Episode 40 of the Brap Talk podcast is now out for your two-wheeled audio pleasure, and this one comes to us deep, deep within the Brap Talk vault of lost podcast episodes.
Recorded alllllll the way back on a trouble August afternoon, the show isn’t exactly talking about the latest and greatest news, but we thought it would be fun to listen to Jensen and Shahin prattle on, knowing full well the outcomes of some of their predictions and thoughts.
The new Honda CBR600RR may not be coming to the United States for the 2021 model year, but it certainly has generated some interest on this side of the Pacific Rim.
Adding fuel to that fire now is the race-ready version that HRC is making available in January 2021.
After a bit of teasing, the new Honda CBR600RR is finally here, and with it comes a few surprises.
Because of Honda’s teasers, we already knew that this machine would be an overhaul of the current model, using the same chassis and basic engine architecture as the American-sold Honda CBR600RR.
Photos and video though confirmed that the bike would get a facelift, most notably with winglets installed to the front fairing, and that a robust electronics package would be added to the mix, to help things feel modern on this aging beast.
Also, we already knew that the late-2020 arrival would sadly not be coming to the North American or European markets, being likely a Japan-only model, though some sales in other parts of Asia could happen as well.
Now that Big Red is spilling the beans on the new Honda CBR600RR, we can see that there are a few items about this supersport that we didn’t know about.
Honda gave us quite the surprise last week, announcing that there would be a new Honda CBR600RR sport bike for the 2021 model year.
While we are still another week away from the official debut (and thus when all the details will be revealed), we learn more about the supersport with each passing day.
Today, we get a fresh batch of photos (which we first saw on Italian website Moto.it), which give us a better glimpse of this restyled CBR600RR.
Just two weeks ago, we were rounding up the rumors on the next Honda CBR600RR, with talk that the 600cc supersport would be making an August arrival, and sadly not be an all-new machine.
Those rumors seem to be spon-on, because Big Red is now teasing the 2021 Honda CBR600RR on its Japanese website as well as YouTube. As such, we now expect to see the new Honda CBR600RR debut on August 21st.
If you believed that hype from across the pond, the 2019 model year was set to see a new Honda CBR600RR debut, with a serious weight reduction. Our sources told us a different story, however, and now we have the proof from that pudding.
Debuting some its 2019 model year motorcycles early, we see that the Honda CBR600RR goes unchanged for the American market. Meanwhile, our European friends will have to live without Big Red’s venerable supersport model, as the current generation supersport has lost its Euro4 waiver for the EU market.
If you read publications from our colleagues in Europe, then you will know that Honda must surely have plans for a new CBR600RR for the 2019 model year. The proof that they offer is that the recent CARB filings by American Honda show a CBR with a significant weight drop for next year.
First spotted by our friends at Nieuwsmotor, the CARB filings quote a 10kg (22 lbs) weight difference between the listed Honda “CBR600RA” and Honda “CBR600RR” motorcycles, which makes it seem like a lighter and more focused supersport is on the way.
It is an interesting dream – and a funny one for European journalists to spot, since the CBR600 series is all but dead in Europe. But what is the reality of this discovery?
It was a bit of shock when we learned that John McGuinness would not be riding for the Honda Pro Racing outfit at this year’s Isle of Man TT, instead getting a gig riding with Norton for the Superbike and Senior TT races.
Now, we get news that the 23-time Isle of Man TT race-winner has another trick up his sleeve, this time involving his Supersport TT plans.
We still can’t believe we are saying this, but John McGuinness will mount his 600cc campaign hopes with Michael Dunlop’s team, riding an MD Racing Honda CBR600RR in this year’s Supersport TT races.
We had to check today’s date to be certain, as McGuinness and Dunlop are fierce rivals, and both are chasing the outright record of TT race wins (26), set by Joey Dunlop. Seeing them race under the same colors will certainly be a sight for this year’s Isle of Man TT.
Episode 26 of the Two Enthusiasts Podcast is out for your listening pleasure. To make up for a lack of shows the past few weeks, this episode is a two-part recap of the Jensen’s adventures in Italy, California, and North Carolina. As such, keep an eye out for Episode 27, which will be out later this week, to give you something extra to listen to over the weekend.
In the meantime, we are going to Tarantino the order of events, and talk first about Jensen’s most recent trip, the press launch for the Yamaha FZ-10 street bike, which he rode at The Tail of the Dragon.
The show starts with some current headlines though, talking first about MotoGP’s decision to ban winglets, Harley-Davidson’s rumored hostile takeover by a private equity firm, and Honda’s decision to abandon support of the supersport street segment.
Naturally, the guys find some rabbit holes to crawl down, along the way, which includes a discussion on the role of prototype racing, the oddity that is the “cripple triple” racing motorcycle, and the realities of a tiered licensing systems.
As always, you can listen to the show via the embedded SoundCloud player, after the jump, or you can find the show on iTunes (please leave a review) or this RSS feed. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well. Enjoy the show!
British magazines MCN dropped a bombshell on the motorcycle world today, reporting that Honda was set to discontinue the Honda CBR600RR, with no supersport replacement in sight.
According to their reports, the main impetus for the Honda CBR600RR being discontinued is the Euro 4 emission standards, which the Honda CBR600RR does not meet.
Honda feels too that the demand for a 600cc sport bike is too low to warrant updating the CBR600RR to meet Euro 4 regulations, let alone building an all-new machine for the market that would be Euro 4 compliant.
Of course, Euro 4 emissions only apply to bikes sold in the European Union; but there too, MCN says that Honda seems to feel that the world demand for the Honda CBR600RR is too lacking to continue with the machine.
American fans will have a lot of reasons to follow the World Superbike championship next year.
After Nicky Hayden confirmed that he will be switching to WSBK with the Ten Kate Honda for 2016 and 2017, today, confirmation came that PJ Jacobsen is to remain in World Supersport for next year to take another shot at the championship.
The American is to stay with his current Core Motorsport Thailand team, riding a Honda CBR600RR. Both the team and the bike will get a major boost next year, however, as Ten Kate Honda have announced they will be partnering with the team in 2016.