Honda - CBR600 20th birthday

Posted by StickyAdmin, Friday, March 30th 2007

Honda's evergreen favourite the CBR600 is 20 years old this year! The latest CBR600RR-7 is the latest in a long line of CBRs, stretching back to the first CBR600FH, which was launched way back in 1987.

Back then the CBR600 boasted around 80 brake horsepower and a top speed of around 140mph, at that time it was a revolution in the class, immediately topping the sales charts and becoming a winner out on the track in 600cc production racing. Today, the latest CBR600RR-7, which is in the motorcycle dealers now, has an impressive 118bhp and a top speed approaching 170mph!

Estimates put the number of CBR600s sold since 1987 at more than half a million bikes, making it one of the most successful sportsbikes ever and the most successful middleweight sportsbike in the world! Even in the UK today, it's thought that more than 45,000 new and used CBR600s are in use.

At the launch of the latest new-for-2007 CBR600RR at Barber Motorsport Park, Alabama, freelance journalist Chris Moss had this to say about the latest incarnation of the CBR: "The new motor is impressive, giving a fuller and more smoothly delivered surge than the previous bike, as well as an extra three bhp. There's no doubt the claimed reduction in dry weight of a massive eight kilos, bringing it down to a class-leading 155kilos, has a profound effect on the way the new CBR can be manhandled more easily. Handling-wise, this machine will make a brilliant trackday bike. Meanwhile, hauling the Honda up from very high speed couldn't have felt safer thanks to the new brakes taken from the Fireblade. Overall, the whole package along with the updated looks put the CBR back to the top of the pile."

The secret behind the CBR's ever-lasting appeal is that it means so much to so many riders, offering a mixture of fun, excitement, practicality and the utter dependability you only get with a Honda.

It hasn't just been road-riders who've learned to depend on the CBR600, the motorcycle has been as successful on the race track, tincluding the USA and the UK. In the UK alone the bike was won nine of the last 15 British Supersport titles, most recently with Cal Crutchlow last season. In the World Supersport championship the Honda CBR600 has won the last five championships!