SHOOTOUT
P92
3 RD
2013 MIDDLEWEIGHT SPORTBIKE SHOOTOUT PART II
H
onda campaigns a refreshed CBR600RR for
2013, with new wheels
and an up-spec Showa Big-Piston Fork, as well as tweaks to
the bodywork and engine mapping. These revisions improve a
bike that received its last groundup redesign in '07. But can the
tweaked Honda 600 upset its
displacement-cheating rivals on
the street?
Tweaks to the CBR's 599cc
inline four deliver a respectable boost of mid-range torque.
Credit an improved ram-air system and revised ECU fueling settings. The Honda registers peak
power numbers of 100.67 horsepower and 44.81 lb-ft torque on
the dyno, almost identical to the
2011 peak readings of 100.65 hp
and 44.81 lb-ft. But peak torque
comes 700 revs sooner now,
and the Honda torque curve is
more robust from about 6500 to
11,000 rpm, where it now covers
the GSX-R and Yamaha – only
trailing the new 636.
Improved mid-range power
makes the inviting Honda even
easier to ride. The engine churns
out a steady, even power delivery. With the exception of maybe
the Triumph, there's not a flatter
torque curve in the class. And fu-
