redelk
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Please... speak to the hand.
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posted November 29, 2002 08:12 PM
 Edited By: redelk on 1 Dec 2002 22:06
Dallas Show Part IV - Honda
A Surprise from Honda
website: http://www.hondamotorcycle.com/motorcycles/sport/
RC51 MSRP: $10,999.00
I didn't take any pic of the RC51, because to me, it appears unchanged. Honda claims that the windscreen has been redesigned and the swingarm has been lengthened 16mm. When I sat on one the '00 Show, I said that seating position and tank made it fell "big and bulky". Even after shaving weight from numerous components, it still has a dry weight of 430 pounds.
Still, keep in mind, I have not rode several of the bikes I'm reporting on and this is merely a "stationary, seat of the blue jeans" viewpoint. Like other V-Twin sportbikes, the RC51 is a bike that requires a certain preference in riding style and performance. Claiming the 2002 AMA championship means very little now, with liter bikes from the other manufacturers joining the fray. I personally find it hard to believe that Honda will be able to hold off these new 1000cc bikes like they did the 750s. That's not to say that Honda doesn't have the financial and R&D resources to easily prove me wrong.
CBR954RR MSRP: $10,599.00
Several changes have been made to the 954, but I'm not quite sure who they are trying to appeal to or compete with. A new headlight configuration has a single, central H7 low/high beam surrounded by two additional H7 high beams and the tail light has been changed to one with LEDs.
The bike feels slightly lighter then the claimed 370 pounds, but not by much. It has a very comfortable seating position. It seems to feel like it's seating is a tad more aggressive or "sporting" then the Kawasaki 9R. It's the 9R that I feel would be the 954's direct competition. Neither the 954 or the 9R really compares to the R1 or GSXR 1000, yet it appears that at least Honda is trying with the 954's claimed 154 HP, which is more than I can say for KHI.
CBR600F4i MSRP: $8,199.00
Interestingly, the F4i weighs the same as the 954. Still, the F4i makes for a good all around riding 600. It won't be left in the dust by the other 600s, but on a good set of twisties, it might be towards the back of the pack when compared to the other manufacturers' similar offerings of the R6, GSXR 600 and Kawasaki's new 636.
CBR600RR MSRP: $8,599.00
Here what I call Honda's "Big Surprise". At least it was to me, but I don't really keep a close eye on the latest 600 class news and rumors. Available in March '03, the new CBR600RR raises the bar on it's competition. Though it has the same dry weight as it's F4i brother, there are numerous differences.
Starting off with the RR's larger front forks (45mm vs. 43mm) and front rotors (320mm vs. 296mm). The RR's rake angle is the same as the F4i's, but the trail is a single mm less (95mm vs. 96mm). The RR's wheelbase is also longer (54.7" vs. 54.5") and it's seat height is slightly taller (32.3" vs. 31.7"). Sadly, Honda did not have a CBR600RR available to sit on. The only one there was on a revolving display.
There are several other internal changes as well. The RR has a dual stage fuel injection and what they call a "three dimensional" ignition mapping. Swft might be able to tell us what that means, but I don't have a clue. Honda has this on all of their sportbikes.
Other differences were easier to spot. The underseat exhaust is said to be inspired from their RC211V MotoGP bike. It might look trick and function well, but I see it as a potentially pricey proposition (if not impossible) if one's interested in changing to an aftermarket exhaust system. Even if it's a slip on.
How the CBR600RR will stack up to the ZX-6RR, 636, R6 and GSXR 600 is anyone's guess. If I was a betting man, I'd think that this offering from Honda will have little trouble in dealing with the Gixxer and maybe even the R6. The 636 might be a more of a challenge, but it might take more than just the additional displacement to put the Honda down. As for the ZX-6RR (which probably won't be as easily obtainable as the Honda), that could be a completely different story.
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There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
   
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Hells Dark Lord
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living life, and loving it.
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posted November 29, 2002 08:25 PM
with all that I have read on the middle weights Red I would have to agree with ya....I think the ZX6RR is gonna be the one to beat this year, with the CBR RR running a close 2nd, but the class itself is gonna be a good one this year.....we shall see
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swft
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Full throttle!
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posted November 29, 2002 09:11 PM
I agree, 600 Supersport should be the class to watch this year.
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ZHooligan
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posted December 01, 2002 12:07 AM
Spoke to the Honda dealer today. He is slated to get 12 of the CBR600RRs. I doubt Kawi will make the ZX6RR as obtainable.
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To those who do not count their life in years, but in how life
has touched them in the past and how much it can hold in the
future; -- Youth is forever.
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Hells Dark Lord
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living life, and loving it.
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posted December 01, 2002 10:48 PM
Z i read an article that said that Kawi is only planning on bringing 1000 6RR to the states, that is less than 1 per dealer......
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ZHooligan
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posted December 01, 2002 11:32 PM
I read the same stuff. I just don't get it. Yamaha and Suzuki absolutely dominate the 600 Supersport class around the country at the club racer level. Then comes Honda and some place way back from there you se an occasional (it has a nice personality) ZX6. Kawi needs to kick out all the RRs they can make and kick the other manufactures butts. They have come up with a real piece of hardware now they need to sell to us!
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To those who do not count their life in years, but in how life
has touched them in the past and how much it can hold in the
future; -- Youth is forever.
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beansbaxter
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posted December 02, 2002 08:10 AM
That CBR600RR is hella cool....like the undertail exhaust, nice bike. Kawi is supposed to make the 6R very available.
I read the 6RR is limited, but when it was still a concept, I thought Kawi wanted to make it more available if someone wanted one, not limiting it like the 7RR. But then I read the 6RR was a limited production run.
Does making it limited really help its value? Is there anything positive by doing this?
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