Quality Is The Standard

By Steve Lita, Photos by Bob Feather

I have to admit that this style of motorcycle was, and is, my favorite. The naked standard has been around since before most other types of bike. So I looked forward to reviewing Honda’s latest midsize naked standard motorcycle. Some colleagues and friends commented that the 599 engine displacement seemed a bit small for someone with my riding experience and size, but I disagree.

My first bike was a mid-’80s CB700SC Nighthawk S, a great bike that I’d like to see Honda reintroduce. The CB700SC was virtually maintenance-free, thanks to its air-cooled engine with hydraulic valve arrangement (a first in the industry) and shaft drive. With little more than regular oil changes, the old Honda was pretty dependable. This new Honda, designated the CB600F6, will require a lot more maintenance, including chain lubes and adjustments, coolant changes, oil changes, and, every 16,000 miles, valve adjustments.

The nameplate graced the side panels of a first-generation 599cc naked standard a few years back. It was dropped from the Honda lineup for 2005 and now returns with an impressive list of improvements and upgrades. That’s good, because I was not won over by the first generation of the 599. Last time around, I found the engine busy and the seating position painful. That’s not the case now. The return of the 599 offers improved ergonomics, comfort, styling, and performance.

Just like the Model T Ford, you can have any color you want, as long as it’s black, except now it’s Metallic Black. And that’s the only comparison you can make between this bike and the T. Fit and finish of the 599 is superb. Fasteners are high-quality, and even the upper fork caps on the inverted front end are stylized with ball-milled aluminum accents. The front-end treatment features a new dual-bulb headlamp with contoured lens and mini cowl fairing. The rear has a hugger-style fender and upswept exhaust, features that are quite high tech and usually found only on bigger bikes of this style.

When first sitting on the new 599, I noticed the narrow handgrip position. Something about the handlebars says “Nighthawk.” No need for wide, flat-track-style bars on a small bike like this. To me, narrow bars indicate a taut, quick-handling ride, and I wasn’t disappointed. At slightly over 400 pounds, the bike is light and easy to heft upright, although I found the sidestand operation a bit awkward. Our test bike seemed to drag a bit at the pivot and didn’t really swing up swiftly.

The seating position is slightly forward leaning, which initially led me to believe that this would be a more aggressive ride. However, at speed, the wind helps lift the rider’s torso upright, resulting in a comfortable ride. Unlike the old 599 seat, which actually caused pain “down there” on even short rides, I am pleased to report that the new 599 seat is actually quite comfortable.

I spent several days riding this bike, expecting butt burn (based on my previous experience) that never materialized. Honda claims such comfort is due to the dual-texture, less slippery material. Thanks, Honda — it works for me. Pop off the seat and you’ll discover four steel foldout bungee hooks that hinge into position. When not in use, they swing out of sight under the seat. There’s not much storage available, just a few small compartments, one of which is already occupied by the tool kit and owner’s manual. So you’ll probably end up using those trick bungee hooks if you intend to carry anything on the bike.

I liked the new cockpit instrument cluster featuring a LCD panel with a speedometer, fuel gauge, two trip meters, a clock with a countdown function, and a separate analog tachometer with a small LCD insert showing coolant temp and warning lights. Overall, the gauge panel layout is good, but I found the LCD panel a bit dark. It wasn’t that hard to read, but the digits didn’t jump off the screen. At summer temperatures, the bike started easily with only a small amount of choke. The clutch squeeze and release were soft, smooth, and easy on the left hand. I am always curious how well the engineers handle aerodynamics and vibration, and measure this by how useful the mirrors are at speed. The guys in the white lab coats get high marks on this. The fuel tank offers comfortable cavities for tucked-in knees, and I have long legs.

The 599’s engine revved freely and smoothly, with only slight vibration transmitted to the chassis and rider. Highway on-ramps were an absolute blast to launch from. The bike revs fast, so you need to shift quickly. Not a problem for the 599. Experienced riders with good hand/foot coordination will be rewarded with a fun, snappy performance. This is not a torque monster, so it will require some tap dancing on the shifter to waltz around slow-moving traffic. And more than once I asked myself, “Is this really only a 600?” If you don’t often ride bikes this size, you might forget the limited amount of engine braking. Because this engine revs so effortlessly, it doesn’t resist much when you downshift; it just revs. What a nice feeling for the rider, and the bike isn’t likely to unsettle the suspension or lock up the rear wheel on decel, not surprising given that the engine is derived from Honda F3’s power plant.

The engine is liquid-cooled and features dual ignition maps programmed at the factory. Fuel, fed through 34mm CV-style flat-slide carburetors, is squeezed to a 12:1 compression ratio. The burned exhaust departs through a stainless steel 4-into-2-into-1 pipe into and out of the upswept, almost under-tail exhaust canister. Power is transmitted through the slick-shifting six-speed gearbox via a 525 chain to the rear wheel. The wheel sizes on this small bike looked big and beefy, so I checked the actual specs. They are a lightweight aluminum, three-spoke design that is similar to some modern sportbike or larger-displacement naked standards. There are 17" wheels on both ends (3.5" up front and 5.5" in back) perfect for mounting today’s high-tech sportbike rubber.

The bike is slowed by what I’d consider a mild braking system. Dual twin-piston calipers up front squeeze 296mm floating rotors, and there’s a single piston out back biting a 220mm disc. Without much engine braking, I often found myself applying progressive squeezes to the brake lever and pedal. The 599 enjoys some features usually found on more expensive machinery. That includes the 41mm inverted front forks with 4.7" of travel, and the new triple clamp and steering stem. The rear suspension consists of a single shock with seven-position preload adjustment and 5" of travel. As delivered, I found the suspension slightly soft. While the bike didn’t wallow through corners, I’d have appreciated a slightly firmer suspension. On the other hand, the 599 went right where I pointed it and responded well to rider input. I enjoyed my time on this 599. It’s fun to ride and looks good. I consider this bike a good investment for a first-time rider or someone needing a quality commuter, the key word here being “investment.” At almost $7,400, the 599 is not for a budget-minded, passive rider. If I bought one, I would need to use it regularly to justify that cost. On the bright side, it sure is fun to ride regularly. RB