Dean Harrison: Honda Superbike “not a million miles away” despite little testing time

After switching mid-season to racing the British Supersport Championship in 2024, Dean Harrison is there from the off in 2025 with Honda Racing UK, but doesn’t feel he’s too far away from having his Superbike where he wants it for the road racing season as a result of his short circuit change.

Harrison was the fifth-fastest Supersport bike on the combined times at the recent Oulton Park BSB test, but has only ridden his Superbike for “just over a day” during preseason.

“The whole of testing has been really good, to be fair,” Harrison told Crash.net at the Oulton Park test.

“I think the weather was really good in Spain, we had a little bit of rain but only for one day.

“Apart from that, we’ve just been testing loads of little things.

“I haven’t had as much time on the Superbike as I’d have liked, I’ve only had sort of just over a day on that which is not perfect but it’s not too bad, it wasn’t a million miles away, so I’m looking forward to jumping on that at the North West [200]. The 600 was good, the [Superstock] was going good.

“I just want to get going now really.”

Harrison’s full-time switch to Honda Racing UK’s Supersport team for 2025 places him alongside Jack Kennedy for the season, the Dubliner entering this season off the back of a fifth British Supersport title in 2024.

It’s a position Harrison believes should help him to extract more from the CBR600RR.

“I have the five-time British Champion [as a teammate],” he said.

“But that’s a good thing, I think, because whatever he’s doing is near enough the limit of the bike. I’m not far off the limit of the bike, I don’t feel, and I feel good in myself.”

On the roads, the Supersport class was a decent one for Harrison in 2024, finishing on the podium in both Supersport TTs in his first year on the CBR600RR, but the Bradford rider – now based out of Laxey on the Isle of Man – believes his whole Supersport programme is a step forward from last year.

“I think definitely this year it will make a step,” he said. “The bike’s made a step, I’ve made a step, we’ve got more power with the bike – it’s just got a year’s development under it, really.

“I think it’s going to be one of the strongest classes for us, the Supersport, and I’m looking forward to getting going.

“It handles well, that’s one of its strong sides. Last year the bike was brand new and it was a bit of a rush, let’s say. I feel now we’re in a bit of a better position with all of the bikes.”

Even with only the Superstock bike available last year, Harrison was able to be competitive in the second Superbike race at the North West 200 last year, finishing third.

Having the full roster available this year means that he is approaching the Portrush event with optimism.

“I made the best of what I could at the time,” he said. “I’m looking forward to this year [because] we’ve got more classes, we’ve got a bike for each class so the ‘stocker will get a bit of an easier life.

“Honestly, I’m just ready to go now. I feel good in myself, the bikes are there or thereabouts, so I just want to get the ball rolling and see what everyone else is doing.”