Honda CBR600F4i

Mention the model designation CBR600F to most motorcyclists and there'll be a murmur, approving nod and a moment's quiet introspection. All positive mind, but there's very little chance that someone will break out into vividly cherished memories of wild exhilaration and white-knuckled silliness, or laying big blackies at full lean on a ride day.

No, the talk will be of great riding positions, sensational build quality, user-friendliness and dependability. And that is what has sold examples of the bike in their hundreds of thousands (in excess of 350,000 in fact!) world-wide, and simultaneously silently frustrated the brains trust at Honda - since the designation's inception Down Under way back in 1987.

This presented a difficult conundrum at Honda HQ. The bread and butter of all that consumer confidence at the bike's useability has pushed many a young Japanese exec to the top of the golf club waiting list. Indeed, it would take a very brave designer to compromise the comfort factor in order to build a sharper, less compromising and track-focussed tool. (You can replace all that with the phrase faster and less comfy and you'll be on the money.)

But the firm was well aware that it needed to produce a bike that could hopefully steal a march on Suzuki's GSX-R600, Kawasaki's ZX-6 and the Yamaha R6. It had to come up with a racetrack winner.

The answer. Two bikes. And guess what? We only get the hotty!

Sick of the fact that nobody looks at you on your CBR? Well, the fact that Australian buyers (and American for that matter) are only presented with the more narrow-focussed version will please you. No more run-of-the-mill fare for you. Nup, only the up-spec will do.

Please be seated
The launch timetable set down by the good folk at Honda MPE was one to whet the appetite of any sports bike nut and we here at AMT we're no different. Joined by our newly acquired Corporate Advertising Manager and road racer of many years standing, Martin Hone, we simply had to thrash the pantihose off the bike at Phillip Island for a day. No problem there.

I'd seen the bike at Intermot 2000 in Munich and marvelled at its comfy seating position back then. Like CBRs before it, the new bike will allow for fairly long stints and, while sports riding is indeed the bike's forte, those looking to put a few kliks under them should'nt shy-away - comfort is pretty good given the bike's brief. Of course, basketballers will find the whole arrangement a little cosy, but that's their fault, not Honda's.

The cockpit is utilitarian and functional with neat finish. Does that sound a bit like Honda to you? Yep, ergonomics are on the money as we've come to expect. There's an analogue tacho and LCD digital displays for the speedo, odometer, dual tripmeters, fuel reserve, clock and coolant temperature. Very functional.

One tricky pony
Needles do the big dance on turning of the ignition key. Dunno about you, but I reckon all this is a bit Mickey Mouse. Call me old-fashioned, but the whole deal is a bit of a one-trick pony. When I start a bike like the CBR, my mind is either on where I'm going, or how much fun it's going to be getting there. Not on a personal light and instrument show.

The bike settles into a good easy idle due to the computer-controlled auto-enriching system getting the mix right immediately, and once underway at Phillip Island the first impression is one of real-world user-friendliness. Time to twist the right hand.

The power comes on instantly and the induction noise is intoxicating. This is a big improvement on the old bike. When you hit the noise handle, the bike feeds back a building wail the lets you know you're on a contender. Try not to grin the first time you experience it. Go on, I dare you.

There's good grunt available from fairly low down the rev range. This allows one to be more lazy than usual, but like all the current sports 600s, you'll be busy with the left foot if you're anything like fair dinkum. Speaking of left feet, the gearbox is a highlight. It's a dangerous business tossing superlatives around like definitive descriptive boomerangs - they can return to smack you right beside the ear'ole, but here goes anyhow. This box has set a new benchmark for mine. It's a delight to redline the thing from the word go and snick up through to top. Precise, smooth, purposeful - grouse.

At around 9000rpm things really start to happen and its up around these sorts of numbers that most serious scratchers will need to keep the Fun-Indicator. A shift light illuminates at 14,200rpm just in case the crescendo of sound enveloping you doesn't offer enough incentive.

Brakes are very, very good. There's a whole bunch of initial bite available, but feel remains good. That's often a difficult mix to achieve, but stopping is never a problem with the F4i. Honda Corner is a very good place to test braking power, with it's long and fast run-in from Southern Loop and through the kink. It's very easy to arrive there with all guns blazing, only to find the hairpin right-hander disappearing behind you, and the only apex in which you're likely to have any involvement is a club with a high degree of social responsibility. No such bother with the CBR. Late braking is relatively easy and those looking to use the bike for ride days are looking at gaining a few seconds as a consequence. And we all like that don't we...

There's no centrestand on the bike. Some may lament this, but the focus is on the go-factor and the extra clearance and weight saving are well-worth the purchase of a racestand, I reckon.

For those looking to hop their bike up, there's an HRC racing kit available which includes a new chip, camshafts, spark plugs, stacked radiators, gearbox bits, a racing tacho and front discs.

Honda has priced the bike at $14,390 which makes it clearly the dearest Supersport offering in the marketplace (Kawasaki ZX-6R - $13,490; Yamaha R6 - $13.990; Suzuki GSX-R600 - $13,990 and the Triumph TT600 - $11,750). It remains to be seen whether buyers will allow the price difference to sway their thinking in big numbers, but one thing is for certain - that $14,390 is buying you a hell of a lot of motorcycle and it deserves to sell strongly. Over to you...

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