Rennie Scaysbrook | September 1, 2016
This is the last analog Honda CBR1000RR. Next year, it’ll be just like all the others with buttons and switches and electronics for days. We take the old girl for one last spin.
There’s doubtless a finer engineering sound than a 1000RR on the pipe. Between 6000-9000rpm, right where that maniacal mid-range resides, the intake noise takes center stage. The 1000RR’s sounds go from quiet and sedate to guttural. Great dollops of oxygen are ingested, compressed, exploded, and converted into tire shredding torque. The grip of the rear Bridegstone S20 is quickly overcome as the Honda powers forward, the thick black smear out of the sweeping left-hander a universal sign of its surrender.
To read this in Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine, click HERE.
Photography by Kit Palmer
Slamming the throttle on a 1000RR mid-corner requires a riding mindset quickly evaporating in modern motorcycling. This and the Suzuki GSX-R1000 are the last of the analog superbikes, the final two to be untamed by traction control and lean angle sensors and giro whatsits.
But the Honda is even more archaic than the Suzuki, which has three separate ECU modes that, in the lowest setting, make the Suzuki a poor example of a superbike. The Honda has none of that. It’s just you, your right wrist, and your nerves.
How far are you going to twist it, boy?
Too much gas with too much lean and there’s no electronic bungee cord to pull you back from the 10-foot highside that awaits. The 1000RR does have Honda’s old-school C-ABS (Combined ABS) system fitted, but that means nothing when you’re on the side of the tire and wanting to give it some more at high speed. Seat of the pants feel is crucial which, thankfully, is here in spades. The 1000RR may as well be talking to your ass.
Despite a horrible matte black color, the CBR still looks good nearly nine years after this shape was first delivered to the public.
The 1000RR’s reputation as a razor sharp superbike has been progressively dulled over the past few years as it came under siege from the electronically-equipped track terrors from Europe and, more recently, its deadly home enemy of Yamaha. However, what this 1000RR does have on its side is that it was born well. When it was originally released in 2008 as the replacement to the underseat-exhaust 1000RR that ran from 2004-2007, it was nothing short of a revelation. It instantly made most other superbikes feel old. It was short, nimble and changed direction almost via osmosis. Chassis feel was infused into this model 1000RR’s DNA from the beginning, meaning you’ll get plenty of warning before it’s decided you’ve had too much fun and catapults you into next week.
The 1000RR has barely changed since that 2008 debut. In 2012 it got Showa’s Big Piston Fork and a Balance-Free shock, new engine mapping, a digital dash that looks like it was swiped from the first-generation Nintendo Gameboy and a facelift with different headlights and colors, but it was essentially the same bike.
And nothing has changed since.
In that time, we’ve had a new BMW S 1000 RR, Kawasaki ZX-10R, Ducati Panigale, MV Agusta F4, Aprilia RSV4, and the one that changed everything, much like that 2008 1000RR, the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1.
I’ve been a critic of the 1000RR of late in that it does everything really well, but nothing truly amazing. And I thought the 1000RR lacking in the personality department. Hey, in the face of a 200hp German BMW sledgehammer or an Italian Ducati with the sex appeal of Blake Lively in lingerie, I stand by my thoughts.
But that does not mean it’s a bad bike, because to say the 1000RR is anything but a brilliant interpretation of the superbike definition is to do those genius Honda engineers a thorough disservice. I bet your accountant isn’t the life of the party, but he’s damn good at his job, right? Plus, the 1000RR still wins races all over the world, most notably at the Isle of Man TT. OK, John McGuinness’s missile is a tad different to this one, but you get the idea.
Mid-range muscle is easily accessed via a beautifully mapped throttle.
And there’s a funny roundabout twist to all of this. Now the 1000RR is joining the 21st century electronic arms race in 2017, I find I’m lusting after that analog, right-hand/rear-wheel connection, that reliance on my abilities alone, which will soon be a thing of the past. I guess you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone…
Word out of Japan is the 2017 1000RR will be smaller, lighter and faster than ever before ¾ a given sentence for a new superbike from anyone who wants them to sell. But I hope Honda doesn’t make it too much smaller than this model, because even though the reach to the bars is pretty comfortable, the seat to peg distance is far from. An hour, tops, is all I can stand on this 1000RR because my legs are jacked up too high and the blood flow from the knee down becomes questionable. The ride position really only makes sense if you’ve got short pins or you are tucked in and going for it.
And if you are going for it, the 1000RR is there for you, man. That part I said about it being born well is on show from the moment you pitch it in on the C-ABS-equipped Tokico front brakes to when that throttle is wound right back and you’re heading down the next straightaway. Balance is the name of the game and there’s a reason the 1000RR’s chassis has hardly been touched for eight years. It doesn’t turn at quite the rate of new R1 or ZX-10R, but it’s absolutely rock solid when it does and is equal to the previous two in terms of mid-corner to exit feel on the side of the tire.
Throw the CBR on its side and the bike is so intuitive it feels like it’s talking to you.
What helps this tangible feel on corner exit is the throttle connection. It’s buttery smooth, and doesn’t have that jerkiness you can get with the Yamaha or the computer feel of a BMW. From a closed throttle the 1000RR delivers wads of torque to the tire in a splendid, unintimidating fashion. It’s simply a joy to experience, like shaking the hand of an old friend.
Scream through the mid-range and into the top-end on the track and this is where the CBR will lose out to a BMW or Kawasaki. But on the road, this fact is near negligible. In everyday street riding you’ll spend the majority of your time below 10,000rpm, and, in that guise, the 1000RR’s eight-year-old engine is still one of the finest lumps out there. Even now, it’s one of the most torquey superbike engines on the market, despite being such an age, so you can understand why Honda has left it alone for so long. Easy access to traffic busting torque makes for a great streetbike, and if you don’t mind a touch of discomfort as a taller rider, there’s still a brilliant argument to put one of these bikes in your garage.
We all know a new CBR1000RR is coming. But no one who has anything at all to do with Honda will go on the record to state one is even in development, at least in this country. What is guaranteed to happen, though, is when the new 1000RR does drop, be it next year or the year after, it’ll have most if not all the electronic bells and whistles the competition has. It’ll be a great bike ¾ lighter, faster, more powerful, and more technically advanced than this one ¾ meaning dealers will be doing runout sales of this machine, and you could pick one up for next to nix.
This is indeed a fantastic bike. It’s the last of the analog superbikes. The last of a dead breed, which alone makes it special. And that’s before you ride it. CN
Bye, bye, baby. It’s been a long and glorious run for the analog CBR.
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SPECIFICATIONS: 2016 Honda CBR1000RR
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Engine:
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Inline four-cylinder four-stroke
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Displacement:
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999.8cc
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Bore x stroke:
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76 x 55.1mm
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Horsepower:
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N/A
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Torque:
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N/A
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Compression ratio:
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12.3:1
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Fuel system:
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Programmed Dual Stage Fuel Injection(PGM-DSFI) with 46mm throttle bodies, Denso 12-hole injectors
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Exhaust:
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4-2-1
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Transmission:
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Six-speed cassette type gearbox.
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Chassis:
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Aluminum twin-spar chassis
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Front suspension:
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43mm inverted Big Piston Fork with spring preload, rebound and compression
damping adjustability. 4.3in travel.
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Rear suspension:
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Unit Pro-Link Balance-Free Rear Shock with spring preload, rebound and
compression damping adjustability. 5.4in travel.
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Front brake:
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Dual Tokico radial-mounted four-piston calipers with full-floating 320mm
discs. Optional Combined ABS.
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Rear brake:
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Single piston caliper, 220 mm diameter disc. Optional Combined ABS.
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Front tire:
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120/70 ZR17
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Rear tire:
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190/50 ZR17
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Rake:
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23° |
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Trail:
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3.8 in.
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Wheelbase:
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55.5 in.
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Seat height:
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32.3 in.
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Overall height:
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N/A
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Overall width:
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N/A
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Overall length:
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N/A
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Fuel capacity:
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4.7 gal
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Weight:
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465 lb. (wet, claimed, with Combined-ABS fitted).
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Color:
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Black
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MSRP:
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$16,499
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Walk Down Memory Lane
It’s hard to believe Honda’s big bore CBR is 24 years old, and it’s easy to forget the impact the original versions had on the world of motorcycling. Honda didn’t just bring out a bike everybody wanted, it created a whole new segment and made us rethink how we view sportbikes and racing. It would still be another decade after the 1992 900RR was released before Superbike officially became a 1000cc class, but that may never have happened had Tadao Baba not put pen to paper to create a legend that continues to this day.
1992
Honda debuts the . Originally slated as a 750, Honda upped the capacity to 893cc, making the CBR stand alone as a big bore super streetbike (not superbike) that had the weight of a 600 but the power to match the company’s delectable RVF750 ¾ a bike no one could buy. The Yamaha FZR1000, Kawasaki ZX-11 and Suzuki GSX-R1100 competition were rendered also-rans overnight. Oddly, the CBR ran a 16-inch front wheel Baba-san said was required to get the engine in the position and geometry way he wanted. America Honda imports the game-changing machine one year later, in 1993.
Please note, we have not quoted power or weight figures in any of the bikes here as we couldn’t get verified, actual numbers from of American Honda.
1995
Generation two hits the stands. The 900RR gets new fully adjustable forks, redesigned and more aerodynamic bodywork with the upper cowl stay going from steel to aluminum and a magnesium cylinder head instead of aluminum. The weight and horsepower remains the same.
1996
Engine grows from 893cc to 919cc via a 1mm increase in bore. Chassis changes included a new swingarm and main frame with 5mm higher swingarm pivot and less overall weight. Ergonomics were also changed with the bars mounted closer and higher to the rider.
1998
Another major revision with over 80 percent of the engine changed. The frame was stiffer, more like the original 1992 model, there was a new swingarm and the triple clamps had 5mm less offset to address the many complaints of vague front-end handling. New bodywork and colors were offered to 900RR customers as well, but they were also offered something else, as 1998 was the debut year of the 900RR’s nemesis – the Yamaha YZF-R1.
2000
After two years of getting its ass kicked by the R1, Honda got serious and completely worked over the 900RR. Capacity was ramped up to its now namesake 929cc and it was the first RR to receive Honda’s PGM-FI (Programed Fuel Injection) system and an all titanium exhaust system.
The chassis was also totally redesigned and had the swingarm pivoting inside the crankcases, and Honda finally ditched the 16-inch front wheel in favor of the universal 17-inch.
2002
This was the final CBR to come from Baba-san and thus the Japanese legend’s favorite design. Capacity was hiked to 954cc thanks to a 1mm bore increase, there were larger injectors, hotter cam timing, larger throttle bodies, a bigger radiator, a re-mapped fuel-injection system and a revised ECU. The frame was redesigned with a stiffer swingarm, bigger brakes and externally, the CBR was now sharper than ever before with totally redesigned bodywork and colors.
2004
Honda joins the big boys. Based closely off the legendary RC211V that Valentino Rossi used to sweep to the 2002 and 2003 MotoGP titles, the CBR was now known as the 1000RR thanks to a capacity hike to 998cc. It was stroked and bored, received dual shower injectors, ram-air, a cassette-style transmission and that iconic underseat exhaust. The chassis’ dimensions mimicked those of Rossi’s racer, as did the bodywork aesthetics, with a new main frame and swingarm, inverted fork, Unit Pro-Link rear suspension, radial-mounted front brakes and the gas tank was centrally located under a faux cover. It was also the first CBR to receive Honda’s electronic steering damper and was the first CBR to compete in the World Superbike Championship with Australian Chris Vermeulen.
2006
Only small changes to the engine for 2006, featuring straight-cylinder-head intake ports, larger exhaust ports, different valves and timing aimed at increasing low to mid-range torque. Front brake discs were increased in diameter from 310mm to 320mm. New colors but aesthetics remained largely the same.
2008
Lighter, faster, sharper were the new 1000RR’s ethos. Everything was redesigned – engine capacity hiked to 999cc with the bore increased and stroke decreased for more revs, titanium intake and exhaust valves, new head, block and crankcase, new pistons, a slipper clutch, and power upped to a claimed 176hp at the crank. Chassis is completely redesigned with a new swingarm and main frame aimed at centralizing mass as much as possible. Bodywork is totally redesigned and frontal area becomes more rounded. No more underseat exhaust, which no exits near the swingarm on the right side. The 2008 CBR1000RR sets new standards for the superbike class. The following year, Honda debuts the Combined ABS system, the first of its kind to be used on a superbike anywhere in the world.
2010
Minor changes include a heavier flywheel, smaller radiator fan and thinner exhaust pipe flange. New HRC-replica red, white and blue colors also became available.
2012
To mark 20 years of the big-bore CBR, the 2012 1000RR got new Showa front and rear suspension, revised fuel-injection settings and different front bodywork that includes a sharper headlight design.
To read this in Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine, click HERE.
For more Cycle News Sport Bike motorcycle reviews, click HERE.
For more Cycle News Honda motorcycle reviews, click HERE.
