All Duels – Duel CBR600F Vs ER-6f: two cheap road bikes? – The CBR600F and ER-6f put to the test

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Duel CBR600F Vs ER-6f: two cheap road bikes ?

All Duels - Duel CBR600F Vs ER-6f: two cheap road bikes? - The CBR600F and ER-6f put to the test

Do you really have to break the bank to go on a motorcycle vacation? To find out, Site attacked Mont Ventoux on two small streamlined roadsters: the Honda CBR600F released in 2011, and the 2012 version of the Kawasaki ER-6f. Duel at the top !

The CBR600F and ER-6f put to the test

In anticipation of the few days of hard-working vacation in the Drôme region, the Site team has planned to have some adaptable luggage on the motorcycles and future customers will have the possibility of switching to the accessories department of the manufacturers to perfect the "Grand Tourism" skills of their motorcycles.

As such, Kawa customers are the most polished: with a 30-liter top-case for urbanites or 35-liter saddlebags for travelers, the ER-6f has something to satisfy any type of user. . Apart from perhaps the less fortunate !

Because with their supports and "hubcaps" matching the color of the motorcycle, Kawasaki suitcases cost 776 euros per pair while the top-case, its support, its painted cover and its cushion cost 333 euros. In comparison, the equipment offered on the Honda is much cheaper … but also less practical.

Offered at 125 euros, the Travel bag is attached to the passenger seat and prohibits any trip with two people, while the capacity of this bag is limited to 19 liters. The ER-6f therefore wins this first round of the holidays !

On the practical side, however, the CBR does not defend itself so badly. Like the Kawasaki, the Honda can accommodate under its saddle a disc lock or a U "specific manufacturer" and has four retractable straps to install a net..

This is what MNC decided to do, because the Bagster of the Hornet of our second driver does not fit on the CBR600F because of its more convex tank and its fairing attachments..

Full of gasoline OK, oil and brake fluid levels OK, chain tension OK, cleanliness of the plates, reflectors, lights … and rims to make the tire pressure (neither one nor the other does not have an angled valve) OK: we can start !

Luggage, checklists and departure

Riding a CBR600F or ER-6f is usually no problem. In this case, the bags and saddlebags make the operation a little more acrobatic and aerial, but once the buttocks are placed on the saddles the feet firmly touch the ground..

We then make the final adjustments to the mirrors which offer a good view of the two machines and levers – adjustable on both sides on the Kawa, brake side only for the Honda -, and we can consider ourselves ready to go..

The contained weight of the two motorcycles allows them to be moved easily. However, we feel that the center of gravity is slightly higher on the Kawa, which requires a little more effort to be raised from the side stand (no central neither on one nor the other).

Conversely, once the engines have started, the Kawa is a little more alert at low speed, thanks to its handlebars placed much higher than that of the Honda. On the Green, the throttle is a little more measured on the very first degrees of opening, which allows better negotiation of the first start.

For its part, the CBR600F is immediately wilder and the engine of the little Fireblade is already hissing with impatience at the idea of ​​leaving to stretch the rods! The sound of the airbox is much more present than on the ER-6f … and even on the Hornet !

A few taps on the instrument panels and trip totals are all reset. When it comes to instrumentation, the Kawasaki once again plays the card of simplicity and wins: in addition to its larger buttons, the rev counter and the fuel gauge of the ER-6f are more readable and the lack of engine temperature do not harm.

Neither of these two “road apprentices” offers a gear indicator but both inform their driver about fuel consumption. Carrying 18.4 liters of coconut against 16 for the Kawa, the Honda leaves with a significant advantage.

And yet, the CBR600F is indeed the first to trigger the arrival alert on reserve! Be careful because the signal is not the most noticeable (only the small icon of the fuel pump starts to flash).

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