Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128354
get the bike turned over the blind, cresting, off-camber Lost Hill corner on the track' s west loop . The story was the same on the street; in t he canyons of Malibu, the new bike was much easier to steer th rough the tight stuff and felt not iceably lighter everywhere. The front end on the '04 bike see med to load up and steer heavier than the 'OS bike due to the added we ight. As mentioned above, the engineers at Honda updated the CBR's chassis significantly, and one of the key changes was to put a 4 1mm upside-down cartridge fork on t he bike. The to p triple clamp has been changed to what Honda calls a gull-wing-type unit, wh ich allows the use of shorter fork tubes for weight savings. Additionally, the swingarm has been redes igned by casting the to p shock mount into the swingarm instead of bolting it on. It also features a new push-type chain adjuster instead of a pulltype one . The rear shock is a new two-piece design for improved performance and reduced weight. The ot her change that made a noticeab le difference on the track is the addition of the radial-mount front brake calipers. The com bination of the new calipers and the new fork - which reduces flex from the fro nt end under heavy brak ing - has helped improve brake feel substantially The feel at the lever is much more pro. gress ive and no t as grabby as o n the older bike. As for the suspensi o n, I never changed any of the clickers on either e nd of the bike all day at the track, as the Ho nda staff had it setup perfectly. O n the street, the bike felt plush but at the same time very we ll dam ped. like the CBRIooORR that won our O pen-class Shooto utlast year, the 600 feels tight and purposeful on the street; there isn't anything sloppy anywhere. The transmission feels perfect. I honestly can't think of too many bikes that shift as smooth as the CBR600RR does this year - you bare ly need to touch the lever for a perfectly clean shift. The same goes for the clutch, which engages smoothly at any rpm . Riding the bike out to Malibu and back on the 405 freeway was actually informative, because you notice all of the things that the competition is missing from its bikes, such as a clock that is always o n that you don't need to toggle through a bunch of functions to find. An easy to read tach , speedo, tripmeters, idiot lights and an LED fuel-leve l gauge instead of a low-fuel Iight- what's so hard about that? The riding position is very comfortable fo r a sportbike, but the seat's shape makes my butt hurt after an hour or so in the saddle . The bike has been restyled for 2005 as we ll, but it takes a keen eye to notice some of the diff erences. The biggest change is to the front fairing, which is now not only lighter but is also shaped to more closely resemble the RC21 IV MotoGP bike's. The most noticea ble difference is that the ram-air intake duets are more integrated into the fairi ng's nose and no longer have the Swiss cheese look to t hem . T he rear cowls have been redes igned as we ll and are much simplified compared to the '04 bike's. There are a dozen less pieces to the rear cowl assem bly t han before, which not only saves weight but simpli ies it as well. Another nice touch is that the key f slot for the rear seat cowl has been moved to right behind rider' s seat, wh ich makes it a lot easier to access without bending down with your helmet on, trying to find it on the side somewhere. The CBR600RR is offered in four color combinations for 2005, three of which are dark and broodi ng - the blacklTribal, metallic silver/black and black - and then the cheerier red/black combi natio n. We'll have to see how the bikes stack up w hen we do our 2005 Middleweight Shootout, I have a feeling that the leaner/meaner Honda will be a serious co nte nder t his year, instead of the butt of other's fat jokes. We' ll see if the Honda C BR is ready to step up, walk the walk and challenge the others for a win eN - because reme mbe r, Ho nda hate s to lose. r-------------------------------------Cl N a me' o o _ Address _ YES! Sta rt m y s ubscrip tion immediately to Cycle News. 1 ,'car/ SO issues for $45 .00. (can be b illt.-.d 2 mo n thly pa ymen ts) Eve ry W('E'k fur two r eM'S (1 00 iss u es for S80 .(XJ) Si x m onth s secon d cJ a~s ( 25 Issue s for S2..1.lXJ ) C ily Sta te Z ip, _ Pho ne o _ Ord er Date Fhh is a , ':J Ne\V S ubscr tp no n ~ _ o o o Send to : ~ Inc. I ~O_ Box .508-l, C o s ta Mesa, CA 92628-508-1 To ll Free S u bscri p tion H o tli ne (800) 831 -2220 Please bill me 1 p aym ent u f o;.IS Bill 2. payments of $2 2.50 Enclosed is roy chec k or monl'y rirde r C ha rge m y U Visa 24- hour FAX Order Line (714) 75 1-6685 . E-ma il: Subscrtbc fscyclcnews.com Signature Re ne wal ':l Mas ter card _ ... l!o:J..............1. 2nd d~". C"' IOW" ",. r {)no, r~ MC /Visa# Exp. Date M.. ~i,,, ~~ a~t~'~~~.:·:::~I:,;.;_ ~(~.=:>d,.J· I~t ... ~ ~-------------------------------------www.cy clenews.com CYCLE NEWS • DECEMBER 15, 2004 27