[soon2b954]

Here is the link if anyone’s interested, but I will past it below with two areas of interest in italics, LINK

2005 Honda CBR600RR – lighter, quicker, more aggressive
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September 11, 2004

Barely 18 months after the South African launch of the Honda CBR600RR the 20005 model is out with detailed engine updates, a lighter frame and a whole new chassis and suspension package.

The good news for South African riders is that they'll be here in early October and - even better! - Honda SA's motorcycle division manager Basil Forssman says he will try to hold the current price of R87 950.

The motor of the original Double R delivered a stonking top-end and smooth delivery throughout the rev range; for 2005 Honda has improved its mid-range by narrowing the centre section of the throttle bodies for a better venturi effect, boosting the velocity of the intake gases for faster cylinder-filling at part throttle
The forged slipper pistons are now molybdenum-impregnated to further reduce friction
.

New, smaller "fine-spray" injectors deliver quicker response times, Honda claims, and weigh a whole 16g (each!) less than the previous ones; no, Cyril, I'm not kidding - it's in the media release.

The forged slipper pistons are now molybdenum-impregnated to further reduce friction against the cylinder walls.

The exhaust system has been revised to comply with the Euro-2 emission regulations without compromising the motor's 83kW power delivery; it's also 1.4kg lighter than the 2004 version, thanks to a sleeker, simpler tailpipe with fewer components.

The fine die-cast process used to make the aluminium alloy frame allows the section walls to be thicker where necessary for strength and thinner in unstressed areas; finite-element stress analysis has made possible a new frame which, Honda claims, is not only stiffer between the steering head and engine plates but also 1
Honda admits that the inverted forks came about as a result of customer pressure
.5kg lighter.

The bolt-up sub-frame section is also 668g lighter thanks to subtle re-profiling of the castings.

The most visible changes on the 2005 CBR600RR are the 41mm upside-downies (replacing the 45mm conventional forks on the previous model) and the radial-mount front brake callipers.

Honda admits that the inverted forks came about as a result of customer pressure but says that also made it possible to fit state-of-the-art radial brakes, as on the CBR1000RR Fireblade.

The unit pro-link swing-arm on the 2004 Double R was the fist on a production bike; for this version it gets an integral upper damper mount in place of the current bolt-in unit. This not only eliminates the weight of the bolts but also simplifies maintenance of the rear shock-absorber – always easy to neglect when the unit is hidden in the middle of the bike.

Crisper cowling

The centre section of the fairing has been tightened up with the ram-air intakes more cleanly integrated into the lines of the body to create less turbulence in the incoming air flow, especially at lower speeds – the object was better mid-range, remember?


The upside-downies also required a new front mudguard; Honda took the opportunity to narrow it and clean it up, while under the even more sharply humped tank cover, the centralised fuel cell has a modified, lighter boss design.

Instead of the one-piece tail section of the current model the new RR has little matte black side covers to slim down the centre section of the bike, making it easier for the rider to move around in the saddle for hard cornering.

At first glance the shorter, more radical and body-coloured tail section looks wider but Honda assures us it's actually a few millimetres narrower – and a few grams lighter, of course.

The rear mudguard bracket and sheet aluminium covers around the tail pipe are gone, replaced by a one-piece resin silencer shroud, while the rear foot peg hangers, front foot peg brackets and clip-on handlebar bosses have all been slimmed down to shave off weight wherever possible.

Can you spell obsession?

Just don't crash this thing – if it hits anything solid all the cosmetic bits are liable to simply fall apart.

Colour it mean

For 2005 the striking red colour scheme with the black wing motif has been dropped – which makes the few remaining 2004 models worth buying.

The traditional Honda racing colours of pillar-box red, simmering silvery white and pearlescent blue are back, along with a plain metallic blue (the same as on the CBR1100XX Blackbird) and a very mean-looking black with silver wing-feathers and matt-black undercowl.

Honda also assures us that it has sprayed extra layers of clear lacquer on the tank cover, in answer to rider complaints that the finish was too easily scuffed.
Whichever colour you choose, the new CBR will come out of corners even harder than its predecessor thanks to the revised engine characteristics.

Honda promises that it will be even more nimble, thanks to the fact that most of the five kilograms it has managed to pare off the machine's dry weight is out at the ends of the bike, thus furthering the centralisation of masses which Honda R&D has adopted as its mantra.

How well it works, I'll tell you when I've ridden one.

Specifications:

Motor: Liquid-cooled four-stroke transverse four.
Capacity: 599cc.
Bore x stroke: 67 x 42.5mm.
Compression ratio: 12.0:1.
Valvegear: DOHC with four overhead valves per cylinder.
Power: 86kW at 13000rpm.
Torque: 66Nm at11 000rpm.
Induction: PGM-DSFi fuel injection with four 40mm throttle bodies.
Ignition: Computer-controlled digital transistorised with electronic advance and independent 4-cylinder 3D-mapped computer control.
Starting: Electric.
Clutch: Cable-operated multi-plate wet clutch.
Transmission: Six-speed constant-mesh gearbox with final drive by 525 chain.
Suspension: 41mm inverted cartridge forks adjustable for preload, compression and rebound damping at front, unit pro-link monoshock adjustable for preload, compression and rebound damping at rear.
Brakes: twin 310mm disks with radial-mount four-pot opposed piston callipers at front, 220mm disk with single-piston floating calliper at rear.
Tyres: Front: 120/70 -ZR17 tubeless. Rear: 180/55 - ZR17 tubeless.
Wheelbase: 1395mm.
Seat height: 820mm.
Fuel capacity: 18 litres
Dry weight: 163kg.
Price: R87 950 (we hope).

[firebladetoronto]

And 87K is pretty cheap for SA prices...