Photoshoot of the Week: April 20th-26th 2020 – Ozzy & Honda CBR600RR

There was a time when a lot of bikers wanted a 600cc sports bike, especially the Honda CBR 600RR. With a long history as the sole engine used in the MotoGP intermediate class (Moto2), the glorious return of a new model is set to happen next year with possibly the 2021 Honda CBR600RR-R!
The new rumor circulating is that a Honda CBR600RR-R could be coming in 2021. The Japanese publication Young Machine was the first major publication to report on the rumor and then Asphalt & Rubber and some other publications picked up the story. Botn newspapers reported that this might be a possibility as Honda plans to launch a new middleweight sports bike model that complies with the Euro5 emission regulations. The CBR600RR hit a wall back in 2017 when Europe stopped selling them due to the bike’s not ranking up with the Euro4 regulations.
This was then replaced with a more subdued and ‘road-friendly’ Honda CBR650R and its naked brethren, the CB650R. Designed more as a sport-tourer rather than a full-on track-eating 600cc machine, the CBR600RR seems to be put into storage as even the Moto2 folks moved on to the bigger 765cc Triumph-powered inline-three engine. It’s somewhat true that the 600cc sports bike category is slowly have been losing popularity over the years but Honda might just have something that may reignite this particular category with the 2021 Honda CBR600RR-R. Based on its bigger and very powerful 1000cc sibling, the CBR1000RR-R, it’s a good prospect to have.
Price and specs are the key points that may affect the overall outcome of this new and possibly upcoming Honda middleweight crotch rocket (as with any other bike). While a lot of riders may not be able to afford the 2020 Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP (RM198,800 here in Malaysia), the CBR600RR-R might just be a worthy choice. What do you guys think?

Let’s try to be serious for a moment
Romania’s forests are the Amazon of Europe – with large wilderness areas under constant pressure from loggers. For years, corrupt authorities turned a blind eye to illegal felling. But now a series of killings in the woods has intensified demands across the continent to end the destruction. Six rangers – who defend forests from illegal cutting – have been killed in as many years. Two died in the space of just a few weeks late last year. The latest victim, Liviu Pop, father of three young girls, was shot as he confronted men he thought were stealing timber. But the men weren’t arrested. They say the ranger shot himself. And in the remote region of Maramures, where many people are involved in logging, that version is widely believed. Locals are afraid to talk about what happened. Is the lucrative logging business protected by powerful interests who turn a blind eye to murder? And are rangers sometimes complicit in the rape of the forest?
Last February, the European Commission put Romania on notice over illegal logging in the country, calling Bucharest to put an end to the traficking, or face sanctions. However, this may not be enough to tackle the issue at the heart of the wood trafficking scam.