time I am breaking too early. The brakes are very good and unchanged from the 06 model. Honda could leave the brakes as they concentrated on some serious weight reductions instead and that in itself makes the brakes better than before. -Massive stopping power.
I get all the grip and feedback that I will ever need on the road from the Bridgestone tyres. I feel at one with the motorcycle and I can’t think of many other motorcycles in this price range that makes a rider feel as good. The brilliant part is that the CBR600RR does all this whilst being one of the least exclusive rides on the road. That I think is pretty cool.
Conclusion:
The Honda CBR600RR is pure quality all over in every respect. The high revving nature does bug me on the road, but the CBR600RR is the best of the worst. The lightness appeals both to experienced and inexperienced riders but for different reasons. The experienced rider can appreciate it for the ease of going extremely fast, whilst the inexperienced rider will find the handling easy and unintimidating. The Honda CBR600RR is the best boring bike ever. And it isn’t really boring at all.
+
Dry weight is unrivalled and is the one most important selling point
Handles like a wet dream
Brilliant brakes
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A 600cc in-line four will always feel hectic even though Honda have worked hard to boost the midrange
You should be an expert to own a 600RR, but you’ll quickly find that you are only one in a million.
The 600RR is today one of the most popular bikes to steal and crash, boosting the insurance cost to you.
