Honda CBR600F ABS first ride: 'In a different league to the Yamaha Diversion'

Chief Road Tester, Trevor Franklin, is at last riding Honda’s eagerly awaited new middleweight, the CBR600F ABS, out in Spain. Here’s what he has to say so far:

“We’ve just ridden 50km along the motorway before heading off into the twists and turns of the Spanish countryside. For motorway use the Honda has proved quite effective, it’s a very comfortable riding position and the engine is quite happy to sit at 70-80 mph with no vibes reaching the rider.

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“With the standard screen in place the rider is actually quite happy in the wind blast with very minimal buffeting to the helmet and the world is a rosy place.

“In the twists and turns the CBR is a balanced joy. I must admit I half expected it to get out of shape when pushed hard on the brakes and in the crests but instead the CBR stays straight and true.

“For anyone stepping up to the middleweight class, who wants to hone their sport riding skills without the complication of a high revving Supersport this could be the tool.

“It’s already obvious that this is in a different league to something like Yamaha’s XJ6 Diversion-F.”

Read Trevor’s full test in next week’s Motorcycle News, out Mar 16.