Four pot flyer

Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...

- Dave Manning

Honda CBR 600RR

While various very knowledgeable folk might have been correct in shining spotlight on the demise of the sports bike in the UK (particularly), and noting that Suzuki no longer has a bike in the category, and that Yamaha has taken its R6 away from the roads and now sells it as a track bike only, we need to remember that Kawasaki has brought its ZX-6R back as a true 600cc machine, and the Honda CBR600 has never really gone away. Okay, so the Honda did have a little lie down in a dark room between 2017 and 2021, after which it was reintroduced in Australia, Japan, and Asia, with the positive sales successes there encouraging a Euro 5+ tweak and a rebirth into the European marketplace.

But many people are under the impression that mid-capacity sports bikes are very focussed in their abilities, and I was keen to find out if this was still the case, or not, with the fettled and finessed 600RR.

I collected the Honda from the office, and rode home, all of about 12 miles. Prying myself off, I did get to wondering about just how comfortable the racy riding position would be over a greater distance, with a side thought of, 'I'm too bloody old for contortions and pain...'

Interestingly, the next ride on the RR was a 300-mile round trip to, of all places, the Adventure Bike Rider Festival in Warwickshire which, aside from being really amusing (to me, at least) to turn up on what was probably the only supersports bike at the venue, as well as riding past so many folk on fully-kitted adventure bikes (pathering around, feet down, on dry and smooth grass...) immediately proved to me that the CBR was perfectly capable of covering a decent amount of miles in perfect comfort. Yes, that initial feeling of all my weight going through my wrists and my feet being tucked up right against my buttocks was clearly only thanks to having jumped straight onto the CBR from the KTM 890 SMT, with all its room, space, and luggage.