Honda CBR1000RR

You might forgive me for expressing a certain amount of trepidation when first chucking a leg over the saddle of Honda's latest-gen Fireblade. After all, it is one of the new range of kg-per-horse sport bikes (which includes the Yamaha R1 and Kawasaki ZX-10) and that amount of go is enough to demand respect - certainly from mere mortal road riders like yours truly.

The reticence was ridiculous in a way, as 175-horse machines have been with us for a while - Hayabusa and ZX-12R - though not in such small and light packages.

Honda shook up the sports bike world in a big way when it launched the Fireblade brand in 1992, with the first 900 providing a lot of performance in a compact package that was both exciting and occasionally flighty to ride. It was a hell of a lot of fun.

More than a decade down the track, we're presented with a significant new leap, albeit in a machine that has a lot of very close competition.

So was there any need for the trepidation? No, not really. This Blade is, if anything, more user-friendly to ride than its immediate predecessor, which is a pretty good trick. 

TECHNO TOY
You can make a reasonably safe assumption that there's sod-all in the new bike which would fit the old. Honda more or less started with a clean sheet of paper, though it's interesting to note the jump in capacity to 998cc (from 954) is achieved by lengthening the stroke.

Engine breathing employs a revised ram air system and makes use of two fuel injectors per cylinder, with each taking on slightly different roles as the powerplant works through the rev range.

On the 'blow' side of the equation, there's a new exhaust featuring an electronic valve which effectively changes the 'shape' of the exhaust depending on the demands being made on the engine.

The six-speed gearbox is a cassette type - one of a number of features which make the machine fairly easy to convert for race use. Another is the high capacity radiator, which the company claims is a competition-ready item.

If you read the factory blurb, you'll see a fair bit is made of how race-ready the machine is - something which gained some credence when Aussie racer Chris Vermeulen went out and started winning World Superbike rounds with a lightly modified example earlier this year.

Front suspension is relatively conventional and boasts the now 'compulsory' radial-mounted brake calipers. The alloy frame and swingarm use what the company calls a semi-pivotless design, and the swingarm itself is a work of art.

Speaking of the chassis, a fascinating addition is the electronic steering damper mounted atop the steering head spindle. Honda says it's designed to adjust the resistance it applies to steering movement according to the bike's speed and acceleration - in other words the actuation valves are wide open at low speed. An interesting gadget.

All up, that package weighs a claimed 179kg dry, for a claimed 170 horses - or thereabouts. One Honda staffer recently suggested to us that this whole horsepower claim game is getting silly as the correct spec for any of the current super-sports machines is "enough". And I can see his point.

An aside here is that you could be forgiven for thinking Suzuki's current GSX-R1000 is some way back in the power race, claiming somewhere in the region of 164. Side-by-side dyno comparison of the four top sporties, so far, suggests the gap between them is much narrower than the 164 versus up to 180 claims would suggest. In fact you could easily halve it, and it's worth noting that raw power doesn't tell anything like the whole performance story. 

TERROR-FREE ZONE
As I've already hinted, the current Blade is not a terrifying thing to ride - quite the opposite. That is until you let it go feral and - as with any of the pukka extreme machines - things happen very, very fast.

It likes a few revs to get off the line, but from there most experienced riders will be okay on it. The powerplant has a very solid mid-range, which is more than ample for the majority of road use and it's really only at the howler end of the rev range (say 8000-plus) where you need to be very much on the proverbial ball. Yes, it's stunningly fast when you want it to be, though I have to admit that we haven't played with one on the track - which is the only hope of fully exploring the feral end of the performance.

On the few occasions I got to give it a decent fang, it came across as very precise - to the point of demanding a high degree of accuracy from the rider - and entirely predictable.

The injection is smooth and reliable, while the clutch is user-friendly. Gearshifting on a pretty young example (a few thousand kays) required a slightly more forceful approach than is usual from Honda. There was also a little more driveline snatch than ideal when getting on and off the throttle. (And yes, we did check the chain tension.)

Steering was very quick, as you'd expect, while being accurate and easy to live with. The suspension response was terrific - simple as that. Well modulated and forgiving of mid-corner surprises.

Overall the steering and suspension package (combined with the Pirelli Diablo rubber) provided a lot of feedback - to the point where you wonder whether some folk would be happier with a little less.

The front brakes also supplied plenty of feel, with the lever delivering a relatively 'soft' response at first, then firming considerably when you needed it. Out back, the foot brake gave no cause for complaint. Nothing special in that direction.

You won't be surprised to learn the riding position was head-down and bum-up, though this version wasn't extreme. It rates as one of the more forgiving versions out there and allows the rider to move around in the saddle with a fair amount of security. Though we were intrigued to notice that the seat cover material was very slippery for denim jeans but was grippier and about perfect for leather. Instrumentation is typical analogue tacho and digital everything else. Not my fave combination - which is a reactionary response - but offering plenty of info.

Finish was generally good. Some of the decals lacked a clear coat over the top, but the metal-work was sensational. We scored the black version of the machine. We loved its looks.

The exhaust note was predictably quiet but had a fair bit of raw 'character' - something resembling an angry rumble emanated from the CBR600 look-alike muffler under the pillion seat.

WORTH THE RENT?
Honda makes a fair bit of noise about how its MotoGP technology is transferred to the road bike range, which may be true in some areas (particularly chassis) and remains a fairly big stretch of belief given the racer is a V5 and this bike an inline four. No doubt the company will be desperate to see Sete Gibernau win this year's series to underpin its already considerable sports credentials.

In any case, the current Blade is a good thing. It's fun and surprisingly easy to ride (when you want it to be) and has loads of performance on tap should you want to stretch a personal riding envelope at the local track. The pricing is a shade under 19 thou, plus the usual on-road costs, and I've got no argument with that.

SPEX
Honda CBR1000RR

ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled four-stroke, DOHC four-valve, in-line four
Bore x stroke: 75 x 56.5mm
Displacement: 998cc
Fuel system: EPGM-DFSI fuel injection, 44mm throttle bodies
Compression ratio: 11.9:1

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six speed, constant mesh
Final drive: Chain

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame type: Twin-spar alloy
Front suspension: 43mm cartridge fork, 120mm travel, with full adjustment
Rear suspension: Gas-charged monoshock, 135mm travel, with full adjustment
Front brake: Twin 310mm hydraulic discs with 4-piston radial-mount calipers
Rear brake: 220mm hydraulic disc with single-piston caliper

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Dry weight: 179kg
Seat height: 810mm
Fuel capacity: 18 litres
Average fuel consumption: 15km/lt

PERFORMANCE
Maximum power: 170bhp at 11,250rpm
Maximum torque: 11.74kg-m at 8,500 rpm

OTHER STUFF
Price: $18,790 plus ORC
Colours: Black/grey, red/white/blue, black/red
Test bike supplied by Honda Australia

WHAT WE LIKED:
Very sweet chassis
Great performance
Looks great in black

NOT SO MUCH:
Seating position (on the road)
Some driveline snatch