If you ask anyone to name a 600cc sports bike the chances are they’re going to spit out the Honda CBR600RR. It seems like it’s been around, in one form or another, forever. But the 600cc sports bike class seems, sadly, to be slipping away into the cauldron of ‘nothing has really changed so why bother.’
You see a relatively small capacity in-line four-cylinder engine is irritatingly hard to improve on, especially regarding shop floor selling horsepower, without making the motor as peaky as the top of a lemon meringue pie. So what can one do to attract sales?
Well Honda has obviously spent many hours around the kitchen table with their new 2013 version to answer that question, and they came up with this gorgeous Repsol Marc Marquez offering. With a recipe that’s already hard to improve on they decided to give their 2013 CBR600RR more desirable mid-range punch, better suspension and of course better looks. And after spending a few weeks with this little beauty I’d have to agree they’ve achieved this on all counts.
Before I drift into some technical waffle let’s first address the looks and styling. Did you know that this is the first time Honda has ever made a Repsol version of their CBR600RR? Funnily enough neither did I; must be all those sticker kits out there. The new bodywork is delicious and everyone thought I was riding a Repsol ‘Blade due to the RCV213V inspired new fairing. Just look at those new headlights and its pointy nose with huge central ram-air intake, just like Marquez’s, right? The tank shroud and wider seat unit also give it the ‘grrr, I’m now a nasty little thing’ image as well. Possibly now the best looking 600 ever made and definitely the best built and finished. I’ve already heard from Honda SA that the sales of this Repsol version is selling to the ‘youths’ pleasingly well, and you’ll see why if you see one in the flesh/plastic.
The engine has basically been left alone except for a new ECU with much revised engine mapping and that new ram-air thingy, designed to grab more of that all-important mid-range surge. So off I went to Noddy’s Dynojet dyno to see if their claims are fruitful. And I’m pleased to say they are. The engine still makes the same 100hp at the wheel but up to 10,000rpm the dyno did indeed show a noticeable 3-4 horsepower and 2-3 Nm of torque, nice job with a virtually impossible task.
This hike was even more noticeable on the road. I never rode the CBR on the track, shame, because I wanted to see if this 600 is good for road use and not just mimicking Marquez around a track. The 2013 CBR600RR now has an urgency when flying around on public tarmac that it never had before, You don’t have to rev it like an over promoted shopping channel ‘coffee froth-maker’ to get a move on from standstill, which is splendid. Instead you can short shift through the gears and commute nicely, until you pass 10,000rpm that is, when the 40mm throttle bodies say, ‘good evening’ and substantially ignite your arse all the way to the rasping 15,000 rpm redline.
One down side of all 600s though is fuel consumption. 15,000rpm flat out and 7,000rpm at the legal cruising speed, through four 40mm intakes, is never, ever going to favour your wallet, so don’t moan when the 18-litre tank fuel level warning light comes on alarmingly early. But it does sound pure RCVish when you’re whipping the needle around the clock face, so who cares, not me?
So the engine is Honda’s best CBR600RR ever and the same goes for the chassis. The frame and swing-arm haven’t changed but with the addition of those brilliant Showa 41mm BPF (Big Piston Forks, I think?), revised Pro-Link activated rear shock, and lightweight 12-spoke cast wheels sourced from the bigger brother Fireblade the improvements are noticeable to say the least.
Within a few kms of collecting this resplendent Repsol I said to myself, “Is this me, or is this some of the best feeling suspension I’ve ever come across?” Well it is, and that goes for any adventure type bike as well. Superbly damped, firm yet plush, Showa nirvana. If you don’t believe me go and have a test ride, now arguably the best suspended 600 ‘four’ out there and after living with it I believe it’s the best 600 ever made, some statement but I’ll stab my goldfish if I’m proved wrong. Don’t forget I’m on about road riding here and not just track use or abuse.
So the new CBR600RR feels and goes better than last year’s model and this Repsol version certainly looks like it belongs in Marquez’s garage. He wouldn’t care about a totally justifiable price tag of R119,000, and neither should you. It’s a cheap price to pay to own the best CBR600RR in Honda’s history, or you could waste another 10k on the ABS version, which I most certainly wouldn’t because I prefer to keep it ‘real’ man. Ask Marquez if he wants ABS fitted to his Repsol beast, see what I mean?
How much longer 600cc sports bike development will continue is another story. ‘Others’ may be a bit quicker in stock trim around a track, dependant on the rider but, in my opinion and for now, the 2013 Honda CBR600RR, Repsol version of course, is still the best all-round package in this ultra-competitive class, so there.
