Which Honda sportsbike should I buy?

Have you got a need for speed, a hankering for Hondas, and some cash to splash? There are plenty of iconic Hondas that will fit the bill. Let’s check out five key Honda sportsbikes through the years that are eminently worthy of consideration…

There’s no better place to start than with the grandaddy of them all: the Honda CB750.

Launched in 1969, it holds a special place in motorcycling history as the bike that kicked off the whole Japanese big-bore sportsbike phenomenon. It was built to satisfy the US market after dealers pleaded with Honda to make a large-capcity bike to capitalise on the success of their smaller-engined offerings.

Now over half a century old, these days it’s hugely desirable and highly collectable, so look at it as an investment in both fun and the future.

The big Honda made an immediate impression in Australia, finishing second at the inaugural Castrol Six Hour enduro at Amaroo Park in 1970, backing that up with a win and a third place the following year.

While slow by today’s standards, with 68hp (50kW) and 60Nm from its 736cc SOHC (up to 1978) inline four-cylinder engine, the Honda CB750 was named ‘The Greatest Motorcycle Ever’ on Discovery Channel and though production ran from 1969 to 2007, it’s the K0, K1, K2 and K3 SOHC versions that are considered the prize picks.

When launched the Honda CB750 signalled a paradigm shift in performance motorcycles with its almost vibration-free engine, front disc brake, electric start and kill switch, along with comprehensive instrumentation. Its 190km/h top speed didn’t do it any harm when it came to bragging rights, either.

The Honda CB750 was the king of the heap until Kawasaki gazumped it with its Z1 900, produced from 1972, marking the beginning of the Japanese in-line four sportsbike wars.

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From 1988 World Superbike rules allowed 1000cc twins to be pitted against 750cc inline fours, the controlling body arguing they were of similar performance.

On paper that may have been true, but Ducati dominated the championship from the mid to late ’90s with its 916, on which Briton Carl Fogarty claimed four crowns and our own Troy Corser added another. They were making mincemeat out of their four-cylinder rivals.

So, Honda decided to play Ducati at its own game. It had already produced a V-twin sportsbike of its own, launching the VTR1000F Firestorm in 1997, but to really take the fight to Ducati in the Superbike World Championship it came up with the RC51, also known as the VTR1000SP-1, in 2000. This was a sharper, more track-focused but still road registrable V-twin sportsbike, and Honda followed it up two years later with the further improved VTR1000SP-2.

These two machines resulted in Honda snatching the World Superbike crown on two occasions, the ‘Texas Tornado’, Colin Edwards, securing the title in 2000 and 2002, the victories also allowing Honda to gently raise its middle finger at the Italian marque. Australia’s Troy Bayliss may have squeezed in a championship aboard his Ducati 996 in between, but HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) had made its point.

The VTR1000SP-2 has a 999cc, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, eight-valve, DOHC, 90-degree V-twin featuring gear-driven camshafts, electronic fuel injection, and lightweight composite cylinder sleeves. The V-twin develops a healthy 139hp (102kW) at 10,000rpm and 105Nm at 8000rpm, the urge delivered via a six-speed, close-ratio gearbox.

Like most sportsbikes, it’s compact, with a 1420mm wheelbase and an 813mm seat height. But with 130mm of ground clearance it can achieve masses of lean angle, while it weighs in at a relatively modest (for the time) 194kg (dry).

As you’d expect, the suspension is set up for a solid workout, with the inverted front 43mm cartridge fork boasting full adjustment and 130mm of travel. At the rear is a Pro-Link arrangement with fully adjustable monoshock with 120mm of travel.

Washing off speed just as rapidly is a pair of 320mm front brake discs with four-piston calipers and floating rotors, paired with a 220mm disc with single-piston caliper at the rear.

Even the bodywork didn’t escape HRC’s attention, an injection-moulding process producing ultra-lightweight panels. After all, in the cut and thrust of competition, every gram counts.

With a top speed of 290km/h, the Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird was the fastest production motorcycle in the world in 1996, even if technically it’s more a sportstourer than pure sportsbike.

But whatever way you look at it, this is one a deceptively fast bit of kit – even by modern standards.

The name pays homage to the Lockheed SR-71 spy plane, while the Super Blackbird (the two-wheeled one) was produced from 1996 to 2007 across three generations, and today is increasingly sought after by collectors.

It has an aluminium twin-spar frame, cartridge telescopic forks with 120mm of travel, and a rear monoshock that is adjustable for preload and rebound, also with 120mm of travel. Seat height is 810mm and the wheelbase is 1490mm, while the ’Bird rolls on three-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels.

Providing the go is a silky-smooth, turbine-like 1137cc, liquid-cooled, 16-valve, in-line four-cylinder engine, fed by a bank of four 42mm carburettors. And as you’d expect, it’s no slouch, punching out 166hp (122kW) at 10,000rpm and 124Nm at 7250rpm.

The carbs were flung for the second-gen version in 1999 with Honda adding its own PGM-FI electronic fuel injection system, eliminating an often-criticised mid-range flat spot. There are six gears to play with and a hydraulically actuated wet clutch. It tips the scales at 254kg wet.

A big talking point with the Super Blackbird was the inclusion of Honda’s Dual Combined Braking System (DCBS), which was designed so that applying either front or rear brakes operated both.

This system, featuring three-piston calipers for the 310mm front and 256mm rear discs, gave the bike excellent stability and mitigated front-end dive under hard braking, but it did hamper low-speed manoeuvrability. With the second-generation bike came an improved system.

The Super Blackbird is recognised by its swoopy nose section with vertical headlight arrangement, low-key graphics, and a tail section that Honda claims mimics the styling of the spy plane.

Click here to view current bikesales listing for the Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird

The year 2017 was a pivotal one for the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade. Until then it showed high performance was also affordable, with prices in the early to mid-twenties.

After that, price (and spec) shot up to the point where the 2022 version, a limited-edition CBR1000RR-R SP, in celebration of 30 years of the ’Blade, is likely to see you getting little change out of fifty large.

So let us get up close and personal with the 2017 Honda CBR1000RR (there was also an up-spec CBR1000RR SP), which also marked the 25th year of Fireblade production.

For this model Honda sent the ’Blade on a Jenny Craig boot camp, lopping off 15kg for the bike to come in at 196kg (wet).

It also threw a mountain of electronic wizardry at it, including a ride-by-wire throttle and traction control, along with selectable torque control, selectable engine brake, five ride modes and a power selector.

And for the first time a quick shifter was offered as an option, bringing it into line with its rivals. A revised ABS brake system comes standard.

A total of 191.7hp (141kW) is available at 13,000rpm and 114Nm at 11,000rpm, with the 998cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, inline four-cylinder engine coupled to a six-speed gearbox.

The front suspension has an inverted and fully adjustable 43mm fork with a 23.3-degree rake and a linkage-assisted adjustable rear monoshock.

While the Honda CBR1000RR is decked out with Showa suspension, the SP version features a semi-active Öhlins Electronic Control system, plus a titanium exhaust and the first lithium-ion battery to be found on a motorcycle. Both versions ride on 17-inch wheels.

Exclusive to the SP is a striking tri-colour HRC paint scheme.

Rounding out our list of five fast Hondas, we have the mid-size Honda CBR600RR, which made its debut almost two decades ago in 2003 and immediately blitzed the Supersport competition globally.

A pair of Aussies made the CBR600RR legendary.

Firstly, Chris Vermeulen won the 2003 World Supersport Championship aboard the Honda CBR600RR in its debut year, while countryman Karl Muggeridge backed that up in 2004, when he utterly dominated the 2004 World Supersport Championship to claim the title by a whopping 72 points.

And by the time you read this, the latest iteration will have rolled out.

It’s a proven recipe, with a 599cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, fuel-injected engine propelling a wet weight of 194kg.

But the engine boasts new cams, crank, valve springs, larger throttle bodies, revised inlet ports and exhaust, which all help produce a heady 120hp at 14,000rpm and 64Nm at 11,500rpm. A close-ratio six-speed ’box and a slip-assist clutch are both standard.

Ground clearance comes in at 125mm and the seat height is 820mm, while the suspension package comprises a Showa 41mm inverted Big Piston Fork and Unit Pro-Link monoshock, with full adjustment at either end. And to give some idea of just how compact and agile this pocket rocket is, it has a steep 23-degree rake and a paltry wheelbase of just 1375mm.

The Honda CBR600RR rolls on 17-inch rims while slowing the show is a braking package with twin 310mm discs with four-piston calipers up front, and a single 220m disc down the rear.

This latest CBR 600 also gets a TFT dash, LED lights and electronic riding aids, including new engine modes, traction control, wheelie control and lean-angle-sensitive ABS.

This article was originally published on June 1, 2022.