FIRST RIDE
P72
2013 HONDA CBR600RR
THE CN STAFF
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN WING
F
or the first time since the
economy highsided in the
late 2000s, things are beginning to rumble again in the
middleweight sportbike category. The once hugely popular
class, which was hit hard by the
recession and then pretty much
ignored by all of the manufacturers so they could design and
produce more efficient, practical
and economical motorcycles, is
showing signs of life again, first
with Kawasaki's re-introduction
of the 636 and now with Honda
sprucing up its CBR600RR.
Unfortunately, we can't quite
call the CBR600RR "all-new,"
but the latest edition is somewhat
new and it's definitely enough
to warrant some much-needed
excitement. The CBR600RR,
which made its debut in 2003,
has not seen a lot of love since its
last makeover in 2007. In a normal world, that would be an eternity in what is normally a highly
competitive class that often defined the term cutting-edge. Obviously, times have changed.
Honda was careful about what
it did to the 2013 CBR600RR
After all, it was already a muchloved machine and Honda wanted to keep it that way. While it
might not be considered by many
as the number-one 600cc track
bike of late, no one denies that it
is already one of the best everyday middleweight sportbikes out
SPRUCE
HONDA HAS DONE SOME WORK TO IT
