The full test of Honda's new 2007 CBR600RR breaks cover. Long story short. He likes it. A. Lot. image by kevin wing

I wasn't even out of the last turn, and I was already looking—actually hoping and praying—to see the flagman waving the white flag to signal that we were on the last lap. Damn it, no white flag and what was worse, three quarters of the way down the straightaway, I felt the wind shift around my bike as my Honda Hurricane was pushing 140 mph. It meant only one thing: I had a visitor, someone drafting me, and I had an idea who it was. A few turns later, Doug Polen passed me, and any hope I had of retaliating simply turned to just hanging on to the position to which I had just been demoted. A lap later, I had my belated wish—a white flag-and then the race was over.

That was April of 1987, and the place was Indianapolis Raceway Park in Indianapolis. Honda had just introduced its new 600cc sportbike, and everyone that was anyone—that did not have a deal with another manufacturer—had a Honda Hurricane...me included. Kevin Rentzell won that race over Kurt Hall followed by Scott Russell, then Polen and then me.

It was first blood drawn that day in the Midwest for the Honda contingency money, and Hurricane riders convincingly swept the first 27 spots.

Time has marched on, and the middleweight class over the years has turned into the most competitive, cutthroat class in all of sporting street bike sales. Manufacturers spend vast amounts of money to win the Supersport classes, hoping for the "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" formula. Every year, the bikes get lighter, faster, and more expensive. Honda has always run in the lead group and has had its fair share of being the pack leader. The usual changes of yearly enhancement for all of the manufacturers are commonly two pounds lost here, bold new graphics there, and two more horseys under the fuel tank. So what happens when you introduce a new model that weighs 18 pounds less than last year's bike and has a total makeover of the chassis and power plant? Well, you would expect it to be in contention to take over as the class leader.

Soup's Andy 'Fuel Rooster' Fenwick: the 07 CBR600 reminded him of the days when he raced with Doug Polen and others on CBRs. image by kevin wing

I doubt we will ever see such definitive and clear-cut class supremacy like Honda had in 1987 with the first Hurricane, however, this year's new 2007 Honda CBR600RR won't go without trying.

I was part of a group of print journalists who were treated to the CBR600RR's debut at one of the country's premier and almost-perfect-for-600's racetrack: Barber Motorsports Park situated in Birmingham, Alabama. The icing on the cake for me was that we all got a royal tour of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, which has to be the absolute finest motorcycle museum in the world. I counted about 15 motorcycles that I either own, previously owned, or raced at one time or another. The Barber collection has over 850 bikes spread throughout its five floors. I honestly felt like I was 8 years old again and was touring Santa's North Pole crib; but, no, I didn't piss my pants...this time. If you've never been there, you need to come up with some hare-brained idea to get your wife to buy into the deal and go. Trust me.

The second to last turn at Barber is a late-apex turn that you have to run in deep and to the outside to really nail it. These turns sometimes lure you in and run you out on the outside of the turn if you get in too deep on your entry. I actually did that one time on the CBR, and the bike easily and without hesitation pulled back into line while I trail-braked and asked for a little more turning.

Generally speaking, the routine for these press introductions involves a technical and marketing briefing for the upcoming new model. The manufacturer will have their marketing people, test riders, and engineers go over all of the changes and important aspects of the new machine. It's usually a lot of pomp and circumstance over what may or may not be exciting stuff. Well, when I heard Honda's new 600cc sweetheart had shed 18 pounds, it had my attention. Did you ever try to lose 18 pounds? Not only is the new bike light, it also has some healthy horsepower updates. Sounds tasty, doesn't it?

Before we actually talk of riding this bike, let's get to know a little more about the changes and upgrades that make the 2007 the best CBR600RR Honda has ever made.

Basically, just about every item on the CBR600RR has been changed, lightened, or improved. The motor is now shorter and more compact by repositioning the transmission shafts within the crankcase. This year's engine shrank a whopping 27.5mm in length, making it the most compact motor in the 600cc class. The new engine benefits from a smaller and lighter clutch, lighter forged pistons, and nutless connecting rods for quicker acceleration. The bike also boasts a new close-ratio six-speed transmission with new internal gear ratios. An all-new cylinder head features angled valve inserts to improve airflow and features two springs per intake valve and one spring per exhaust valve for optimum high-rpm (15,000-rpm redline) valve operation and durability. The CBR600RR's DSFI fuel injection system features 40mm throttle bodies with two injectors per cylinder, one upper and one lower controlled by an electronic control system that senses rpm and throttle position. Honda claims the new dual-stage system enhances rideability along with improving top-end horsepower.

Last year the, 2006 CBR600RR's frame was comprised of 11 welded sections. This year's frame is made with only four large castings and is more than 1.1 pounds lighter while being stronger, slimmer, and more compact. A new repositioned aluminum steering head provides increased steering leverage and a steeper steering head angle—resulting in quicker handling.

Honda's hallmark for their 600's has always been their excellent streetability, ergonomics, and comfort. This year's bike has handlebars that have been raised 0.7 of an inch for more rider comfort along with a reshaped seat with deeper padding. Hey, you have to get there, so it might as well be in comfort!

The blue CBR600RR sits before the stairs in front of Barber's impressive facility. image by kevin wing

I was really anxious to experience not only the new Honda but also the racetrack. Barber's 2.3-mile course boasts 15 turns with 80 feet of elevation change. I had never been there before, and I was quite surprised that even though it's an extremely challenging track, it was quite easy to pick up on and get going fairly quickly. The weather was in the mid to high 60's with a bit of overcast, and just a few sprinkles of mist appeared but quickly cleared. I must be a weirdo, but I actually like riding in overcast conditions for some odd reason. Unfortunately, though, it plays hell on the photographers trying to get good shots of the riders and machines. Late in the day, the sun did break through so, all in all, the weather was great for pushing the limits of Honda's new middleweight darling.

Honda's plan had us starting out the day on Dunlop's highly rated and very popular street-compound Qualifiers. These may be the best street tires ever developed. Even though they're a street compound, I never had any problems with grip and I always felt that they gave excellent feedback with absolutely no surprises. To be honest, I wouldn't say I threw caution to the wind, but I pretty much said, "Screw it" and I put my trust into them. Instead of my usual tippy-toe-street-tire-never-been-here-before pace, I just concentrated on hustling the new bike up to speed and getting the track figured out. These tires are actually better then the DOT roadrace tires I used to race on back in the day.

The scoring tower at Barber was all CBR on the day of the test. image by kevin wing

After our lunch break, Jim Allen's Dunlop crew and the Honda techs switched our bikes over to the race-compound Qualifiers. These tires are definitely race-ready and offer an abundance of traction and feel. The race compound gives a slightly slower turn-in feel than the street compound but the trade-off is an almost unlimited amount of grip, or at least better grip than this 44-year-old could throw at it. As Borat would say, "Happy times."

Once you're rolling on the CBR, you instantly feel the quick steering and easy-to-move bars. This is the work of the racier steering head numbers and shorter wheelbase, along with Honda's kick-ass electronic steering damper (HESD). It's my opinion that Honda has nailed the steering damper with this unit. HESD was first seen on the 2006 CBR1000RR, and this unit helps maintain high-speed handling while having little drag or effect at lower speeds. The oil chambers of the unit are regulated by an electronic solenoid. As the speeds increase, the solenoid constricts the oil passageways to dampen sudden movements of the front forks and handlebars. As the speeds decrease, the oil passageways gradually open, reducing the damping effect to almost none. Perfect!

When the 07 CBR and Josh Hayes' Erion FX CBR met in the paddock, storm clouds blew in and the earth rotated slightly off axis for a moment. image by kevin wing

One of the strongest points of this new CBR600RR is definitely the increased midrange. With the added midrange thump, I often felt it was unnecessary to downshift as much as you would expect when riding a middleweight fighter.

Backing that up, later in the day I rode a 2006 CBR600RR, and I had to downshift to keep the engine pulling for the chicane exit in one or two spots. While I was riding the 2006 model, I had an opportunity to chase another journalist while they were on a 2007 CBR600RR. Even though I had a good run up on him out of the last turn onto the straightaway and was aligned perfectly for a draft down the straight, all I could do was hang in the air of the 2007 bike. I also found that while trying to outbrake him, the brakes on the 2006 CBR felt less powerful even though the lever pressure felt strong.

Fenwick's favorite part of the '07 CBR600RR? The steering damper if you can believe it. 'They nailed it,' he says. image by kevin wing

Everything on the chassis of the 2007 model feels better. The newest CBR600RR turns in so much quicker, but never feels nervous or uncertain. Last year's chassis actually feels a bit tall in the front, while the 2007 feels shorter, quicker, and more planted, not to mention that the new CBR600RR feels as if it has loads more grip in the rear. I would imagine that's the work of the updated and now longer swingarm. To be honest, 600's are usually not my cup of tea. I grew up riding/racing either really fast big bikes or really slow little bikes. I generally would pick a 1000 for a track day over a 600. However, I felt that Honda's CBR600RR is just about perfect for riding at George Barber's gorgeous facility. Granted, you could, no doubt, go faster on a 1000, but it would be a heck of a lot harder and probably one of the few times that it wouldn't be as much fun.

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This new 600 performs like a true champion. In fast sweepers, the bike feels connected and the chassis perfectly composed. The second to last turn at Barber is a late-apex turn that you have to run in deep and to the outside to really nail it. These turns sometimes lure you in and run you out on the outside of the turn if you get in too deep on your entry. I actually did that one time on the CBR, and the bike easily and without hesitation pulled back into line while I trail-braked and asked for a little more turning. I probably had more fun riding the 2007 CBR600RR at this track than anything else I have ridden this year.

Shifting, fuel injection, and ergonomics are all topnotch and, thus, there is really nothing left to deal with other than trying to go faster each lap. I would love to go back in time and be a 23-year-old throttle jockey again and have a go on this thing. Even at 44 and with a few too many Cerveza's under my belt, I still felt pretty fast on the new CBR.

Remember the line from the movie Poltergeist, "They're here!"?

Possibly the coolest bike in the Barber museum: 1969 250 world champion Kel Caruthers' Honda GP bike. Note the period muffler hanger, skeletal fork springs, drum brake and 'half-lap of the Island' float bowls. image by kevin wing

At first, I was first surprised that there is no slipper clutch on this new model. However, after I pondered it, I realized that I never needed it. Barber has a few hurry-up-and-slow-down turns that dictate fairly slow speeds, but I honestly never got tripped up by any back-wheel engine-braking grief. Whether Aaron Gobert will feel the same way, I do not know.

I love the styling of the bike, and I give it a big thumbs-up not only for its looks, but also for its feel. Fit and finish is classic Honda through and through but that's about as shocking as finding out that Britney Spears doesn't wear any underwear when she goes out.

Dour weather plagued the first day of the Honda test at Barber. Honda's Jon Seidel called HRC and they tuned some sun into Alabama via satalite. image by kevin wing

Logic would dictate that, sooner or later, Dean is going to send me on one of these trips and I won't like the bike. But, for right now, I have nothing but praise for the 2007 Honda CBR600RR.

Will the bike have what it takes to reign supreme in the 600 wars? Without riding them all back-to-back it's difficult to say. I do know this, though. Honda has raised the bar again, and I would guess that it's going to be a very high mark for the others to hit. Good job, Honda.