Back in 2024, Japanese bike maker Honda brought back to the European continent a supersport two-wheeler called the CBR600RR. This week, the company presented the latest incarnation of the design, which will be sold as a 2027 model year.
Called by its maker the middleweight supersport jewel, the motorcycle gets enhanced with new looks, performance upgrades, and new technologies meant to allow riders to achieve faster lap times.
The two-wheeler continues to be built around the same frame as before, an aluminum twin-spar design backed by a swingarm made from the same material. The suspension system is made of 41 mm forks at the front and a Pro-Link shock at the rear, both of them supplied by Showa.
The engine that gets this thing going is an inline four-cylinder that displaces 599cc and was tweaked to develop 119 hp at 14,500 rpm and 63 Nm of torque at 11,500 rpm. Power is routed to the back wheel through an assist/slipper clutch and a quickshifter.
There are three standard riding modes on deck for the motorcycle, as well as two custom ones. Finally, a 4-2-1 exhaust system handles the bike’s exhaling needs.
For the 2027 model year, Honda adopted for the CBR600RR some tech that’s usually deployed on the flagship Fireblade supersport machine. The list includes the radial-mount front brake calipers, the ABS system with three selectable modes, and the electronics package.
Propped on cast aluminum wheels sized 17 inches front and rear, the new CBR600RR carries with it a refreshed look, especially at the front, where Honda opted for a downforce-generating spoiler. When it becomes available at European dealers later on, it will be offered in two color choices, Ignition Red TriColour and Matt Ballistic Black Metallic.
Perhaps the most important news is the fact that the Japanese will make available no less than three Honda Racing Corporation race kits that can only be used on tracks. They all require the removal of all road safety systems and replacing them with things like a racing ECU, racing exhaust, and a revised suspension system.
Adding these kits is understandable, seeing how the CBR600RR is a monster on the track. From more than two decades ago, the motorcycle won the FIM World Super Sports championship for five years in a row in the mid and late 2000s, snatched the Asia Road Racing championship for four years in a row in the 2010s, and the All-Japan Road Race championship at about the same time.
Honda says that since returning to the European market two years ago, it has sold more than 9,600 units of this bike, and that’s quite something, seeing how the machine is not meant for everybody. The updates announced this week are, of course, meant to keep the sales numbers going.
