2009 Honda CBR 600 RR Preview

With all the success the of the 2007 & 2008 Honda CBR 600RR, there is quite an anticipation to see what the new generation is going to bring to the table. The 07/08 CBR 600RR was unanimously voted as the "best middle weight sports bike" by every magazine on the planet. As an owner of a 2007 CBR 600RR I can tell you that it is truly a work of art, and a giant of race engineering. Having a reputation like that will garner much fanfare and even greater expectation.

Honda like most other motorcycle companies remain secretive about their up coming releases, they keep everything under wraps almost until the day of release, then suddenly bombard you with all the new info you need to know.

..But here is what we know thus far-

ABS, yup that's right. It's not just for your car any more, like much of the advances we see on our modern street bikes, this is another trickle down gift from HRC (Honda's MotoGp Team). The new ABS system will be an option for the new 2009 line of CBR's and it will add 21 lbs. of weight to the over all bike. That is quite a bit of weight to ad to a bike, but you also have to keep in mind that the Honda CBR 600RR is the lightest 600cc sports bike out there, by almost 40 lbs. So it will still be considerably lighter than its competition even with the new ABS system. The new ABS system is going to work in conjunction with "fly by wire" technology that was originally developed for military jets. That means in essence that all the actually braking for is going to be generated from the bike itself. The bike with sense brake level input from he rider, and transmit that signal to a hydraulic pump which in turn with engage the brake calipers. Another aspect of the system that the computer controls is rear to front braking delivery ratio. With the new system, when ever the rear brake is applied, the computer will relay information, and will also engage the front brakes as well. This is only the case when applying pressure to the rear brake, and this is done and controlled completely by the computer on the bike. The computer controls two power units, one at the front, one at the rear. It detects how the wheel is spinning under braking while how much force is being exerted on the brakes through the hydraulic lines through a couple of valve/sensor setups, and uses the power units to control the valves to apply as much braking pressure can be applied without actually locking up the wheels. Honda's has stated that there will be an internal override switch, and that when the is not running the brakes revert back to a conventional hydraulic system.

Besides the new braking system, the other obvious change to the CBR 600RR is the new colors available. Honda will continue to make the CBR in the flagship "Honda Red" scheme, there are a few new (interesting to say the least) paint schemes for the new 2009 CBR 600RR. It seems that "throwback" is the name of the game these days, from sports jerseys and hats, to even movie remakes. I guess sport bikes are not excluded from the trend either. Honda has released the new neon blue pain scheme with decals to boot. It's reminiscent of the old sport bike look of the late 80's and early 90's. I suppose for some of the riders who have been around for a while it will inspire a sense of nostalgia. Also Honda is offering its classic race colors, the tri-color red, white, and blue paint scheme as well, we have not see that color scheme in over a decade either. Even more on the odd side of things is the new forest green for the new 2009 CBR 600RR, it will either repulse you, or indulge your taste for the eccentric.

Along with the new colors come, a few minor fairing changes, with some more sweeping lines, and two tone pattern the bike looks essentially the same. The front turn signal indicators, have remained in there original place, but have been slightly reworked into a smaller design.

The Honda team is always delivering new and exciting features for the CBR 600RR series, and this year they have taken a giant leap into the dark with the new braking system. Early reports have confirmed it as a success, but we will have to wait and see how the general public feels about the system and its usability. If it hailed as a landmark of technology, you are sure to see the other manufacturers fall inline with the new concept.