Honda Tour
Having already recently displayed their 2005 lineup to their network of dealerships during their recent dealer show in Tennessee, Honda did likewise this week with the motorcycling press, which was invited to the company's U.S. offices in Torrance, California.

Although the press function was based around Honda's VTX cruisers, Road Racer X readers will be most interested in the reworked '05 CBR600RR. The Honda 600's previous iteration has enjoyed success not only in AMA's Formula Xtreme class (where it was unchallenged by other factory efforts), but also in World Supersport, where Ten Kate Honda has earned the last two titles with Chris Vermeulen in 2003 and fellow Aussie Karl Muggeridge this season.

Despite its success, the bike has been knocked for weighing too much, so rectifying that problem was Honda's primary focus for next year. The company claims that the new CBR, which now has new bodywork, a redesigned chassis, radial-mounted front-brake calipers, a 41mm fork and a revised exhaust system, now weighs 361 pounds, or nine pounds less than the '04 claimed dry weight. For reference, Suzuki puts the dry weight of its GSX-R600 at 355 pounds, although claimed figures are always to be viewed with some skepticism. It's probably best to wait for one of the testing-focused magazines to put these bikes on a scale, but suffice it to say that the CBR is substantially lighter than it was in '04.

For more information on the new CBR600RR and Honda's entire lineup of 2005 motorcycles, click click here.