The new Honda CBR600RR is almost here… but not for Europe

The all-new 2021 Honda CBR600RR is just days away being officially revealed but as we receive a drip-drip of information about the manufacturer’s updated middleweight supersport, it appears it’s not destined to make its way to Europe.

After months of rumours, Honda confirmed the existence of a new flagship for its 600 range with a launch date slated for August 21. Since then, it has release teaser shots and snippets of information, though we will likely have to wait until the aforementioned date to get the meaty details of what’s happening under the skin.

Unfortunately, while the previous generation Honda CBR600RR disappeared from sale in 2017 over tightening emissions regulations, it seems the latest model will fall foul again to prevent it from making the trip to the continent.

Honda CBR1000RR-R REVIEW

Indeed, while Euro4 regulations were the culprit previously, while the new generation is set to be a cleaner model, it doesn’t quite meet the Euro5 regulations needed to hit the market here. As such, it looks set to swerve Europe, though sales figures for its main rivals are a reflection of a market that has been dwindling over the years.

Even so, by repackaging the Honda CBR600RR, it is now able to homologate it to compete in the WorldSSP Championship and bring a rival to the dominant Yamaha R6, as well as the Kawasaki ZX-6R.

Once upon a time Honda was the chief machine in WorldSSP, winning numerous titles with the likes of Andrew Pitt, Jonathan Rea and Kenan Sofuoglu among others, but this has been reduced in 2020 to three machines entered by the PTR-prepared Dynavolt squad.

With HRC returning to WorldSBK this season with the new generation CBR1000RR-R, while we may not see the new CBR600RR in dealerships across Europe, there is a strong chance it will be on the race track.