Bike Files: Honda CBR600RR

Honda’s sporty middleweight has been a huge seller for decades…

Honda CBR, it’s been around for years…

It sure has. The Honda CBR600 first came to being in 1987, officially being designated as the CBR600F (and known as the Hurricane Stateside). It was a sporty machine known for its ‘jellymould’ styling and sold really, really well, although we’re focusing here on the later CBR600RR.

That’s a lot of Rs!

By the turn of the century there was a huge interest in supersport racing, which pitched 600cc production sportsbikes from various manufacturers together. Honda was still competitive with the CBR600F but the competition was moving on. Yamaha had the YZF-R6 and Suzuki had the GSX-R600. The CBR600RR was Honda’s weapon with which to try and win the new but very important Supersport World Championship.

How did it do?

Very well. Honda has actually won the championship in 2002, with Fabien Foret riding a CBR600F prepared by crack Dutch tuners Ten Kate Racing. The CBR600RR was launched in 2003 and won six titles on the bounce. In total it won eight titles in a 12 year period between 2003 and 2014, all delivered by Ten Kate.

So it’s a racy bike?

The CBR600RR marketed itself on its MotoGP image, where Valentino Rossi was cleaning up on the RC211V racer. The Honda was arguably more civilised on the road than the other Japanese bikes, but was also quicker on the track than its rivals. Quite a feat!

And you can still buy a Honda CBR600RR today?

Middleweight sportsbikes really fell out of favour in the late Naughties. The global financial crisis, along with changing tastes, saw sports bike sales fall. Development slowed and eventually production stopped. We thought we’d seen the last of the CBR600RR until a new model was surprisingly launched in 2024, two decades after the first Double R arrived with a fanfare.

An all-new Honda CBR600RR?

Not exactly ‘all new’ but very much updated. The frame and engine block were carried over from the venerable old model, but it came endowed with more modern suspension, brakes and electronics. The bodywork is also new and features MotoGP style wings.

And is it popular?

The Honda CBR600RR’s heyday might be long gone, but the new CBR has done pretty well in sales terms. It’s also done decently well on the track too. They were everywhere in the early 2000s and loads remain on the road on the second hand market, so in terms of the sheer numbers out there it is a very popular motorcycle.

And although the latest model hasn’t sold in anything like the numbers of those first bikes, they’ve sold well considering the more limited demand for sportsbikes in general.

So what’s the latest CBR600RR like to ride?

Although on paper the 2024 CBR600RR isn’t so different to the version which proved so popular two decades earlier, the addition of modern electronics has really transformed the bike.

It’s a revvy little beast, but that’s always been a big part of the appeal of these middleweight supersport bikes. Where 200bhp superbikes are just too much for most of the riders, most of the time, a 120bhp 600 can really be taken by the scruff of the neck. Supersport class bikes might have been rejected by the majority of riders but that’s a great shame, because they are one of the most engaging and connected experiences you can get in motorcycling.

Modern emissions regulations mean that the latest 600s actually make a little less power than previous generation models, but the adoption of a six-axis Bosch IMU transforms the bike. Rider aids include a quickshifter, rider modes, various engine brake settings, traction control and wheelie control – all of which are adjustable.

The underseat exhaust design was once at the cutting edge but feels dated now, but otherwise the styling has been completely revised in line with Honda’s latest race bikes, including the addition of MotoGP style aerodynamic wings. Overall it feels modern, especially when viewed from the cockpit, with the TFT dashboard very much making the latest version feel bang up to date.

As such the CBR600RR is something of an outlier in today’s motorcycling landscape. Where 600s were once massive, it’s a niche purchase now. Honda have been quite cute with the pricing. It’s only a little more expensive than the latest generation of budget middleweights, like the Suzuki GSX-8R, Triumph Daytona 660 and Yamaha R7 – not to mention their own CBR650R, and its less than half the price of a 1000cc Fireblade.

It means that the Honda gives a unique riding experience in today’s marketplace. It outperforms and outclasses those aforementioned middleweights, with only really Kawasaki’s ZX-6R for direct comparison. That is the only other traditional supersport machine on the market today, but it can’t come close the Honda on spec.

Should you buy a CBR600RR?

If you yearn for supersport bikes of old, or fancy a full on sports bike without the cost and brain bending performance of a superbike, you really should consider the CBR600RR. There’s a reason why so many of these were sold back in the day – they really were fantastic motorcycles. They were brilliant then and they are still brilliant today. Many thanks to Honda for reviving this legendary middleweight model.