Honda CBR600RR (2024) - Technical Review

Price: £TBA | Power: 119.4bhp | Weight: 193kg | Overall BikeSocial Rating: TBA

After an absence of seven years the Honda CBR600RR is heading back to UK showrooms in uprated form in 2024 – finally giving us a truly modern 600cc rival to Kawasaki’s ZX-6R, the only surviving four-cylinder machine left in that once-dominant category.

For a decade and a half after its 1987 debut Honda’s CBR600 dominated and defined the ultra-popular 600cc sports bike class in the UK before shifting fashions and an increasingly hardcore focus for race-rep 600s saw popularity decline – with the CBR600, now wearing ‘RR’ badging, finally being dropped from the UK and European markets at the start of 2017 when Euro4 emissions rules came into force. Having skipped Euro4 and the first generation of Euro5, the CBR600RR is making a surprise comeback for the 2024 model year having been revamped to meet the latest Euro5+ regulations. With middleweight sportsbikes starting to see a renaissance, is this the start of a return to form for 600cc fours?

Outside Europe, the CBR600RR was given a comprehensive restyle and tech update in 2021, and the machine coming to the UK in 2024 is an evolution of that variant, complete with winglets and a level of modern tech that the last generation could barely have imagined.

Review – In Detail

2024 Honda CBR600RR Price

Honda’s keeping its powder dry when it comes to 2024 pricing at the moment and the official RRP of the CBR600RR won’t be revealed until nearer Spring 2024, when it’s expected to reach UK dealers.

Even taking a guess is made more difficult by the fact the bike hasn’t been on the market here since early 2017, but Honda is sure to be aware that there’s just one direct rival on the market at the moment in the form of Kawasaki’s latest ZX-6R. The Kawasaki comes in at £10,599, and it’s likely Honda will be targeting something similar for the CBR600RR to ensure it snaps up customers who want a track-biased four-cylinder middleweight.

Available in two colour schemes with the traditional HRC version…

2024 Honda CBR600RR Engine & Performance

It might have been away from the UK market since Theresa May was PM – we’ve had Brexit, a global pandemic and at least another three leaders since then – but there are elements of the 2024 CBR600RR that will still be familiar to owners of the last generation to have been sold here. The essentials of the 599cc inline four-cylinder engine are among those long-lived parts.

However, since the last version was defeated by Euro4 emissions limits and we’re now up to Euro5+ standards, you can imagine there have been some serious changes inside to clean up its act.

The 67mm bore and 42.5mm stroke are the same as before, as is the 12.2:1 compression ratio, but the throttle bodies are increased from 40mm to 44mm, and the inlet ports are reshaped to increase gas flow. New cam timing closes the inlet valves 5% earlier and the exhaust 5% later, improving efficiency, and the exhaust and catalyst are redesigned to achieve the Euro5 targets.

The engine drives through an assist/slipper clutch, and is managed by an electronic setup derived from the Fireblade, itself inspired by the one from the RC213V-S. That means you get nine levels of traction control adjustment, five riding modes – three standard, two user-defined – and five power levels. There’s also engine brake control and wheelie control, each with three levels of intervention, and the whole lot is governed by a six-axis IMU that monitors the bike’s pitch and lean angle (it’s an upgrade on a five-axis version that was added to the CBR600RR in 2021 in markets where the bike was offered).

A quickshifter is standard, with three levels of adjustment for feel.

In short, while the engine looks much the same as the last generation of CBR600RR to have been sold here, the way it operates is much more akin to the current crop of superbikes.

Outright power peaks at 119.4bhp (89kW0 and 14,250rpm, while max torque of 46.5 lb-ft (63Nm) comes at 11,500rpm.

…or standard black

2024 Honda CBR600RR Handling & Suspension (inc. Weight & Brakes)

The chassis, like the engine, can be dated back to the 2007-on generation of CBR600RR – with a familiar-looking, diecast aluminium twin-spar frame and swingarm. The 1370mm wheelbase is the same as last version we were sold in this country, although there’s a new setup that means the rake and trail are fractionally altered. The new model has a 24-degree rake and 100mm of trail.

The chassis tweaks continue with a slightly revised swingarm that’s 150g lighter than the last generation.

The suspension features 41mm Showa SFF-BP upside-down forks, 15mm longer than before to allow more scope for setup adjustment and with fully-adjustable damping. The rear shock is also fully-adjustable and made by Showa, operating through a Honda Unit Pro-Link linkage. There’s an electronic steering damper, controlled by the ECU to alter its damping force depending on speed, and radial Tokico four-pot brakes on 310mm discs at the front, allied to a 220mm disc and single-piston caliper at the back.

Weight comes in at 193kg including fuel.

2024 Honda CBR600RR Comfort & Economy

The fairing of the new CBR600RR is closely related to the 2021-on version that was sold in markets outside Europe – complete with the inevitable downforce-generating winglets on either side – with minimal changes for the 2024 model.

Honda reckons it has the lowest drag coefficient in its class, so provided you’re prepared to adopt a racing tuck you’ll be out of the wind-blast, but the focus is very much on track use rather than day-to-day comfort and practicality.

Compared to its predecessor, the fuel tank cover has been dropped by 10mm to let you tuck in even more completely behind the fairing, and it’s narrower to let you get your elbows out of the airflow. There’s also a revised belly pan to get heat away from the exhaust and to deflect air away from the rear wheel and cut drag further.

The aero might be aimed at improving track performance, but there’s a benefit on the road as well, with the bike achieving a claimed 51.4 mpg, enough to get a range of 200 miles from the 18-litre tank.

2024 Honda CBR600RR Equipment

On board there’s a colour TFT dash that includes access to the huge array of settings for the IMU-assisted traction control and riding modes, with a display that can be set in ‘street’, ‘circuit’ or ‘mechanic’ mode. A gear shift indication helps keep the engine on the boil and the dash also shows lap times, number of laps completed and fastest lap readouts. In case you were wondering, this is a track-focussed bike.

Other kit includes full LED lighting, with an emergency stop warning that flashes the hazard lights under heavy braking.

You can also uprated the CBR600RR with a pair of optional accessory packs. The ‘racing pack’ adds a carbon-look tank pad, a pillion seat cover, wheel stripes and an HRC oil filler cap. The ‘comfort pack’ includes a tail pack, expandable to 22 litres capacity, plus five-level heated grips and a USB-C socket.

Finally, there’s the option of an HRC Race Kit, for track use only, that includes a race ECU and wiring harness (removing road equipment), a stronger head gasket, bigger radiator, race exhaust and uprated suspension and brakes.

2024 Honda CBR600RR Rivals

Supersports-style bikes in the 600cc class are few and far between now, but CBR600RR customers might want to consider the Kawasaki ZX-6R, MV Agusta’s F3 or perhaps Aprilia’s RS660.

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R | Price: £10,599

Power/Torque: 122bhp/50.9lb-ft | Weight: 198kg

MV Agusta F3 Rosso | Price: £14,095

Power/Torque: 147bhp/65lb-ft | Weight: 173kg

Aprilia RS660 | Price: £10,300

Power/Torque: 100bhp/49.4lb-ft | Weight: 183kg

2024 Honda CBR600RR Verdict

The highlight of 2024? Maybe, but we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as we’ve ridden it, which is likely to be in March 2024.

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2024 Honda CBR600RR - Technical Specification

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