2005 Honda Cbr600rr
2005 HONDA CBR600RR
CYCLE WORLD TEST
Balancing act
BRIAN CATTERSON
DESIGNING A MIDDLEWEIGHT SUPERSPORT BIKE IS A lot like walking a tightrope. On the one hand, it needs to be potent enough for professionals to win races on, but on the other, it needs to be tol-erant of novice street riders. To find the opti-mum balance, manufacturers constantly fine-tune their products, and gauge their success by looking at sales figures, racing results and yes, even magazine reviews. Trouble is, it’s often a case of the tail wagging the dog, wherein the latter two criteria determine the first. Which would be fine if everybody needed a race-proven, magazine-lauded performance bike. But the truth is not everyone does; they just think they do.
That’s where the Honda CBR600RR comes in. Arguably more than any other manufacturer, Big Red emphasizes its sportbikes’ street prowess, designing its CBR600 and 1000 for the real world and not just the racetrack. Thus while those two machines are unlikely to top any performancebased comparisons, they remain among the most refined, balanced and easy to ride.
For 2005, Honda gave the 600 what at first glance appears to be a light makeover. The most obvious and dramatic change is the new front end. Replacing the 2003-04 model’s conventional fork is an inverted Showa unit with 41 mm sliders and radialmount Tokico four-piston brake calipers grasping 310mm rotors. Higher up, you’ll notice the sharperedged new fairing, with cleanly integrated dual airintake ducts and low-profile “line beam” headlights. And aft of that the new tailsection, with matte-black sidepanels that are slimmer between the rider’s legs and a shortened tail cowl with the passenger pillion-removal key relocated behind the rider’s seat where it’s more accessible.
Delving more deeply, however, you discover that there have been multitudinous detail changes, many of which are seemingly insignificant when taken individually, but which add up to more than their sum. The frame, for example, now has thinner walls in specific locations, which purportedly lightens it by 3.6 pounds without compromising chassis rigidity. A redesigned subframe and swingarm are said to shave 17.5 and 4.4 ounces, respectively, the latter thanks to the upper shock mount being cast into the swingarm instead of bolted on as before. A new two-piece shock body is shorter and lighter, and features an aluminum spring collar instead of steel. Up front, what Honda calls a “gull-wing-type” top triple-clamp angles down on either side of the steering head to grasp shorter (and thus lighter) fork stanchions, and the front axle is shorter and lighter, too. And the redesigned “center-up” exhaust system shaves a further 20.1 ounces, in spite of it gaining a catalytic converter.
Lessons learned in producing the 2004 CBR1000RR resulted in the 600 adapting its stronger, lighter, push-type chain adjusters instead of the previous pull-type, as well as a lightweight rear master cylinder with its fluid reservoir mounted up high next to the right-side passenger peg. Capping off the weight-reduction program is a seat assembly that uses nearly a dozen fewer parts, a machined drive sprocket, thinner and lighter handlebar bosses and footpeg brackets, and a lightened sidestand bracket.
The sum total of these weight savings is said to be 9 pounds, but on the certified CW scales, the CBR weighed in fully 11 pounds lighter than last year. That’s still 15-20 pounds heavier than the competition, but with improved mass centralization due to the reduction of weight at the outer periphery, it doesn’t feel like it, as we discovered while riding the bike on the street and at two different racetracks.
December is the best time of year in Southern California, and in the course of testing the CBR, we spent a glorious day riding it back-to-back with our 2003 long-term testbike, taking the Angeles Crest and Angeles Forest Highways to a Hyper-Club track day (www.hypercycle.com) at the Streets of Willow Springs.
From the moment we pushed the starter button, the ’05 600 thoroughly impressed us, leaving us with nary a negative thing to say. Okay, slogging through workday traffic isn’t exactly enjoyable, the high seat and low handlebars lending the bike a pitched-forward riding position that feels ungainly at low speed. Snatching at the front brake lever when a car cuts you off unexpectedly, you feel as though you might be catapulted over the windscreen! Blame the stout new brakes, short, 54.5-inch wheelbase-and our inattentiveness. The fuel tank is still a little fat between your thighs, but it’s not terrible.
The riding position feels more natural at highway speeds, the wind coming over the windscreen helping to prop up your torso. Of course, that wind can be a little chilly in the winter, even in SoCal, but a taller screen would ruin the bike’s racy looks, and there’s plenty of room to tuck in behind it, even for taller riders. The seat is thinly padded but wide and flat, so if s quite supportive; we had no comfort complaints.
The suspension in its standard settings is acceptably plush. We normally take out a couple of clicks of compression and rebound damping to cope with the square-edged expansion joints on our aging concrete freeways, but on the CBR, this wasn’t necessary. Engine vibration is apparent in a slight tingling in the handgrips, but again, it’s not terrible.
The Honda started to come into its element as we headed into the mountains north of Los Angeles. Sweeping back and forth through the first few flowing comers, the bike immediately impressed us with its light handling; it definitely snaps into comers easier than our ’03 model. Yet in spite of its racing-inspired steering geometry and wheelbase, there’s not a hint of instability.
Engine-wise, the CBR is largely unchanged, but the induction system has been improved with new fuel-injectors that flow fuel more quickly, reshaped intake ports, and new injection and ignition mapping. The goal was more midrange torque, and it definitely feels like it, as the additional grunt lets you leave it a gear tall so you don’t have to shift as often. Shifting action, incidentally, is superb, thanks to both the slick gearbox and the light pull afforded by the cable-actuated clutch.
As the road became less consistent and more unpredictable, we found ourselves trail-braking into comers and occasionally touching the brakes mid-bend. And little surprise, the new inverted fork and radial-mount front brakes really do make a difference. You simply feel more in touch with the front tire, which lets you brake while leaned over with much greater confidence than you would have on a bike with a conventional front end. Moreover, there’s no tendency to resist turning or to stand up on the brakes.
That improvement in front-end feel was even more apparent at the Streets of Willow, a relatively slow, tight test track with a preponderance of second-gear comers. One particularly busy section begins with hard trail-braking into a tight, not-quite-flrst-gear right, which in rapid succession routes you over an unsettling hump into a second-gear left/right transition with iffy traction due to rippled, dusty pavement. The ’05 model was noticeably more composed here, the ’03 model chattering front and rear and harder to hold on-line.
The engine changes were also more apparent at the racetrack, as the new bike pulled noticeably stronger off slower comers and was easier to keep in its powerband, thus didn’t feel like it was “between gears” as often. We still found ourselves short-shifting on the straightaways, though, clicking up at 13,500 rpm where the engine makes peak power instead of when the little orange shift light flickered at the 15K redline; the light really ought to be set to come on sooner, and being bigger and brighter wouldn’t hurt.
Riding the CBR at a track day, passing all manner of racers with numberplates, it’s hard to imagine a stock sportbike working any better. Alas, the competition might have something to say about that: The Kawasaki ZX-6R and Yamaha YZF-R6 have been radically revamped for 2005, and the Suzuki GSXR600 is eager to defend the CW Best Middleweight title it won last year. But while one or more of these bikes will likely steal the Honda’s thunder on the racetrack, they’d be hard-pressed to work better on the street. And isn’t that where you ride?
EDITOR'S NOTS
HEAVY MORNING FOG DELAYED OUR first track outing at the 2005 Honda CBR600RR press introduction held at Southern California’s Buttonwillow Raceway. Once released onto the damp track, I gained an appreciation for the CBR’s competent handling and exceptional throttle control. Conditions improved and lap times plunged, yet the CBR remained rock-stable.
Midway through the day, the bike’s standard-fitment Dunlop D218s were replaced with race-compound Sportmax radiais, and the switch presented no ill effects on stability—as sticky race rubber often can. Good thing, too, because I ran wide onto a red-and-white-painted curb exiting a corner and suddenly lost grip at both ends. Just as I thought all was lost, the slick paint ended and the tires regained grip, resulting in a banked-over, tire-barking headshake! I rode it out, but truth be told, the bike sorted itself out with little help from me.
Don Canet, Road Test Editor
I REMEMBER SOME TIME BEFORE I GOT MY rider’s license standing at dealerships, staring pie-eyed at air-cooled, lOOOcc inline-Four “superbikes” that amazingly made about 100 horsepower. Years later, when I finally got to ride these bikes, it was shocking to experience what docile performers they were. Not a power wheelie to be had! On a recent ride of the 100-horsepower CBR600RR,
on the other hand, I was amazed at the solid midrange pull and incredible acceleration offered by this compact and flickable repli-racer. Most remarkable of all, however, was that while entering the freeway with notable exuberance, I hit a small bump as engine revs swept through 12,000 rpm in third gear and the bike carried a low wheelie until I clicked into fourth at 15K! Pretty amazing stuff from a middleweight. With lOOOcc sportbikes today making 150-hp-plus, could it be possible in 20 years that 600s might make the same? I hope to find out!
Mark Hoyer, Featuer Editor
EVERY TIME I RIDE A CBR600, I’M LEFT with the thought that this is all the motorcycle anyone really needs. Don’t get me wrong, I get as jazzed as anybody about the latest lOOOcc superbikes. It’s just that the CBR goes so stinkin’ fast, with such stupendous ease, that it makes you wonder why you would ever need more.
Traditionally, 600s have been touted as entry-level sportbikes, but I’d argue that’s no longer the case. Once a bike surpasses the magical 100-hp mark like this CBR does, it deserves to be treated with respect, and no small measure of right-wrist restraint. Nowadays, novices should spend time on something less potent (a Suzuki SV650 Twin, for example) before stepping up to a Four. But for those who must have a 600, the Honda could be the one to have. It may not top the performance categories in the upcoming middleweight sportbike shootouts, but in terms of refinement, riding ease and all-around usability, it’s the bike to beat.
Brian Catterson, Executive Editor
HONDA
CBR600RR
$8799
