So I’ve been riding the new Honda CBR600RR for a few weeks now and OMG I’m still not over how good it feels compared to the older models. After Honda ghosted us for like SEVEN years (seriously, where were they??), they’ve finally brought back the CBR600RR for 2024/2025 with some MAJOR upgrades that honestly make it worth the wait.
First impression? This bike is a true supersport – its crazy agile, loves to rev, and feels like it belongs on a track – but Honda’s somehow made it totally usable for street riding too (thank god for those rider aids!). The engine is that classic 599 cc, high-revving inline-four setup (DOHC, 16 valves) that’s now tuned for Euro5+ emissions, and they’ve basically taken all the electronic goodies from the Fireblade family and packed them in here.
Honda says it makes 119.4 bhp at 14,250 rpm and 63.0 Nm of torque at 11,500 rpm. Is that true? From what I can tell after thrashing it around for a couple weeks, YEP – and in real-world riding that power feels broad and responsive in a way the old 600RRs just…didn’t? Honestly it puts it right up there with everything else in its class.
Side note: The bodywork on this thing is GORGEOUS with those MotoGP-style winglets and the super compact riding position that basically forces your body weight into the perfect position for cornering. It screams “take me to a track day!” every time I look at it in my garage.
Honda’s done some really cool engineering updates that I’m kinda obsessed with. First, there’s this dual-stage fuel injection system (basically one injector near the throttle, one in each cylinder), plus a ram-air intake, and a close-ratio 6-speed gearbox with an assist/slipper clutch. The quickshifter? OMG. It’s SO precise and fast – I was literally giggling in my helmet the first time I ripped through some upshifts on a backroad.
In actual riding, the engine feels “fast without being aggressive” if that makes sense? The throttle connection is super responsive but doesn’t try to kill you. And the sound when you hit the higher revs? THAT SCREAM. You can literally FEEL the bike come alive above 10,000 rpm – but here’s the thing that impressed me most: they’ve somehow fixed that annoying low-end flat spot that made the older 600s such a pain in city riding.
Even when I’m creeping through tight corners or navigating city traffic, there’s actually enough grunt that it “would be equally happy plodding around town or countryside” (though let’s be real, nobody’s buying this bike to “plod” anywhere lol). I took it to a track day last weekend, and I never once felt like I needed more power. As one review from Bennetts said – and I totally agree – “119-and-a-bit horsepower is … more than enough to get up and out of a corner quickly, bringing those endorphins to the fore.” 💯
Engine Performance & Throttle Response: K so the engine is definitely happiest when you keep the revs high, and MAN does it deliver a rush when you’re pushing toward redline! The throttle is super sharp – like even the smallest twist translates to immediate acceleration – but it’s not jerky thanks to Honda’s engine mapping (which is a lifesaver on sketchy roads). I’ve read other testers calling the throttle “delightfully responsive” and “fast without being aggressive” and yep, that’s exactly how I’d describe it too.
There is this tiny flat spot around 7,000–8,000 rpm that I noticed, but once you push past that? HOLD ON because the power just keeps coming all the way to the 15k limiter! I barely noticed any turbo-lag feeling; this thing pulls HARD from 8k and doesn’t quit until you hit the rev limiter. And can we talk about that quickshifter for a sec? The shifts are “short but require a firm tap… you won’t be changing by mistake” which means you can bang through the gears with confidence even when you’re really pushing it.
Overall, the engine feels really modern (probably cause of all that Euro5+ compliance stuff they had to do), but it still sings that classic inline-4 song at high revs that makes all of us who grew up with 90s/2000s sportbikes feel nostalgic af.
Power & Specifications: According to Honda (and my butt dyno confirms lol), the Honda CBR600RR’s engine makes 119.4 bhp (89 kW) @ 14,250 rpm and 63.0 Nm @ 11,500 rpm. It’s got a 67.0 mm bore x 42.5 mm stroke, 12.2:1 compression, and dual 40 mm throttle bodies with 12-hole injectors.
The tank is pretty generous – 4.8-gallon (18 L) – and it’s positioned really low in the chassis which helps with mass centralization. I’ve been averaging around 50 mpg (UK) with mixed riding (some spirited canyon runs, some normal commuting), which gives you theoretically 200+ miles between fill-ups (Honda claims ~203 miles).
Weight-wise, it’s around 193 kg (425 lb) with all fluids, which is a bit heavier than naked middleweights but pretty typical for a 600cc supersport. (For reference, the ZX-6R is basically the same weight and the R6 is about 190 kg.) I’ll include a spec comparison table below:
| Model | Engine | Power | Torque | Wet Weight | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honda CBR600RR (2025) | 599 cc inline-4 DOHC | 119.4 hp @ 14,250 rpm | 63.0 Nm @ 11,500 rpm | 193 kg (425 lb) | Ride Modes (5), Traction Control (9-level), ABS, Electronic Steering Damper, Quickshifter, Slip Clutch |
| Yamaha YZF-R6 (2020) | 599 cc inline-4 DOHC | 116.7 hp @ 14,500 rpm | 61.7 Nm @ 10,500 rpm | ~190 kg (419 lb) | ABS; slipper clutch; no traction control; stock quickshifter (downshift only) |
| Kawasaki ZX-6R (2022) | 636 cc inline-4 DOHC | 136 hp @ 13,500 rpm | 70.6 Nm @ 11,500 rpm | 193 kg (426 lb) | 3-mode KTRC Traction Control, Kawasaki Quick Shifter (KQS), ABS, slipper clutch |
| Suzuki GSX-R600 (2019) | 599 cc inline-4 DOHC | 125 hp @ 13,550 rpm | 60.5 Nm @ 11,700 rpm | 187 kg (412 lb) | ABS (only), slipper clutch; no modern traction control or ride modes |
Ok let’s talk about the chassis. This is where the Honda CBR600RR really blew me away. Honda uses a twin-spar aluminum frame and swingarm. These are basically borrowed from the Fireblade family. It has a 24° rake. It has 100 mm trail. The wheelbase measures 53.9″.
In actual riding, this thing is STUPID agile. It’s a think-about-turning-and-it-happens kind of agile. It changes direction almost telepathically. It holds your line through corners with barely any input. I took it to my local track day. Our track has a pretty technical layout. I found it “well balanced, agile in corners and with plush, controlled suspension.” That’s exactly what you want!
The suspension is where Honda’s really stepped up their game. They’ve put in the newest Showa Big Piston Fork (SFF-BP). It has 41 mm stanchions that give you 4.7″ of travel. It’s fully adjustable for preload, compression and rebound. The rear shock is Showa’s Unit Pro-Link monoshock. It’s also fully adjustable. It offers 5.1″ of travel.
I was worried it’d be too track-focused for streets. I feared it might be bone-jarringly stiff for daily use. But I was totally wrong! The suspension was surprisingly compliant over crappy, potholed roads. Even track instructors said it was “spot on” on a bumpy launch track. You can run decent speeds into and out of corners. While leaned over, the electronics quietly keep you stable. The IMU-based ABS and traction management work well.
I noticed one small issue with the front end. It gets a bit light over high crests at extreme speeds. I figured out that shifting my weight forward solved this problem. You could also increase the rear preload to fix it. The stock settings worked really well for me. I’m about 75kg for reference.
Ride and Braking: The Honda CBR600RR weighs around 193 kg wet. It feels super light on its feet. The steering is crazy quick and direct. You literally just think about the apex. The bike “follows very naturally” as one reviewer accurately said.
The response to inputs is immediate. On track I could flick it from side to side easily. I could lean it way over without any scary surprises. The brakes are STRONG. They’re more powerful than older 600s. There are dual 310 mm floating discs up front. They have four-piston calipers. The rear has a 220 mm disc. Mine came with Brembo hardware. Some markets might get Tokico instead.
The brakes grab HARD with good initial bite. I noticed the lever can feel slightly spongy at first pull. That’s pretty common on radial calipers though. Overall stopping power is excellent. The ABS system knows your lean angle. It adjusts accordingly. You can trail-brake into corners with confidence. You won’t lock up. MCN’s test nailed it perfectly. They said: “It’s a lovely machine…thanks to its friendly power, plush suspension, accurate steering, strong brakes and crisp new up-and-down quickshifter.” I could NOT agree more.
So the BIGGEST change from the old Honda CBR600RR has gotta be the electronics. Honda’s basically taken a page from their literbike playbook. They packed this thing with a 6-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU). It handles EVERYTHING – ABS, traction control, wheelie control and an electronic steering damper.
There are five rider modes (Sport, Road, Rain, User, plus a “Track” mode). You can flip between them using the handlebar switches. Each mode changes both the throttle response. They also adjust how much the traction control interferes with your fun. The HSTC (Honda Selectable Torque Control) has NINE levels of sensitivity. This honestly feels like overkill but I’m not complaining!
In actual riding, I keep it in “Sport” mode most of the time. This gives maximum power with minimal electronic handholding. “Rain” and “Road” modes are actually super useful when the weather turns bad. They also help when I’m just cruising around town. Sometimes you don’t want that razor-sharp throttle response. I mostly left it in Sport or User mode for max power. It was nice knowing I could dial in something more mellow. This helped when I was just running errands.
What impressed me most is how SEAMLESS and unobtrusive these aids are. On track it almost feels like they’re “not even there” until you need them. The traction control saves your butt from a potential high-side. You’d hardly even notice thanks to how smoothly it cuts power. It restores power very naturally too. This literally happened to me coming out of a slightly damp corner. I only realized later when I checked the TC light was flashing!
Honda’s Electronic Steering Damper (HESD) is another gamechanger. It automatically adjusts damping based on your speed and handlebar movement, so you get rock-steady stability on straights but light, flickable steering at parking lot speeds. What this meant for me was I could absolutely CRACK the throttle open on corner exit without worrying about tank-slappers – the front wheel stays totally planted even under hard acceleration. The IMU-enabled cornering ABS was awesome too – you can brake pretty deep into turns with a huge safety net (though I try not to rely on it TOO much).
Other tech goodies include that quickshifter I mentioned (which has 3 levels of adjustment – I kept mine on the most aggressive setting cause WHEEE!), the assist/slipper clutch for smooth downshifts, and LED lighting all around. There’s even a little joystick thing on the cockpit for scrolling through menus and those winglets molded into the fairing aren’t just for looks – they actually help with stability at high speeds.
It’s MILES away from the old-school analog supersports we grew up with. All these electronic toys make the CBR600RR way more friendly and confidence-inspiring than a barebones R6 or GSX-R, especially when conditions aren’t perfect. Bottom line: Honda packed this bike with literbike-class electronics that protect you from yourself while still letting you access all that 600cc goodness.
Let’s be real about the ergonomics – they’re racing-oriented and pretty aggressive. The rider triangle is no joke. The seat height is about 820 mm (32.4″). The handlebars are LOWWW. The footpegs are high and rearset. You really do have to get tucked in behind that tiny windscreen. This helps you take advantage of the bike’s aero.
Honda’s designers lowered and narrowed the tank cover by about 10 mm compared to the previous model. This gives more room to grip the tank with your knees. You can more easily get tucked in behind the fairing. Even when my 6-ft buddy (14 stone, 190 cm) tried it, he could slide back fully. He could tuck in without issues. Wind blast is surprisingly minimal once you’re tucked. Honda claims this thing has the lowest drag coefficient in its class. When I was on the highway at cough license-revoking speeds cough, I could hold the throttle wide open. In a tuck, my arms didn’t want to fall off.
HOWEVER… comfort is clearly NOT the priority here lol. The riding position is pretty hardcore, though narrower than many modern nakeds. The seat is pretty firm and short. It’s great for track sessions or spirited backroad blasts. It’s not exactly plush for long touring. My taller friends found it a bit cramped. Overall it’s exactly what you’d expect from a supersport. It’s perfect for trackdays and canyon carving. It’s terrible for commuting or cruising around town. You’ll feel EVERY tiny bump in the road.
The windscreen is tiny, so you really have to scrunch down for wind protection. On the plus side, when you ARE tucked in properly, there’s less buffeting. This means you can focus on hitting those apexes. Passenger comfort? LMAO what passenger? The RR is 100% focused on the rider. The stock pillion pad is basically decorative.
The suspension handles bumps better than I expected. With the stock settings, the ride is definitely on the firm side. This is perfect for smooth tracks. When you’re just cruising around, the suspension can feel stiff. Rough city streets will definitely rattle your fillings a bit. Thankfully, you can adjust pretty much everything on the chassis. If you’re serious about street riding, you can soften the fork and shock. This makes it more comfy.
After putting about 1,500 miles on the Honda CBR600RR across different conditions, here’s what I’ve found: this is a precision machine that rewards aggression without punishing mistakes.
I took it to a trackday at [local track] the week after I got it, and even though the first session was damp (typical UK weather, amirite?), the RR tracked through corners like it was on rails. I never felt like I was fighting the bike or that it was trying to catch me out. The quick steering, cornering ABS and those grippy Pirelli tires let me focus on hitting my lines and carrying speed without worrying about what would happen if I screwed up slightly. I surprised myself with how quickly I got comfortable flicking it into corners! The chassis felt super neutral and eager – even leaned way over, the front end stayed planted rather than vague or mushy.
Bennetts’ review said it perfectly: “Brakes are powerful… plush, controlled suspension… nothing quite like taking a corner at full pelt on a supersport bike and knowing you’re not even scratching the surface of what it’s capable.” That’s EXACTLY how I felt. There’s so much more capability in this chassis than I can use right now, but it never feels scary or intimidating.
On public roads, the CBR is just as much fun (maybe even more so). That broad midrange (thanks to those dual injectors) means you don’t have to constantly blip the throttle and dance on the gear lever – it’ll actually lug along from 3,500 rpm if you need it to, which gives you way more confidence in traffic. You do have to feather the clutch a bit when crawling along (the slipper/assist clutch has a bit of bite to it), but once you’re moving the bike is super happy to rev.
The aggressive riding position means you REALLY feel every g-force when cornering, which for enthusiasts like me is part of the appeal, but more casual riders might prefer something less intense. The traction control has saved me a couple times already – like when pulling out of a gravel-strewn parking lot turn while being a bit too enthusiastic with the throttle (we’ve all been there), the rear wheel just spun a tiny bit rather than trying to highside me into next week. Thank you, electronics gods! 🙏
Overall, this bike is satisfying in both road and track environments, but it REALLY comes alive when you ride it hard. That’s when all the development work Honda did becomes obvious.
The Honda CBR600RR returns to a class that’s gotten pretty small lately. Its most direct rivals are Yamaha’s YZF-R6, Kawasaki’s Ninja ZX-6R, and (technically) Suzuki’s GSX-R600. Here’s my take after riding most of them:
In back-to-back riding, the Honda’s 119 hp feels just as strong on track, but it delivers power in a way more accessible manner. Where the R6 will punish you for a mid-corner throttle blip and needs to be kept screaming constantly, the CBR’s dual injectors and traction control smooth everything out. Ergonomically, they’re pretty similar (both VERY sporty) with seat heights within an inch of each other. The Yamaha’s handling is legendary in racing circles, but honestly the Honda’s chassis feels basically identical after the latest updates. Price-wise, the R6 was around $12-13k when new; the Honda will be roughly the same (Honda’s quoting ~$13,199 for 2025).
My take: the R6 is the “holy grail” track 600 for purists, but the CBR600RR matches its performance while adding rider aids that make it so much easier to exploit in actual riding conditions.
Both bikes have full electronics suites: Kawasaki’s has KTRC traction control (3 levels), ABS, and a quickshifter (though it only works for upshifts). The Honda definitely has an edge in tech (9-level TC vs. 3, and that awesome electronic steering damper). Suspension-wise, I found the CBR’s Showa fully-adjustable forks and rear shock to feel way more sophisticated than the ZX-6R’s setup (Kawasaki uses separate-function forks that some riders complain are a bit harsh). The Kawasaki is a bit cheaper ($11,399 MSRP vs. ~$13,199 for the Honda), which might sway some buyers.
Bottom line: the ZX-6R is a slightly tamer, torquier street machine, while the Honda CBR600RR is lighter and more rev-happy. If you want a little extra grunt, go Kawasaki; if you want the sharpest handling and latest electronics, the Honda’s your bike.
In terms of handling feel, old-school riders still love the GSX-R’s direct feedback and rigid chassis, but the Honda feels more balanced and forgiving thanks to its IMU and cornering ABS. Since Suzuki dropped the GSX-R600 after 2019, you can only find them used these days. For anyone buying new, the Honda is the obvious choice. If you can score a used GSX-R600 for cheap, it’s still a blast, but the CBR600RR is hands-down the better option if you’re comparing new or recent bikes.
So where does the new Honda CBR600RR sit? Right in the sweet spot, imo. Its 119 hp might be down a bit compared to the Kawasaki, but Honda’s crisp chassis and electronics let you carry more speed through corners with confidence. It beats the Yamaha and Suzuki on everyday usability because of the traction control and different throttle maps. And compared to the ZX-6R, it feels lighter and more agile, even if it gives up a little power on paper. Like Bennetts said, the new RR is “a truly modern 600cc rival” to the ZX-6R.
After living with the 2025 Honda CBR600RR for a while now, I can tell you this is an uncompromising supersport made for enthusiasts and track junkies. The aggressive ergonomics, firm suspension and high-revving engine mean this bike LOVES to be ridden hard. If you enjoy a sporty tuck position, quick direction changes and that spine-tingling four-cylinder howl, this bike delivers all day long. One review said “if you loved the Honda the first time around, you still will” and that’s 100% true – it keeps the soul of the original CBR600RR but adds all the electronic goodies we expect in 2025.
That said, this is NOT a bike for casual riders or comfort seekers. It’s not the most forgiving ride for tall people or city commuting – the seat and bars are racing-oriented, and you feel EVERYTHING from the road surface. The ride isn’t exactly plush, and comfort clearly took a backseat to performance. So if you’re looking for a friendly street bike, or if you rarely push past 10k rpm, maybe look at an R6 or ZX-6R. But if you’re CRAVING a pure supersport experience – for track days, canyon carving, or spirited weekend rides – the CBR600RR is seriously one of the best options in the 600cc class right now. It makes zero apologies for being niche, which is honestly part of its charm.
My Recommendation: The new CBR600RR is best for experienced riders who want a race-replica 600cc that feels like a baby Fireblade. It’s PERFECT for track day enthusiasts wanting a modern 600 with advanced electronics, or for longtime sportbike fans who loved the old CBR600RR and want it updated for Euro5. If you’re a beginner or mainly commute, you might find it a bit too intense (try sitting on one before you buy!). In short, if you want razor-sharp handling, a high-revving motor that sings, and all the electronic rider aids to keep the shiny side up, put the Honda CBR600RR at the top of your list.
Key Takeaways: the 2025 Honda CBR600RR offers AMAZING cornering capabilities and strong, smooth power with modern rider aids; it compares really well against rivals like the ZX-6R and R6 in terms of ride feel and features; and while it’s not the cheapest 600 out there, you get exceptional bang for your buck in terms of performance. I think MCN summed it up perfectly: it’s “still the supersports weapon it always was: light, agile, revvy and compact” – but now with all the cool tech we’ve come to expect in 2025.
Sources: Honda specs, Honda press info, independent reviews from BikeSocial/Bennetts and MCN, industry specs on competing bikes, and most importantly, my own experience thrashing this thing around for the last few weeks! 😎🏍️
So that’s my take on the new Honda CBR600RR – I genuinely think Honda knocked it out of the park with this one. After living with it for a bit, I’m seriously considering selling my current bike and putting one in my garage. Let me know if you have any specific questions about it – I’m happy to share more of my experience or dig deeper into any aspect of the bike you’re curious about!
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