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Big Piston Fork

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It is hard to believe that the Honda CBR600RR will turn five-years-old in 2013, but the Japanese supersport has long been neglected in the Honda line-up. Actually, the phonomenon has not been limited to the 600cc sport bike, as the Honda CBR1000RR has also been left to whither in the sun for far too long. With the 1,000cc superbike getting a makeover for 2012, it looks like the CBR600RR is finally getting its turn, as well.

As such, the 2013 Honda CBR600RR gets a set of new fairings, which we must admit are rather fetching (the bodywork is good for a 6% reduction in drag, according to Honda). The Japanese company also says that the revised front section improves RAM-air, and thus midrange torque. We won’t being to tell you what’s wrong with that statement, but suffice to say the design helps the 599cc motor breath better.

Other changes include a revised ECU package, 12-spoke wheels, Big Piston forks (BPF), and re-tuned rear shock. Honda is even throwing its “Electronic Combined Anti-Lock Braking System” (C-ABS) on the 2013 CBR600RR. Wowzers. Colors are Red, Repsol Edition, & White/Blue/Red. Pricing hasn’t been released yet, which surely means a price increase is headed the Honda CBR600RR’s way.

Officially debuting the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R in New York’s Times Square today, Kawasaki has unsurprisingly brought a stroked-out 636cc machine to a 599cc supersport battle. While the chassis of the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R is the same, the motor has obviously been reworked, along with the bodywork. However, the big news from the reveal is the addition of Kawasaki’s three-mode KTRC traction control to the supersport-class motorcycle, once again proving that electronics are the new horsepower.

Other additions to the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R include Showa’s new SFF-BP front forks. Combining Showa’s Separate Function Fork (SFF) with its Big Piston (BP) technology, Kawasaki hopes the suspension units will provide the optimal balance between street and track riding. The new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R motor also gets further improved with the addition of a back-torque limiting slipper clutch.

Breaking cover over a month ago, the 2012 Honda CBR1000RR is now officially official according to the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer. Confirming the fears of some Fireblade enthusiasts, the new Honda CBR1000RR gets only some basic tweaks for 2012, namely revised suspension (including Big Piston Forks), new 12-spoke wheel design, and smoother fuel-injection mapping. This news puts to rest claims that the 2012 Honda Fireblade would be receiving ride-by-wire throttle control for the next model year, despite the fact that World Superbike has changed its rules to allow the Castrol Honda team to use the technology starting at Imola (which is already showing some positive results for the struggling squad).