2007 Honda CBR600RR

Dynamite Lite!

With the launch of a new model it's easy to get carried away with all the tech-hype and dismiss the previous model that was supposedly the pinnacle of design and development, only a couple of short years previously. The '05 CBR600RR was an utterly brilliant sports motorcycle. For me, it was the bike that finally laid to rest the horrors associated with a particularly nasty high-speed crash. With that in mind, the '07 CBR was going to be up against a tough competitor - the '05 model.

INFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY
According to the Honda spokesperson, the '07 CBR600RR is a return to the core strengths that made the original CBR600F such a brilliant all round motorcycle. In order to achieve the goal the CBR now has an all new and much smaller, liquid-cooled, 16-valve engine displacing the usual 599cc, that revs a further 500rpm. The fuel-injection system is different in that it has finer control and breathes through an air-intake control valve similar to that found on a FireBlade; it's aimed at producing a stronger midrange than the '05 version. Aiding engine performance is a knock sensor that allows the ignition to recognise engine detonation, due to factors like low-octane fuel, and retard the ignition accordingly.

The chassis is all new and of course lighter, but the suspension, which was always excellent, remains fundamentally the same. More comfort gets a nod through the raising of the handlebars 10mm, while the wheelbase drops a whole 20mm to 1375mm. The swingarm grows an extra 5mm and the engine moves rearward by 15mm allowing a subtle change to the riding position with the rider also moved back. Previous models have been accused of being flighty over rough surfaces, so this model has an electronic steering damper located under the top triple clamp. It operates by talking to the ignition, so that increased engine speed limits the flow of damping fluid. The result is that at normal around town speeds you get free movement, but as you get faster the damping force increases. The weight loss overall totals an astonishing 8kg bringing the weight of the CBR to a claimed 155kg.

THE REAL THING
Climbing aboard for the first time in pit lane, there's no doubt that this is a very small and light motorcycle. It is of course beautifully finished and very pretty, although in my opinion the red and black colour-scheme version fails to make the bike stand out as well as the black and silver version. Anyway, as with any Honda the process of familiarisation takes just seconds and the lack of weight becomes immediately apparent. Even while just rocking the static bike from side to side, you can feel the loss of kilos and importantly the change in the centre of gravity. Regarding the extra 10mm of handlebar height, I can't say the change was that noticeable. Although once my feet were on the pegs, the position felt less extreme than, say, an R6.

The first few laps on any new bike are always a little tentative, but right away you notice how precisely the '07 CBR darts across the tarmac with terrier-like agility. Track day apex hunting has never been so easy. Even so, everyone can make mistakes, so the bike's ability to forgive the ambitious, the misguided and the inept is of equal importance. Traditionally the CBR600 has been exemplary in this regard, with perhaps the exception of the first CBR600RR, and so it still is. Mid-corner changes require so little in the way of effort I found myself deliberately trying to provoke some sort of wayward behaviour (alright, maybe only some were deliberate). By turning at odd points on the track I hoped I'd find the chink in the CBR's perfect armour, but I couldn't.

With the lightest touch the bike just seems to flow with the delicacy of smoke from one lean angle to the next. There's no doubt that the suspension is absolutely spot-on, so much so that I honestly couldn't think of anything I really needed to change. Any minor bumps were dealt with smoothly and with well-oiled confidence. But in all fairness, Phillip Island doesn't really have much in the way of bumps so things may be different on the road.

BRAKING IT
Holy Crap, the CBR's brakes are nothing short of outrageous. Although definitely not for fumble-fingered newbies, the combo of twin 310mm discs and four-piston calipers offers the same kind of pinpoint control and catch-net forgiveness of rider errors, as the rest of the 600's package. Stupendous communication with an incredible ability to wipe speed off, no matter how big the numbers are.

POWERING IT
As for the engine, I can't say that I really felt the extra midrange heft - track riding has little to offer in that regard. I suspect that there is only so much torque available from any short stroke 600 without increasing capacity as Kawasaki did with the 636 and Triumph have with the 675 Daytona. Therefore all an engineer can really do is move the torque curve around. Even so there can be no doubt that there's plenty of horses in the paddock and as quick as you can throw gears at it, the 15,000rpm engine consumes them with a snapping hunger that sees you searching for the next one - just scant seconds after selecting the predecessor.

TRANSMITTING IT
There are new gearbox ratios to match the revised engine characteristics. There's heavy undercutting of the gears from second through to fifth to ensure full engagement during quick, clutchless changes. If there's a question mark over the new CBR's so-far-impeccable record, it's gear selection.

On several occasions I found that having made an upchange, the lever would stick at the top of the movement meaning that the next gear couldn't be selected without a slight tap on the top of the lever to return it. Honda's technical guys adjusted the lever height, which helped but the problem remained and seemed most apparent on second to third changes. It may well be that the problem had more to do with the newness of the machines, but a couple of the other guys at the launch experienced the same thing.

SUMMING UP
There's no doubt that the '07-RR is a very pretty machine. Probably the best-looking CBR600 ever, it's also the most powerful, lightest and smallest.

Back when the CBR900RR was first launched, journos the world over gushed on about how it felt like a 250. Now the new CBR600RR really is like a 250 - a 250-sized package with 118 claimed horsepower. Frankly, all sports 600s including the new CBR600RR are now physically too small for me to use as an all rounder. The tiny size and cramped ride position make for a brilliant track bike. On the road, despite the adding of 10mm to the handlebar height, I suspect I could only enjoy it for short periods. I actually felt better on the earlier model. If I was 178cm and 75kg it'd be better but I'm not.

As for having more midrange the only credible place it can be assessed is on the road where, of course, the bike will spend most of its time. However, based upon the track performance, it is superb and way more capable than I'll ever be - but then so was the previous model.

So, has the '07 CBR600RR regained any of the all-round appeal of the original? A one-dimensional track launch does little to prove anything other than lap-time ability. The only way to answer that question is by riding the bike in all types of situations over an extended road test preferably back to back with the competition. Based upon the experience so far I suspect that the Honda will be more than capable of holding its own in such battle. Let the hostilities commence.

SECOND OPINION - ON THE ROAD
Some time after the launch, we managed to get hold of the bike for a while to check out its road manners.

Like Rob, I walked away deeply impressed with the chassis. Riding this bike is a very tactile experience - one that keeps you fully informed on what the machine is doing underneath you. It's very reassuring, particularly when you've got the thing hooked into a bend.

The powerplant is just fine. It has adequate bottom end urge, a nice broad mid-range (from around 5000rpm), plus a top end that can supply plenty of excitement.

I didn't strike the gear selection glitch mentioned by Rob - so maybe his experience was a one-off or a running-in issue. The bike I rode was reasonably slick on the shifter.

Naturally there's ample stopping power, and pretty good feel from the levers. The suspension is naturally on the firm side, without being ridiculous and, from this point of view, works fine as a road ride.

The riding position isn't great for the road - it's very sports focussed (despite the raised handlebars) and the bike is physically small, so long distance work is going to have to be pretty low on your list of priorities.

That said, it's a very tolerable day ride and is fine for work around town, so it's got a little built-in flexibility.

The finish is generally very good, though the Honda Racing stickers on the tailpiece of our bike were AWOL and the paint one one side, where the sticker had been, was wrinkled, A minor issue and again likely to be a one-off.

All up it works about as well on the road as you can expect a serious sports bike to. It's not ideal, but very capable, and an absolute treat on a proper sports road.