tft display 2004 honda cbr600rr price

It was while pondering a supersport that I saw this red and black 2017 Honda CBR600RR at a dealership and thought: it’s time to give one of these a spin.

Spoiler — I did eventually get a sportbike (and have since been through several). I did regret not getting this CBR600RR as their prices just keep going up!

Before the RR (which stands for Race Replica) Honda had the original series of the CBR600F (see that article for my long guide to that series of motorcycles). Honda later re-released the CBR600F in 2007 in much more muted form — those are low-spec streetbikes.

But in 2003, Honda decided to split out its 600-class motorcycles into two families: the street-friendly F series and the track-oriented RR range. That was when the CBR600RR was born.

Since 2019, in the street-oriented class we have had the Honda CBR650R, a street-oriented sports motorcycle that looks great has reasonably comfortable but somewhat sporty clip-ons, and a high-revving engine that produces 94hp. Many (including me) think it’s a callback to the Honda CBR600F4i of 2006, a motorcycle that captured the balance for many (including for me, which is why I bought one).

I’d buy the CBR650R in a heartbeat. I planned on buying a CBR650R, as I wrote in that article. Unfortunately, in Australia (where I was for a while), the CBR650R is only available in restricted form — half the horsepower. C’mon, Honda (Australia)!

Yes, the Honda CBR600RR of today is very, very similar to the original 2003 Honda CBR600RR. It looks very similar. But it’s lighter, has more mid-range torque, and has optional ABS.

Despite those changes, one thing that hasn’t changed for the Honda CBR600RR is that it’s the lowest-power in its class. I’m not sure why — but Honda faithful often explain this kind of thing away by saying that Honda motorcycles are more driveable on the street, whereas other brands sacrifice this for track capability. This trade-off usually means a smoother powerband that doesn’t give a torque (and power) surge at higher RPMs that other motorcycles might do.

Aesthetically, most modern sport motorcycles have a lot in common, but one thing that the CBR600RR has retained even until today is the under-seat exhaust.

Despite being a (relatively) high-powered race-oriented sport bike, the Honda CBR600RR is actually very easy and forgiving to ride. In its class, the CBR600RR is still the most comfortable sport bike, and it has been for all its life (in my opinion — every person’s body is different).

I’ve always found Honda four-cylinder motorcycles of any class (naked, sportbike, mid-size, litre-class) to be very easy and predictable to ride. They’re hard to stall, easy to launch, and easy to live with. Some people describe this as “boring”. I think of it as a motorcycle that gets out of your way and lets you do what you want to do.

Yes, the Honda’s flattish torque curve and vibration-free ride lacks the character of a big twin (including those from Honda), but that’s what’s great about the CBR600RR: you can poke around town on it, and you can fang it out on the back roads if you want, too.

I usually buy motorcycles used. Of the above, my personal preferences are the Kawasaki ZX-6R 636 and the Honda CBR600RR. I shop between the two on price, condition, and whether they have ABS — I’m not invincible and I like to have it.

Because of the fundamental similarities, they’re not different enough for me to call them “generations”. If you look at other bikes like the Honda FireBlade, generations were very different — different engine configurations, capacities, and tech. The CBR600RR evolved more gradually over a constant foundation.

The first CBR600RR was the first Honda to use Unit Pro-Link rear suspension, a variant on the single rear shock absorber with the upper mount connected to the rear swingarm subframe to help isolate undesirable forces transmitted to the steering head.

You can pick the early first-gen CBR600RR from the conventional fork set-up — i.e. they didn’t even have upside-down forks (USD forks as they’re known colloquially).

Most people didn’t choose ABS as an option because it added a huge 22 lb (10 kg) to curb weight. Because people tend to race the CBR600RR, ABS wasn’t seen as a popular option. Thus, it’s hard to find on the used market.

These days (in the 2020s and onwards), ABS is both an unavoidable regulatory necessity, and demands only a small weight increase. It’s standard on the latest model 2021+ Honda CBR600RR.

The CBR600RR of 2013 is the last one you can buy at a reasonable price. Honda didn’t actually introduce much in the 2013 model year, and nothing changed between 2013 and 2020 other than a few colour options.

Honda did improve the suspension of the 2013 Honda CBR600RR, introducing Showa Big Piston Fork tech. They also worked to keep the weight down. If you take it to a track, you can further reduce this weight by getting rid of emissions components that you need to keep it road legal.

Because of the relatively young age of the 2013-2020 Honda CBR600RR, and the fact that so much was done to improve the suspension and reduce the weight, this is the model I’d buy today.

Honda stopped selling the CBR600RR in Europe and the UK after 2016 due to EURO4 emissions regulations. But it was available in other places until 2020, after which it was replaced by the 2021+ Honda.

Even though the 2013 Honda CBR600RR still had legions of fans, those fans did start asking questions like “Why does this still not have an an assist/slipper clutch?”

Finally, in October 2020, the rumours of the return of the CBR600RR realised, and Honda launched a new CBR600RR in 2021 — but it never made it to the US or to Europe.

The new CBR600RR makes slightly more power, slightly higher up — typical of the trend of motorcycles under strict emissions regulations, squeezing everything they can out of an engine.

The new CBR600RR looks pretty awesome! Unfortunately, it won’t come to most parts of the world. And in places where it’s available, it’s quite expensive. For example, in Australia, the same money would get you a BMW S 1000 RR or a Yamaha YZF-R1. You’d have to be very committed to the 600-cc class to make that choice.

The new 2021+ CBR600RR has an upgraded electronics package, including a full IMU, giving lean angle-aware ABS and traction control. This comes straight off the CBR1000RR-R. The 2021 Honda CBR600RR also has a new TFT display, slip-assist clutch, an optional quick shifter, and LED lighting.

When buying a used CBR600RR, look for the same things you’d look for on any used motorcycle — evidence that one has been cared for well and has all its service and renewables up to date.

As we knew already, the 2021 Honda CBR600RR would not be coming to the European continent either, making the 600cc supersport a rather odd duck in terms of where it will be for sale.

Honda has confirmed to Asphalt & Rubber that the new CBR600RR will come to the Japanese market, and perhaps some other select Asian markets, primarily for racing homologation purposes, meaning it likely will be made in a small production volume.

Now Euro4 compliant, the 2021 Honda CBR600RR could come to the US and be legal for sale, but American Honda says the primary hurdle for the 2021 model is its price.

With the current Honda CBR600RR selling for $11,800 MSRP, the price of the new supersport would likely be several thousand dollars more, and thus putting it in near-superbike territory on price (but obviously not on performance). That is a non-starter for many buyers.

Compounding the issue is the fact that the 2021 Honda CBR600RR isn’t Euro5 compliant (Honda judging this R&D to be too expensive for the likely payoff, as the European appetite for 600cc machines has all but disappeared), meaning it cannot be sold in the European Union.

This takes away a one of the largest markets for Honda when it comes to selling the CBR600RR sport bike, which only increases the per unit cost of design, development, and production.

With 600cc bikes already an expensive proposition in Japan and other Asian markets, the would-be buyers of the 2021 Honda CBR600RR are more resistant to the effects of a higher price tag – thus the increased cost for the electronics and engine development are likely only a fraction of what the taxes and cost-of-ownership expenses will look like.