Honda CBR600RR

Nothing wrong with that, mind, but you need not apply if your idea of having a good time is tootling across the countryside on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Start thinking track days - oh, and it helps if you're not overly tall.

Wot's this then?
So what have we got? Since its introduction as a series in 1987, the CBR600 has been something of an all-rounder compared to often sharper-focussed machinery from rival manufacturers. Honda's reading of the market is this had to change, even if the 'all-rounders' (which were still strongly sport-oriented) didn't give away anything significant in the performance stakes.

So in 2003 you'll have the choice between the 2002 F4i or, for a few hundred dollars more ($15,190 plus ORC, to be exact) the latest and greatest.

So what do you get? Honda is trying to draw a close parallel between this in-line- four and Valentino Rossi's all-conquering V-five MotoGP bike, which is stretching things a little. However just about every aspect of the machine has come in for a major revision - from the thin-walled frame through to most individual engine parts, the styling and even the fuel injection.

The all-up result is a machine that may weigh a little less than its predecessor (168.2 kilos versus 169), and is more powerful. Honda is remarkably coy regarding even basic stats on this machine, but we can tell you the UK and USA model (which is less restricted than the local version) is pumping out a claimed 117ps at 13,000rpm, or a few more horses than the overseas model F4i. Local versions will be down a couple of neddies, thanks to our weird noise laws. Reading between the lines, we'd expect the local chap to have in the vicinity of 113ps.

On that general subject of noise, Two Brothers in the USA is already offering an aftermarket muffler.

Wot's it like?
In the flesh, it's dead cute, with integrated styling that's far less conservative than some previous CBR efforts. The ride position is typical head-down, bum-up mode, though not particularly severe.

There's an accessory pillion seat cowl (which actually replaces the passenger perch) that finishes off the machine nicely. And let's face it, plonking a passenger on board is unlikely to be much fun for anyone involved.

For what it is, the legroom is quite good, though my 190cm was obviously a fair way beyond the design parameters, as I ended up sitting on, rather than in the machine. Think of it as a shorter to medium-sized rider's bike, while taller folk will be better off looking at some thing bigger from the range.

Placement of controls is good, and this machine has super-accurate response to them - to the point where careful-set-up is going to be critical to how you feel about it. My experience was that even a simple brake lever adjustment to suit personal riding tastes made a greater than usual difference to the confidence factor when it came to barrelling into corners.

Engine performance has a strong Jeckyll and Hyde aspect to it. At 'normal' street revs it feels okay, if nothing to write home about it. It's when you get into the 7000-8000 zone that it gets very interesting, and decidedly feral at 10,000-plus - most of the way to its 15,000rpm redline.

Our brief squirt indicated no vices, and generally it felt better once you upped the pace and concentrated 100 per cent on the task at hand. All up we were left with the impression it would be a hoot as a track day toy, when maximum fang factor counts.

Story: Guy Allen