All Tests – Honda CBR600F First Test: Hornet Fireblade Sauce – Affordable Supersport

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Honda CBR600F first test: a Hornet with Fireblade sauce

All Tests - Honda CBR600F First Test: Hornet Fireblade Sauce - Affordable Supersport

Surprised guest at the press launch of the new Honda CBR600F, the rain prevented the Site from having fun … but not from working! In fact, the bad weather even allowed us to better understand this faired 2011 Hornet.. First contact.

Affordable Supersport

In addition to the healthy and stable cycle part, the engine plays a major role on this CBR. Indeed, if the Hornet suffers from the comparison with competitors cubing an additional 75 to 200 cc, the CBR600F – who are these competitors by the way, even Honda struggles to identify them! – makes very good use of the 600 cc.

Under 7000 rev / min, the mill allows to wind serenely and the evasions of the rear wheel are not to be feared. Plus, that considerate – who said "knee slack"? – will appeal to the passenger who wants to learn about sports motorcycles.

Less high and less distant from the pilot than on a CBR600RR, the "co-pilot" benefits from the same position as on the Hornet. "Yes, some R&D members wanted to abandon the Hornet footrest plate and install separate elements like on the CBR-RRs", confesses Mr. Fukunaga,"but it was incompatible with our priority objective: to build a new motorcycle at a lower cost", for the customers of course, but also for the manufacturer.

Ditto for the passenger handles which, like on the very last Hornet, are similar to simple notches placed under the buttocks of the passenger. Easy to grip and aesthetic, they are not far enough back to withstand heavy acceleration and braking: it is better to place a hand on the tank … or to hold onto the driver !

Because when the needle of the tachometer – finally, the small digital briquettes! – exceeds 7000 rev / min, the gentle mechanics turn into a formidable machine, which can only be fully expressed on the track! The 102 horses of this "copied-faired" Hornet tumble at 12,000 rev / min, that is to say 1000 revolutions before the red zone.

A red zone that is hard to guess on the fully digital dashboard. In rainy weather, moreover, only the speed remains perfectly readable: the drops too quickly conceal trips, average and instantaneous consumption, the time, the engine T ° and the fuel gauge..

Without reaching the level of a 2-stroke, the 600 cc Honda therefore has two faces, which correspond perfectly to this type of motorcycle. Quiet until mid-speed, it allows you to walk with your sweetheart without any jerk. Beyond that, he expresses himself with vigor and makes you want to attack !

It is just unfortunate that the performance of the 4-cylinder is reduced by the lack of decibels. "Our engineers are keen to respect noise-reduction standards and tend to lower the slider further … But as an original Honda accessory, we offer an Akrapovic muffler which improves the sound, as well as the look. !", warns Sebastien Pernel, press manager at Honda France.

When handing over the keys to this new Honda CBR600F, one thing is clear: Site must take over the handlebars of this 2011 novelty, in the dry this time, and on the track! Because under its air of "sporty road" hides undoubtedly an appreciable Supersport, because accessible.

Do you find the CBR600RR too radical and too expensive and the CBF600 too wise and too basic? Then this Honda is for you. Displayed today at € 8,490 in its standard version, the CBR600F will have the good taste to offer C-ABS, from the end of March in Honda dealerships, at € 500 (against 600 usually at Honda) to stay under the € 9,000 mark.

A price which, compared to that of the Hornet (6490 € or 7090 € with the C-ABS) may seem high for some … But beware, "the Hornet benefits from a very aggressive introductory price in France. And compared to the CBR600RR, the CBR600F is 2200 € below", emphasizes Sebastien Pernel. For Site anyway, there is no reason for comparison: what biker really hesitates between a roadster or a sports car ?

"We firmly believe in this new model", Christophe Decultot (CEO of Honda France) told Site,"as soon as Japan presented the project to us, we supported it. For this first year, France also intends to sell 1300 CBR600F". Answer at the beginning of January, in the MNC annual report !

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