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Honda has given its supersports weapon subtle tweaks for 2009, designed to give it more mid-range oomph and a smoother power delivery. New pistons, cylinder head and exhaust system have bolstered torque between 6000-10,000rpm, which makes the engine more flexible on the road. Luckily for us, this has been done without sacrificing any top-end power. The big news, though, is the optional electronically-controlled Combined ABS system, which is a world-first for a supersports machine. A new-style bellypan now covers the whole engine and the C-ABS valve unit for the front brake. The C-ABS version doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of riding MCN’s supersport 2008 machine of the year, and it feels just the same to ride as the standard Honda CBR600RR, even on the track. The C-ABS stays in the background until you get into a difficult braking situation, then the ‘brake-by-wire’ kicks in and will save your bacon, so sportsbike purists need not worry about the system getting it the way.

Honda didn’t really need to tweak the 107bhp, in-line-four-cylinder 599cc motor as it’s a gem in the first place, with a powerful, screaming top-end and a decent dollop of mid-range. The engine is especially effective at delivering incredible performance, thanks to the Honda’s lack of all-up weight (it’s the lightest of all the 600s). The Honda CBR600RR’s motor is already more flexible than the ’08 Kawasaki ZX-6R, Suzuki GSX-R600 K8 and ’08 Yamaha R6, but the tweaks to the engine and exhaust have made it even nicer to live with.

The CBR600RR is as rugged as a Tonka toy and built with the breathtaking precision of the finest Swiss watch. The build quality is superb, and the paint finish deep and flawless.

CBR600RR’s chassis: this is no bad thing as, like the engine, it’s class-leading. Stability in a straight line and through the corners is absolute, the suspension action and control is as fluid as pukka race kit and the standard model’s brakes are full of feel and power. This is a machine that loads you with confidence and flatters your riding like a Ducati 1098R. Honda’s optional electronically-controlled Combined ABS system is a thing of genius. In normal conditions the CBR works the same as a conventional machine, but in an emergency it takes over and stops the wheels from locking. It also distributes the braking between front and rear calipers to give maximum stability in all conditions.

The Honda CBR600RR comes with everything you need to hammer round the racetrack, including radial brakes, fully-adjustable suspension and an electronically-controlled, speed-sensitive steering damper. The only toy it’s missing is a slipper clutch. Add the C-ABS into the mix and it’s the complete package.

This is a lot of beautifully-built, high-performance machine for your money and worth every penny. The C-ABS system adds another grand or so to the price, but when you know it could save your life, can you afford not to have it?

Honda’s RVF400 was a pin-up race replica that had sports bike fans dribbling down their paddock jackets in the mid-nineties. The trouble was that Honda never officially brought the NC35 (its ‘factory’ code name) into the UK, which was a crying shame, although many have found their way here as ‘grey’ imports. Replacing the VFR400R (NC30), which Honda did officially import, the NC35 is a V4 400cc baby version of the mighty RVF750R (RC45). It looks almost the same as its big brother, but it has tiny fox-eye headlights, compared to the RC45’s ‘moon eyes’. It sounds great, is beautiful to look at and handles like a demon. Many can still be found tearing up the circuit on trackdays and club racing. A low seat height and lightweight makes the RVF400 a manageable machine for shorter riders. It’s also an ideal donor bike for a 33bhp kit for new riders.

This liquid-cooled, 399cc, DOHC, V4 motor with gear driven cams and four 28mm carbs, may be small but it’s beautifully formed. The NC35 doesn’t make peak power (59.4bhp) until the rev needle sweeps all the way to 13,000rpm. You have to thrash it mercilessly to get anywhere fast, which let’s face it, is the thing that makes the RVF400 so exciting to ride.

By today’s standards the RVF400 is a little bit soft around the edges, but in its day it handled with all the agility and precision of a 250cc Grand Prix bike compared to old litre-sized buses like the GSX-R1100, and relatively big supersports machines like the FZR600. Compared to the out-going NC30, Honda’s new pocket rocket it had upside forks and a 17” rear wheel replacing the old 18-incher for improved handling. It’s still good today and can be made even better with a suspension overall and fitting the latest sticky tyres.

This is Honda at their very best, so fit and finish is superb. Reliability isn’t an issue and there are some super-high mileage machines still pounding our streets. Because these bikes weren’t officially imported here there are some scrappy ones about and those that have been raced have obvious pitfalls.

Good condition RFV400s are still holding their money. Low mileage, good condition examples are fetching around prices around £6000. You can get pick up a high mileage model for as little as £1450.

The RVF400 came with all the latest kit: a stiff aluminium frame, single sided swingarm, 17” wheels, upside down forks and big brakes. There are no creature comforts here, just everything you need for going fast on track.

The 2010 Honda Ridgeline’s styling isn’t widely loved or appreciated on the outside, but some people warm up to the functionality of the interior. Honda made a number of small changes to the Ridgeline’s styling last year, but the truck’s overall look remains the same. Overall, reviewers’ responses are lukewarm. Motor Trend says that Honda’s pickup offering is “clearly designed to look more familial with the recently released and redesigned Honda Pilot,” although some of the styling cues afford “the new Ridgeline a more masculine look.

Automobile Magazine reacts a bit more positively, remarking that the styling “works a lot better” than before. Cars.com states bluntly that there are “some problems with the Ridgeline’s styling and design,” including the fact that “a traditional bed cap or bed-mounted crossover toolbox won’t fit, [and] there’s a limited selection of tonneau covers.” Specifically, updates last year included “a redesigned front fascia, grille, bumper, and taillight assembly,” according to Car and Driver.

A number of changes were also made to the interior last year, although the actual location of controls and displays wasn’t significantly changed. Automobile Magazine still feels that “whoever was in charge of control placement must have flunked human factors design,” thanks to awkward elements, like a sunroof switch sitting next to the tachometer and a dome lamp switch that is isolated from all other cabin lighting controls. Motor Trend delves into the Honda Ridgeline’s tiny details to spot “slight changes to the gauge shaping and to the choices of type styles for the tachometer and speedometer.

Depending on how you see it, the exterior of the 2010 Honda CR-V is understatedly attractive, plain, or a little weird. The rounded overall shape with a mix of sheetmetal creases and arcs looks well proportioned from some angled but awkward from others. On the upside, MotherProof reports being lured in by “graceful curved lines and subtle hardware” Cars.com also likes how the “subtle creases on the bodyside and around the wheel wells also help the CR-V avoid the slab-sided look of early-generation SUVs.” Car and Driver says the new CR-V’s “styling may not please everyone.”

The reviewer points to headlights that “flare-back like an extreme facelift,” and notes how the “pursed-mouth grille is now slightly opened, as if it might snap at you.” Edmunds calls it “sort of weird-looking,” and Kelley Blue Book agrees, noting that the side profile is “dramatically different than past CR-Vs.”

Inside, the CR-V strikes a better design balance and should appeal to nearly everyone. The upright instrument panel is a bit too upright and butch-SUV in styling, but it uses some pleasant contrasting materials and bright accents. For the most part, reviewers like what they see. Honda has really found its stride with interiors lately, and the “dash is perfectly executed,” noting that the CR-V “opts for a more straightforward side-by-side setup with an informative digital display wedged between the speedometer and tachometer.

The Fit is “a subcompact four-door hatchback available in two trim levels: base and Sport,” according to reviewers at Edmunds. Compared to the previous (2008) Honda Fit, Motor Trend finds that the latest model is “longer by 2.2 in., wider by 1.4 in.,” and “longer in wheelbase by 2.0 in.,” though it is still among the smaller cars on the road today.

Jalopnik describes the revised Honda Fit as “more bulbous, less of a bullpup and more of a breadvan.” Reviewers at Motor Trend point to a number of details, including “larger front quarter windows, larger, shapelier headlights, and sportier body-kit-like moldings.”

The interior of the 2010 Honda Fit fares consistently well with reviewers. Car and Driver thinks that the interior is much improved versus the previous version of the Fit, asserting that “Honda went for refinement…from a dynamic, interior, and styling standpoint.” Jalopnik reviewers first notice the “abundant blue LEDs at important marks” on the instrument dials, but they lament the “poorly integrated but functional” navigation system. Consumer Guide reviewers are impressed with the “high mounted, handy, and clearly marked” audio controls, as well as “rotary climate controls [that] are stacked to the right of the steering wheel and are easy to reach and use.”

The 2010 Honda Odyssey sure doesn’t strike any new ground with its styling; it’s as anonymous as any minivan, but buyers look to these vehicles for practicality above all else, right? While other Honda vehicles have gained the beveled, excessively chunky look at the front and back in recent model years, the Odyssey has kept more conservative.

Most reviewers take the Odyssey at face value, making it clear that they don’t have high expectations for this van, though they remain quite complimentary. Reporting on the slight refresh that the Odyssey saw for 2008, “Honda has dressed up the Odyssey with some styling tweaks, including … front bumper fascia.”

It’s hard to find fault with the clean and functional interior design.Most reviewers aren’t bothered by this, although a few focus on the gearshift placement. Cars.com notes that the Odyssey’s “gearshift lever sits on the instrument panel.” ConsumerGuide finds “it’s easy to reach but obstructs some controls when in park.”

The 2010 Honda Pilot won’t blend in with the crowd, that’s for sure. But you’ll have to decide whether the Pilot’s controversial grille and chunky, sometimes overwrought styling fits you or is just too over-the-top.

Edmunds notes that the new Pilot “tries hard to look more like a utility and less like a minivan,” and they call the look “bluff and hearty, like an American wearing a simple white T-shirt,” but point out its “self-consciously truck-style grille that strikes the same note of authenticity as a sumo wrestler wearing a belt buckle from the Salinas Rodeo.”

Automobile reports that the new Pilot “looks like a more muscular caricature of its predecessor, with enormous headlights, a menacing grille, and thick C-pillars.” BusinessWeek finds the Pilot “boxy-looking (and, to my eye, stodgy).”