Australian Road Rider — August 2017

lineage that began with the CBR900RR in 1992.

The model has always had a well-deserved

reputation for excellent handling and that

DNA has seen it continue to win races in the

face of all odds. As a case in point, the outgoing

model has just taken back-to-back National

Superbike Championships here in Australia

with Goulburn racer Troy Herfoss at the helm.

But it is fair to say the bike’s weaknesses are

becoming harder to overlook, particularly

in the power and technology stakes. In this

modern era, massive horsepower fi gures and

the electrical voodoo needed to manage them

are the currency.

So what be er place to showcase the Blade’s

new wares than the blindingly fast 4.445km-

long circuit at Phillip Island in Victoria with

not one but three of Honda’s Factory Superbike

riders in a endance?

In a gesture of kindness (or mercy), the test

bikes were shod with Pirelli Supercorsa SP

tyres, which are a vast improvement over the

Bridgestone S21s fi  ed as OEM equipment.

Even still, we had ample opportunity to test

the effi cacy of the new electronics package

as we navigated cold track conditions and a

“I personally almost copped a masked lapwing

(Google it) in the face exiting Turn 1 at a clip”

r Honda has extracted 15kg of fl ab from the old Blade and boosted power by 8kW.

r There’s a Honda Electronic Steering Damper (HESD) hidden in there somewhere.

AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDER | 33

LAUNCH REPORT: HONDA CBR1000RR FIREBLADE

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