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Hmmmm, I don’t bear in mind why we didn’t attend the 2003 Honda CBR600RR press launch 20 years in the past, however I think it had one thing to do with expensive Minime’s authorized issues on the time, the precise nature of which I additionally disremember. What’s vital is that that 2003 bike marked the novel departure of Honda right into a two-R maker of sportbikes in an period when 600s – and all sportbikes – had been high sellers, and it was good. Issues change.
Because of circumstances past MO management, ahem, we didn’t journey the brand new Honda CBR600RR finally week’s U.S. press launch, however we do have the inside track on what Honda says is “essentially the most superior sport bike Honda has ever produced.”
No large, actually: Like we mentioned after younger Sean’s rain-out on the Kawasaki ZX-6R/ RR (see additionally the current follow-up ZX-6R monitor take a look at), we don’t actually need to journey this new RR to comprehend it’s going to be a much more succesful motorbike than almost everyone who buys one. The query as to which of this newest herd of trick 600’s — Yamaha R6, Kawasaki 636R or Honda CBR600RR–is the actual efficiency king is just too near name till an actual same-day comparability can come collectively.
Had we ridden the brand new CBR600RR, it might’ve regarded one thing like this…
And even at that, I really feel protected in predicting that the winner shall be by a nostril (and extremely subjective). Press studies we’ve learn somewhere else, and dependable sources inside the U.S. motopress, lead us to imagine the brand new CBR is, as suspected, fault-free and intensely competent. Shock. I’m not being flip once I say in order for you a brand new 600 in ’03, going for the one you just like the seems of, from a supplier you prefer to take care of, wouldn’t be a nasty technique.
On to the CBR-RR then. It’s all-new. As you understand, Honda’s technique with the long-running CBR600 has at all times been “big-circle” philosospy–one bike capable of do all of it, from each day driver to Daytona racer. With the RR, that philosophy is historical past. The superzoot racey RR shall be bought alongside the pre-existing CBR600F4i–now relegated to sensible-shoes standing. On paper, the 2 bikes don’t look dissimilar in any respect: specs say every weighs 370 kilos dry, 54.7-inch wheelbase for the RR vs. 54.5 for the F4, 24-degree rake for each and almost similar path figures (95 for RR, 96 for F4). Each bikes even have 67 x 42.5mm, 599cc engines with 12:1 compression.
Notice the resemblance, Honda needs to level out repeatedly, between the RC211V…
The distinction lies within the packaging: within the RR, the rider and engine have been moved ahead, transmission shafts have been stacked a’la Yamaha, and the swingarm’s been lengthened additionally a’la Yamaha–all of which produces a motorbike that may banzai deeper into corners due to superior front-end traction and really feel. Honda’s beating the mass-centralization gong once more. The transmission mainshaft now lies 48.4mm above the centerline of the engine circumstances, which allowed the countershaft to maneuver nearer to the crankshaft. Rotating exhaust ports 30 levels downward (in comparison with the F4i) moved the headers rearward sufficient to shove the compacted four-cylinder even additional ahead. The gas tank, or most of it anyway, sits the place the F4’s rear shock was.
…and CBR600RR
These issues allowed Honda to push the rider totally 70mm additional ahead. Once more, identical to Yamaha and its new R6, Honda constructed the RR’s all-new body utilizing an all-new aluminum casting method: “Hole Nice Die-Solid” isn’t a rapper, it’s the way in which Honda now strains sand molds with ceramic, which makes attainable finer castings with wall thicknesses as skinny as 2.5mm. (Yamaha’s new method entails utilizing vacuum to suck molten alloy into its molds.)
Utilizing this system within the steering head, important spars and swingarm pivot plates, Honda says, provides its engineers better latitude in tuning body rigidity for “enhanced dealing with.”
In comparison with the F4i, the RR has better torsional stiffness within the steering head, decreased lateral stiffness as a consequence of thinner rear body rails and vertical stiffness “uncompromised by a beefy construction for the highest shock mount.” All of that, taken from the RC211V, is alleged to lead to much less wheelspin at nook exits.
Mr. Swingarm is all trick too, and managed, like on the RC211V GP Honda, by Honda’s new “Unit Professional-Hyperlink” linkage system, which kind of compresses the shock from the underside as an alternative of the highest, subsequently inflicting compression of the shock to tug on the bottom body crossmember as an alternative of pushing on the center of the body in typical vogue. It sounds cool and appears cool; largely it makes room for the RR’s 4.8-gallon gas load to be moved into the significantly better location the shock used to occupy.
The highest half of the gas tank now resides beneath a plastic cowl; forward of it underneath the duvet sits a brand new, larger airbox. And talking of swingarms, stacking the transmission shafts, and so forth., allowed the swingarm pivot to maneuver 30mm nearer to the crank, which in flip made room for the swingarm to be 43mm longer than the F4i’s unit–which produces quite a few advantages: higher mass centralization once more, ahead weight bias, and decreased swingarm angle adjustments because the rear wheel strokes upward.
“Honda says the standard injectors’ proximity to the consumption valve provides on the spot throttle response.”
Shorter and narrower, Honda says the brand new RR engine permits three extra levels of lean to both facet.
The engine shrunk laterally too. The starter migrated from the left to the appropriate facet of the crankshaft, permitting the generator to maneuver 21.5mm inboard. Together with reshaped generator and clutch covers and your undertail exhaust, the RR’s bought three levels extra lean angle in each instructions sayeth Honda. The engine, as we mentioned, is all new too, and Honda says it checked out a bunch of different bore/stroke ratios earlier than concluding that the preexisting one is good.
Peak energy comes now at 12,500 as an alternative of 12,000 rpm–with newfound overrev potential (watch the Yam R6 Mamola vids to know the beneficiality of that spherical a racetrack) all the way in which out to fifteen,000 rpm. RR pistons are subsequently 131 grams every as an alternative of 145 g (F4i). Smaller piston-pins are 36 as an alternative of 44 g every. New nutless carburized rods weigh 232 as an alternative of 244 grams apiece. Add it up and also you’re taking a look at 4.8 ounces much less reciprocating weight, in an engine Honda says is 0.7 kg lighter than the F4i’s. Consumption valves are actually one mm larger, at 27.5, all of the valves are closed by twin springs, and a brand new, “dual-pivot” camchain tensioner retains out the dread whip, when making use of the whip in high cog.
That’s proper, 15,000 rpm (tho max energy is at 12,500). F4i peak is 12,000 rpm with 14,2 ceiling.
Gasoline supply is one other merchandise Honda says got here instantly from the RC211 GP venture: DSFI means Twin Stage Gasoline Injection. 4 40mm Denso throttle our bodies comprise one twelve-hole injector every, which masticate gas and air beneath 5500 rpm. 4 extra twelve-holers are positioned within the roof of the brand new, 15-liter airbox, shower-style, and start spritzing above 5500 rpm about one-billionth of a second forward of the decrease nozzles, all of it completely timed by a brand new, 32-bit ECU. Honda says the standard injectors’ proximity to the consumption valve provides on the spot throttle response–whereas the bathe shnozzles’ distance provides time for much more full atomization, in addition to a cooling impact that leads to a denser cost, 125 occasions per second at 15,000 rpm.
And this: “A Twin-Stage Air Induction ram-air system feeds dense, cool air to the airbox, however now through bigger interior/outer ducts. In depth testing within the wind tunnel and on the race monitor confirmed the bigger ducts resulted in a slight enhance in steering effort. To counteract that trait, the outer ducts have holes punched by way of them, an thought Honda efficiently tried years earlier than on its Grand Prix roadracers. In consequence, the RR makes high-speed transitions with ease and confidence.” That’s all we’ve for now. Subsequent step, full-blown comparo?
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