CBR600F 2011> - are they really that dull?

[slowside]

All I have read of the 2011 onwards CBR600F is ‘Hornet in a frock’ or ‘dull, boring, should’ve bought a Street Triple’ and ‘the original was better’.

Is it really that bad, or is that the usual conjecture that gets slung around by lazy motorcycling press and forum cynicism at the time of it’s release?

They seem a good deal of bike for the money they go for now. The Hornet it’s based on seems to get universally good praise and no-one has ever specified in what regard the older CBR was a better bike than the new one (other than not being a Hornet it seems). And a Street Triple is much dearer on the used market and doesn’t have a fairing so not really comparable.

Discuss. Or not, it’s your Friday night after all.

[martin734]

It depends what you want from a bike. The CBR600F is a solid mid-range all-rounder. It handles and goes well and is built well like all Hondas. It won't match the GSX-R, ZX-6R or R6 on a track, but a decent rider won't be left far behind on a twisty B road. It is also quite comfy too and won't leave you feeling sore after a full day's riding.
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Current bike: ST1100 "Big Red"

[Hong Kong Phooey]

The overall package is a great blend of what you need in a road bike.
Enough power to have fun, comfortable, reliable, efficient and parts always available.

Handling and brakes are enough too.

It can be described as bland, but that comes from people who own bikes with "character", for example being a cheeky chappie and leaving you stranded on a motorway hard shoulder - the cad!

Or having a bike that shakes its head and tries to highside you occasionally - what a legend.

The CBR no matter what era has always been really easy to ride and get on with. It can be quite involving stirring through the gearbox to keep pace with bigger engine bikes, and keeping momentum in the corners, as all the power is on tap after 7000rpm which sounds flipping brilliant unless you've been listening to it for hours on a long journey and you just need to chill.
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'81 CG125, '97 FZS600 : '99 CBR600F4, '09 KTM RC8

[ThatDippyTwat]

Rode a mates for a couple of hours a few weeks back, he didn't specify the year (or I forgot) but did say his was the last year of production before it went to the 650.
It's perfectly fine, does what you expect, goes where it's pointed, but it's unexciting, predicatable.
Is it your first "big" bike? If so, yeah, it'll be fine. Go sit on one, see if the ergonomics work for you, a couple of hours was my max, but I'm 6'3".
However, if you are used to ragging around older 90's 600's and want a top end rush? I'd give it a miss.

The problem you have is that when a bike does it's job perfectly well, they have a habit of getrting a reputation for being bland. That may or may not be what you want/need. VFR's have the same issue, perfectly capable, but not going to set your world on fire.
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'98 VFR800 (touring) - '12 VFR800 Crosrunner (Commuting) - '01 KDX220 (Big Green Antisocial Machine)

[Sister Sledge]

Sounds like a Nissan Almera I once had. Decent build quality, reliable, handled quite well, comfortable but not amazingly so and did exactly what it was claimed to do. People bitched them but if I could find another (decent one) I'd have what was the last of the Nissan 1.5 engined Almeras before they became Renault power units.

It's an interesting question that op asks though because some bikes seem very good but get a bad rep. The SV 650 being one though with that it's all about frame/handling issues and not engine?
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CCM 404 DS

[chickenstrip]

[DaveCBR600]

I have a 2011.

Brilliant all rounder and top notch typical Honda build quality.

This era has the 600rr engine albeit detuned but it’s more than quick enough when you want it to be but it needs to be revved which again is typical for a 600cc.

I’ve spent several hours in the saddle with no issues.

Recently spent two days on the Isle of Man and did the full course on several occasions and had no problem over the mountain at silly speeds.

[MCN]

No.

The Dullness is a reflection of the rider.


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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[chickenstrip]

[evilzed]

I had a Hornet based on the same engine, it felt like it had less grunt than the ER6 I road for a bit but it made similar amounts of torque and more power you just had to rev it up to get it. Build quality was the best compared to other brands in the big four.

One small perk if you pay slightly less road tax since it's a 599cc bike vs 650 alternatives.