Honda CBR600RR 2007 <-- Bikeintro Motorcycles

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Honda CBR600RR 2007

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A quick show of hands; how many of you out there have owned a CBR600?

When that question was put to a crowd of journalists waiting to get out on the racetrack on the new Honda CBR600 at the Barber Motorsports complex in Birmingham, Alabama last week, nearly everybody thrust their hand in the air, me included. I’ve owned several of these machines, from a lightly-raced 1993 F2 model to a pair of salvage-titled F4is that I re-assembled for immoral purposes. All my friends have had at least one, and the plastic-encased machines seem almost an inch shorter than before — although 2.7mm of trail is added to keep things stable.

The swingarm pivot is moved upwards 5mm to heighten the effect of a fashionably longer swingarm.

A smaller chassis will need a smaller motor, right? Honda knows this, and the motor has been totally re-designed from the bottom up. The crank is a whopping two pounds lighter, and it’s connected to nutless con-rods that are also lighter. The slipper-type pistons are 3.5 percent lighter too, while producing a slightly-higher compression ratio (12.2:1 from 12.0:1).

A lighter crank and lighter con-rods means lighter — and smaller — everything else, so the entire package — capped off with 11-ounce lighter magnesium valve covers — measures up as 27.5mm shorter than the 2006, all the while making more power and torque and weighing in at 3.7 pounds less.

“The clutch is lighter, smaller and stronger, and the transmission gets closer ratios and a redesign to reduce driveline lash.”

Engine improvements don’t stop there. We didn’t complain about last year’s clutch or transmission, but Honda improved them anyway. The clutch is lighter, smaller and stronger, and the transmission gets closer ratios and a redesign to reduce driveline lash. There’s also a new gadget called the Intake Air Control Valve (IACV), which smoothes throttle response, avoiding the jerky fuel injection-induced response some other motorcycles are cursed with.

The airbox — which now sucks air through a hole in the front of the frame like the RC-51 — gains seven percent of additional capacity, and the radiator is 40mm narrower, but 34.2mm taller so not too much frontal area is lost. The exhaust now has titanium baffles; they could have put that bling-bling on display like some OEMs do, but they put it inside where it would do the most good.

Suspension and brakes are standard, if effective, fare. In front, a fully-adjustable (except for high-speed settings) 41mm inverted fork and four-piston radial-mount calipers get the job done, (although Toland said the new braking components offer more sensitivity) and in the rear the Honda Unit Pro-Link is bolted to the three-way-adjustable shock. The Unit Pro Link shock linkage is GP-tech for the street; it isolates the suspension almost totally from the frame to ensure the smoothest possible ride.

A Honda Electronic Steering Damper (HESD) that’s half the size (and 20 percent lighter) of last year’s damper keeps the compact chassis — with a steeper rake than the old machine’s — under control by adjusting damping force according to speed.

To wrap up the package, the Honda stylists added a thicker seat (although it’s roadcourse as a DOT race tire on dry pavement would be. I say “probably” because I didn’t want to be that guy who pushed it too hard in the rain and crunched a brand-new bike: I was happy at an 8/10ths pace.

The increased traction meant I could settle down and really get a feel for the machine’s suspension, braking and other qualities. With a team of Honda technicians on hand to ensure a perfect set-up, the suspension felt spot-on, even though they misunderestimated my weight by 20 pounds. Although the track is very smooth, there are some pavement ripples in one high-speed braking zone (thanks, Grand Am cars!) that translated into some choppiness, but I imagine any motorcycle would get bounced around there.Accelerating off of Turn Six down the back straight, the front end gets light but the HESD damper works fine and there’s no drama.

Serious sportbike pilots have eagerly anticipated the arrival of the potent new 2007 CBR600RR, and now the industry experts have confirmed this incredible machine was well worth the wait. Cycle News crowned this middleweight missile winner of its ‘07 600cc Class Shootout, with the more compact, more powerful and lighter-weight 600RR easily besting the competition on both track and street. Roadracing World went one better, calling the CBR600RR “the best 600cc sportbike ever.” Praise doesn’t come much higher. And neither does performance.

Bike Spec.
ENGINE
Engine Type 599cc liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder
Bore and Stroke 67mm x 42.5mm
Compression Ratio 12.2:1
Valve Train DOHC; four valves per cylinder
Carburetion Dual Stage Fuel Injection (DSFI)
Ignition Computer-controlled digital transistorized with three-dimensional mapping
DRIVE TRAIN
Transmission Close-ratio six-speed
Final Drive #525 O-ring-sealed chain
CHASSIS / SUSPENSION / BRAKES
Front Suspension 41mm inverted HMAS cartridge fork with spring preload, rebound and compression damping adjustability; 4.7 inches travel
Rear Suspension Unit Pro-Link HMAS single shock with spring preload, rebound and compression damping adjustability; 5.1 inches travel
Front Brakes Dual radial-mounted four-piston calipers with 310mm discs
Rear Brake Single 220mm disc
Front Tire 120/70ZR-17 radial
Rear Tire 180/55ZR-17 radial
DIMENSIONS
Rake 23.7 degrees
Trail 96.3mm (3.8 inches)
Wheelbase TBD
Seat Height 32.3 inches
Dry Weight 345 pounds
Fuel Capacity 4.8 gallons, including 0.9-gallon reserve
OTHER
Available Colors Black, Pearl White/Silver, Red/Black, Ultra Blue Metallic/Silver
Model ID CBR600RR
FACTORY WARRANTY INFORMATION
1 year Transferable, unlimited-mileage limited warranty; extended coverage available with a Honda Protection Plan.