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/409381
VAN DER MARK'S HONDA CBR600RR RACER TEST P56 of the quite aggressive steering geometry and light weight. And it changes direction so well, with the front tire glued to the track as you raise your cornering speed as the laps count down. "The front end is one of the best things on the bike – you never have to worry about it, the tire just sticks," enthuses van der Mark. "The braking is also pretty good this year after they found a better way to manage the engine braking - and the new SBS pads mean that they don't feel aggres- sive, but are very consistent. They never grab however hard you squeeze, but they just slow the bike very hard. I use the rear brake only on long corners, just to help set the bike up to exit the turn. Braking into slow corners I change down all the gears at once, until I get to second when you have to wait a bit to go to first gear if you need to, because oth- erwise it maybe won't go in." Without standing the Honda on its nose to the same extent as van der Mark surely does in stop- ping for the second-gear Assen chicane, I found the way you can modulate the braking to be one of the Honda's strong assets, making it very forgiving if you mis- judge your turn speed (or have a rival cut across you stopping for a turn, as is commonplace in Su- persport racing). It doesn't sit up and head for the bushes if you just stroke the lever a little harder. Sensitive but effective, while still ultra-controllable – nice. My Assen ride reminded me once again that the now PATA- backed Ten Kate Honda World Supersport team has yet again pulled off the most difficult trick of all in creating the bike that won Honda its 10th Manufacturers title in the class, and the team's ninth Riders' crown. This is a compact, agile, fast-steering mo- torcycle that you can flick from side to side so easily in a chicane or a series of bends, which at the same time is ultra-stable in fast sweepers – plus as before it's still very, very fast, but now with extra performance, with more power that holds on for longer. As such, it's responsive yet confidence inspiring, and com- pletely intuitive to ride hard – you can crank it up and ride it almost on autopilot. It's a complete, well-rounded package – a wor- thy World Champion as the fly- ing carpet that conveyed Magic Mikey to the World Supersport title, and the Superbike class he'll be racing in next season. Just watch this man there in 2015 and beyond, especially under the new World Superbike rules that will make the Honda even more competitive in that category. He has what it takes to be a winner there, too. CN (Clockwise) The Ten Kate CBR600RR produces 147 horsepow- er at 15,800 rpm. Van der Mark's Honda uses Ohlins rear suspension and Tokico brakes. Ten Kate uses Showa forks on its 600s. The bike tips the scales at 347 pounds. Van der Mark's office now even includes a shift light.