As good as the Kawasaki is on the street, the CBR does it one better. The engine has what feels like a better power spread, pulling equally well away from a stop, exiting tight turns or in fast sweepers. The riding position is plenty comfortable, the diminutive fairing provides a surprising amount of wind protection, and the Honda has the nicest gauge package. Its suspension is the best of the group for any street riding, and the chassis is the most balanced, making all our test riders instantly comfortable and boosting confidence. Sound almost perfect? It is, aside from a slightly lurchy throttle and an annoyingly hard seat, which will have you squirming around less than a half hour into a ride.
That leaves the GSX-R withstanding the onslaught of the four updated models as our favorite street ride. Its potent upper midrange and beautifully crisp-but-smooth throttle response make it easy to ride quickly; the raciest ergos of the bunch are considerably eased by a softish seat and ample wind protection; and the chassis-aside from suspension that is a bit harsher than the others over midcorner bumps-is without fault.
Round 3: The office
Summing up this test is a difficult proposition, and many restaurant-table conversations and hushed conferences were required. Basically, you can't go wrong with any of these five bikes. The Triumph now has a motor to match its always-good chassis, and it's the cheapest of this group by a fair chunk. The Yamaha is a fantastic package spoiled by an easily fixable fuel-injection glitch. But between the Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki, you could make an excellent argument for any one of them to be proclaimed the best middleweight (as no doubt many readers dissatisfied with our conclusion will proceed to do; that's Sport Rider, 6420 Wilshire Blvd...).
We're going to pick the CBR600RR for the overall based on a couple of key points. One is that it lapped just a hair behind the ZX-6R on the track, doing so with less motor and more stability. The second is that were it not for the blankety-blank plank of a seat, the Honda would have topped the GSX-R for street honors. The CBR finally delivers on Honda's promises of mass centralization and the Unit Pro-Link suspension. It really is a balanced package with excellent feedback that riders of practically any skill level will benefit from. The ZX-6R edges out the GSX-R for runner-up, and not just because of the killer motor. Kawasaki has built a great chassis around the 636cc mill. Lose the dash and low windscreen, and these last paragraphs may read differently. But finally, the CBR, easily the most improved middleweight this year, is as happy and capable of carving up the track as it is putting down to the corner store for a loaf of bread, something you can't say for either the Suzuki or Kawasaki.
| Test Notes Honda CBR600RR |
| + | Stable, user-friendly chassis |
| Great motor's or a 600 |
| - | Plank for a seat |
| Brakes could be better; where the radial-mount master cylinder? |
| x | Most improved middleweight |
Suggested Suspension SettingsHonda CBR600RR
Front: Spring preload: 7 turns out from full stiff; Rebound damping: 2 turns out from full stiff; Compression damping: 2.5 turns out from full stiff; Ride height: 5mm fork tube showing above triple clamp
Rear: Spring preload: Position 6 from full soft; Rebound damping: 0.75 turns out from full stiff; Compression damping: 11 clicks out from full stiff