General Comments:

After spending 3 years with my Kawasaki Ninja 250R, I decided to switch into a bigger CC bike. At first, I was looking for another Kawasaki, but then I wanted to try a different brand. I decided to go for the Honda, because it has the most comfortable riding position for my size.

Stepping from a 250CC bike into a 600CC is quite a different experience. It takes time to get used to the power, but it doesn't take that long. This bike handles so well, and it's not that hard to use all the power around the mountain roads.

It is also a pretty good daily bike. The seats are comfortable, and in my opinion, it has the best riding position compared to the other 600CC Japanese sports bikes. It has plenty of power for my daily commute.

After testing a couple of sports bikes in the motorcycle club, I decided to sell the bike last year and bought the Yamaha R6. I realized that although the Honda is pretty fast for my standard, the competitors offer much more power. Despite that, I still think the Honda is the most comfortable bike for daily use, and it is a great handling bike.

Faults:

Nothing! It's a Honda.

General Comments:

Had very high mileage when I got it. The first day I owned the bike, a guy on a Harley thought he was being funny by revving his ridiculously loud Harley next to my Honda at the lights. I gave it one rev to about 12,000 RPM and the guy looked a little worried as his pushrod powered Harley probably topped out at 8-9000 RPM (1950s engine technology).

On half throttle I left the Harley standing, and let's just say he wasn't so amused after I toyed with him the whole way home.

This bike is insane over 7000 RPM; it just flies. The transmission shifts so smooth and it's only a 600cc, yet I've never had to open it up all the way to beat any other bike off the lights.

I've never come up next to a 1000cc Honda, Suzuki or Yamaha etc. But I did smoke a 1600cc Harley once where the guy wasn't too impressed when I told him my bike was a 600!!!

The Honda is very light; not much heavier than my previous bike (CM200t).

Even over 90,000km and redlining the heck out of the bike daily, it still purrs like a champ.

Faults:

Slight rattle from front. Went away on its own?

General Comments:

I’ve owned the bike for 1 year so far.

Powertrain -

1st, the obvious… This bike is faaaast. Over 7000 rpm it becomes a monster.

It’s a pleasure for everyday use, because the engines power band and torque is usable in the real world, while not hindering track performance. Unlike Yamaha’s 6 that requires a high ricey rev to take off from a stop, the RR takes off without any hesitation and sounds deeper in stock trim. Furthermore, corner exit is effortless because of the added torque.

The clutch is precise, although I did find it was a bit stiff at first.

The gears shift effortlessly with a nice mechanical, precise feel.

I did have an issue with getting stuck in neutral in the 1st month of owning it. The bike was brand new, and I would sometimes coast to a red light, downshifting without engaging gears. Then when I tried to take off, I couldn’t get it into gear, even when rolling the bike; it would take several tries. This went away with proper downshifting. After the 1st or second service interval, it went away altogether.

Handling –

Handling is where this machine truly outclasses the competition. The brakes are incredibly strong, and provide the great feedback, letting the rider know where the threshold is, and they are fade free.

The stock suspension setup is perfect for everyday use. It’s nice to know it’s fully adjustable, front and rear.

The handling is predictable, sharp and as simple as imagining the line to take.

Very tossable into tight corners.

My bike came with the Dunlop tires. I have to say, in warm weather when they reach temperature, they are excellent tires. They don’t wear too quickly either.

My gripe with these tires, is that when they are cold, they make the bike feel much bigger and heavier. In late fall, cooler weather riding, they are hockey pucks. Take a corner too fast when cold, and you will drift off your line and be forced to make some tough decisions.

Ergonomics.

The seat has excellent padding for a sport bike.

Although comfortable by sport bike standards, it is still a sport bike, and does get tiresome on 6+ hours of non stop riding.

The rear set foot pegs are great for increased ground clearance, but create some leg cramps.

Definitely a great bike. Not for complete noobs, however it is the most forgiving of the 600’s.