So, if you’re on a budget and want a new four-cylinder honed sports bike, even though the CBR is a little soft and novice-friendly, there really is only one! The difference now is it has literally no four-cylinder rivals. It’s proved a huge success, too, recreating that mix of fun, practicality and value that served the original so well. Further updates came in 2014 (to 650cc) and 2017 (extra power and other refinements) and in 2019 was renamed as the CBR650R and gained Fireblade mimicking styling. The modern version recreates that recipe well, even though the sporting bar has been raised in the meantime by ultra-focused, more compromising supersports machines such as Yamaha’s R6.
#Sport motorbike full#
Introduced as the CBR600F in 2011 and based on 90bhp Hornet roadster mechanicals but with a full fairing and more sporting attitude, it was Honda’s attempt to revive the spirit of the original 1990s CBR600F which achieved a brilliant blend of practicality, sporting entertainment and affordability – which is why it sold so well. Simply: it’s the only four-cylinder sports bike that’s available at a budget price.
If you’re after an affordable bike that’s also a decent sportster and a practical all-rounder, they don’t come any better than Honda’s latest CBR650R as most recently updated in 2019. But if you want a more affordable alternative to the full-on superbike experience, there is another option (see below.) On the downside, £10K is still a fair bit of money, it’s tiny and cramped, especially for larger riders, and has limited practicality. Handling is sublime and the overall experience every inch the ‘junior ZX-10R’. This latest version of Kawasaki’s long-lived ZX-6R (the model dates all the way back to 1995) was last updated in 2019, and, at well under £10K, is by far the best-value of the surviving supersport 600s – Yamaha’s offering, the latest R6, for example, now chimes in at over £12K!įor that you get screaming four-cylinder thrills, a full 128bhp, 160mph potential, top-notch fully-adjustable suspension and quality brakes, a decent spread of electronics including two riding modes, and more. Supersport 600s always used to be the more affordable, practical stepping stone to full-on, 1000cc superbikes and the same is still true today. But as the latest version of Kawasaki’s supersport is also by far the cheapest of the surviving, four-cylinder, 600cc supersport breed, it’s earned its place. The CBR might not have quite the poster bike appeal of the Ninja 400, but it’s a better all round ride for more people.Īgain, along with the Ducati SuperSport, this is arguably stretching the very definition of ‘budget’.
#Sport motorbike update#
The chassis, too, errs on the safe and novice-friendly side of sports but the 2019 update sharpened its looks considerably to look more like a mini-Fireblade, its quality and spec was also improved and the handling is an easy joy that even more experienced riders will be entertained by through the twisties. All have been updated repeatedly since, most recently in 2019, and have proven hugely successful.Ī large part of the reason for that is their shared 471cc 47bbhp parallel twin powerplants which, by fully exploiting the classification (the rival Kawasaki and Yamaha twins aren’t as big or powerful) makes them the best performing – easy and flexible for novices but also with all the ‘top end’ rules allow. Honda’s all-new, A2-specific three-strong family of 500cc twins was first launched in 2014 comprising the CB500F roadster, CB500X adventure-styled bike and this, the sports variant. Now here’s a slightly controversial one, but bear with me.
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