Long term CBR600

It’s an old cliché that Hondas are more reliable than Swiss watches.

But it’s true. Over the last 12 months I’ve covered more than 20,000 miles – around three times the average annual UK mileage – on a CBR600F Sport.

I’ve visited every corner of the country, in all conditions, and it’s my daily transport on a 60-mile round-trip commute.

It has been thrashed on track days, done 1000 miles in a weekend, used every day through winter and not seen a jet-wash for weeks on end. Yet it has coped with everything – and it’s still going strong. Here’s how it has stood up…

Engine

The motor still starts first time, every time. I missed a major service by 4000 miles, but it ignored the neglect. At 16,000 miles the tappets were checked but, amazingly, they hardly needed any adjustment. The CBR hasn’t needed any oil between services and never shown any signs of leaks. As it went over 20,000 miles I noticed a rattle from the motor. Tuning firm BSD reckons the camchain tensioner is on its way out. A few owners have reported the same problem, but it will be fixed for free under Honda’s two-year warranty.

Suspension

I decided to firm up the CBR for harder road riding. So I spoke to ex-GP star Ron Haslam, at his race school, and his tweaks made all the difference.

For a 12-stone rider, try four rings showing on the forks with compression one-and-a-half turns out from full in and rebound one-and-a-quarter out. For the rear shock try position four with one more pre-load click and both compression and rebound one turn out from full in.

Finish

The caliper bolts have furred slightly and the exhaust header pipes are covered in rust. But I reckon this could have been prevented with more frequent cleaning. The fairing paint has remained scratch-free and no decals have peeled off. The paint on the tank hasn’t tarnished despite hours of rubbing with my knees, thanks to a deep lacquer.

The only part of the bike to get badly marked by winter salt is the shock linkage, but again better care would have prevented this. The rims have remained scratch-free despite several tyre changes.

Brakes

The rear brake is a bit weak and benefits from steel lines. The front calipers are amazing and stock pads work really well. Despite winter use, the pistons still move in and out smoothly and the calipers have resisted corrosion. The stock lines started to feel spongy after about 12,000 miles and needed changing.

The stock Honda brake pads had top feel and excellent power from the word go. The downside was the £45 price tag and they only lasted about 4000 miles.

I replaced them with Ferodo Sintergrip pads – top braking when hot, but not as sharp as stock pads when cold. The bonus is that they last twice as long and cost just £32 per set.

Tyres

Bridgestone’s BT010 tyres were supplied as standard and they worked well in all conditions. The rear lasted 4000 miles, but since the CBR was new I didn’t push them hard. They cost £225 a pair. When they wore out I replaced them with Pirelli Dragon Supercorsas.

They’re the perfect summer tyre and they heat up very quickly. The rear lasted 4000 miles, the front about 7000. They’re not great in the wet, but fantastic in the dry and good value at £230 a pair.

Then I tried Metzeler’s Sportecs. Fitted for winter use, they offered good wet and dry grip. The rear lasted 5000 miles and the front 8000. They set me back £225 per pair.

Accessories

For greater motorway comfort I fitted a Motrax double-bubble screen, which proved a good investment for £50.

Datatool’s £60 Digi gear indicator was one of the best pieces of kit I bought, preventing annoying hoiks in a bid to find a fantasy seventh gear.

Dynojet’s Power Commander squeezed the best from the engine. It maximised power, but minimised fuel consumption by changing the fuelling. It was pricey at £250, but combined with my Promotive race pipe at £319, it gained me 5bhp.

Datatool’s alarm was £232 well spent for peace of mind and negligible battery drain.

After 12,000 miles I fitted a set of £80 Hel brake lines for much sharper braking and no signs of winter furring.

I haven’t tested the R&G Racing crash protectors, thankfully, but the peace of mind was worth the £50 price tag.

So what’s next?

Having ridden the bike all year, I now know why the CBR600 continues to dominate the sales charts – not only does it look sweet, it shrugs off everything you can throw at it.

The only slight black mark against it is the tank range. At 120-130 miles to a tank you’ll become an expert on service stations, but it’s a small price to pay for such a versatile bike.

I love the CBR. It’s the first bike I’ve ever owned from brand-new and the two of us have had some great times together. But I’ve finally decided my bank balance takes precedence over my heart and she’s got to go.

Demand for CBR600s is very strong and, thanks to that famed reliability, secondhand prices remain high. If I continue to use it in the same way I’ll lose an awful amount of cash. A year-old bike with 20,000 miles on the clock is one thing, but trying to shift a two-year-old bike with double that is another.

At the moment I should be able to expect at least £4500 for it – a loss of £2000 on my original purchase price. At just 29p a mile it’s worth it, but another year’s depreciation would no doubt be a different story.

So it’s farewell CBR. I’ll miss it, but I’ve already got my eye on another bike. And hopefully it will stand up to abuse just as well the Honda has.