Introduced in 2003 the CBR600RR has gone on to dominate Supersport competition around the world. Brisbane’s Chris Vermeulen won the World Supersport Championship onboard a CBR600RR in that debut year for the model and his team-mate Karl Muggeridge is the hot favourite for the crown this year. While Australians have been dominating supersport competition on the world scene on the back of CBR600RR machines, here in Australia the trend has been reproduced with Adam Fergusson and Josh Brookes dominating nearly every race they have entered.
On the road the standard CBR600RR displays the best bumpy road stability and sure footedness in the class. The CBR600RR is not just a success on the racetrack, on the road it makes for an incredibly user friendly ride no matter what the road conditions.
Honda aim to build on the success of the CBR600RR by significantly upgrading the model for 2005. The new bike promises lighter weight, more power and even stronger brakes.
The weight savings have largely been made in the chassis. The new fine die-cast process employed in hollow frame construction has enabled Honda to trim small amounts of material in areas not subjected to stress while still being able to provide the torsional strength in all the areas where it is critical. A full 1.5kg has been trimmed from the frame while the new die-cast seat rails add to the savings with another 0.7kg shaved in this area. Weight has also been saved through the use of a new composite aluminium swingarm. The swingarm now integrates the damper’s upper mount into its new one piece design which helps to completely isolate the frame from the shocks and stresses generated by the rear suspension.
Honda are claiming 86kw (115hp) from the upgraded motor but have stated that they have concentrated their efforts on producing more mid-range power. This is the only performance area where the current model CBR600RR lacked against some of the opposition and if Honda make those promised gains in the mid-range it will make what is already a great bike markedly better.
The racing inspired trend towards radial mounted calipers has also claimed the CBR600RR with the 2005 model scoring trick new radial mounted four-piston calipers. New inverted cartridge forks grace the front of the machine and provide the new radial mounting points for the calipers.
A new front cowl incorporates the air intakes to make the new CBR600RR closely resemble the latest CBR1000RR Fireblade. A shorter tail cowl and new matte black side covers round out the styling changes. Some owners had complained that the paint finish on the tank of their CBR600RRs was too easily scuffed and Honda have recognised this shortcoming by coating the tank on the 2005 model with some healthy coats of clear lacquer.
All up the CBR600RR is a significantly changed machine for 2005. However, I sincerely hope the 2005 CBR600RR retains the impeccable road manners that so impressed me with the original model. Some manufacturers have made what in my opinion is a mistake by choosing damping settings and spring rates only suited to the racetrack. Of course this helps with the fastest laptimes in the ubiquitous and largely meaningless magazine shootouts, but it doesn’t help the majority of the buying public enjoy riding them on Australian roads.
2005 - Honda CBR600RR
Engine - 599cc, liquid-cooled, inline four-cylinder
Bore and Stroke - 67.0mm x 42.5mm
Compression Ratio - 12.0:1
Induction - Dual Stage Fuel Injection (DSFI)
Ignition Computer-controlled digital transistorized with three-dimensional mapping
Gearbox - Close-ratio six-speed
Front Suspension - 41.0mm inverted HMAS cartridge fork with spring preload, rebound and compression damping adjustable
Rear Suspension - Unit Pro-Link HMAS single shock with spring-preload, rebound and compression damping adjustable
Front Brakes - Dual radial-mounted four-piston calipers with 310mm discs
Rear Brake - Single 220mm disc
Tyres - 120/70ZR-17 (F) - 180/55ZR-17 (R)
Rake - 24.0 degrees
Trail - 95.0mm
Dry Weight - 163kg
