Is the new Honda CBR600 worthy of the name?

Honda’s new-for-2011 CBR600F brings an iconic name back to the middleweight class – but does it live up to its illustrious forbears?

Where the original CBRs were market-leading supersports in their own right, the new version has already come in for some stick for being essentially a mildly tweaked and facelifted existing old model – the Hornet CB600F.

And while the originals used advanced technology and design aimed at class-leading performance, the newcomer seems to have a more ‘parts-bin’ approach aimed more at budget price and value.

So, to find out if the new bike really can lay claim to being a worthy successor to the great CBRs of old there was only one thing to do – test it against them!

In this week’s MCN we pit the new Honda CBR600F against every significant CBR600 of old – including the original from 1987, the 1991 F2, 1995 F3 and 1999 F4 and we were both surprised and impressed by how it measured up.

See our full test in the new Motorcycle News – out now. Get MCN from only £1 an issue when you subscribe today