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.
However, 2020 is the model year where Euro5 emission rules first take effect on new motorcycle models (the rules take effect for existing bikes during the 2021 model year, for reference), and as such, we expect to see Honda bringing back the CBR600RR for the 2020 model year…in two flavors.
One will be a true race bike with lights – 599cc in displacement, and built to win the World Supersport series, amongst others. Expect a robust electronics package and a lightweight design.
The other model will have a street focus, and likely displace more than 600cc within its engine cylinders. We expect something between 625cc and 650cc, in this regard. Power will likely be on par with the “race” version, though with more torque, and with better maintenance intervals. Pricing should be cheaper too.
The 2020 model year seems like an eternity of time from now, but it should hold some very interesting models, especially as the Japanese brands re-enter the life cycle for many of their models. Don’t worry though, we are really only a year away from seeing the first details of these new motorcycles.
Source: American Honda
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