that can reach speeds just shy of 300km/h.
There are also a few external changes, the
most obvious of which relates to the minuscule
front fairing that now resembles a 600cc
Supersport nose cone. Interestingly, it still
seems to off er surprisingly good aerodynamics
at high speed, even for lanky six-footers, and
also houses a twin LED headlight with both
bulbs blazing fulltime that is something new
for this model. In a wise move, Honda has
retained the sweet ergonomics of the old Blade,
albeit with a few nips and tucks. The tank has
been scalloped out on either side by 15mm so
you have a be er gripping point with your
knees; this comes in handy when you twist
the thro le to the stop with the power set to
level 1. As your pace starts to hot up coming
out of corners, the ’bars may give a slight snap
as the electric steering damper arrests the
unavoidable tank slappers that occur when 193
horsepower tries to escape through the rear
wheel but, like its predecessor, this bike rarely
feels unstable. It tends to become more planted
with speed and the turn-in rate is so quick it
requires some recalibrating of your brainwaves
to dial in exactly how much later you can
initiate a steering input while still staying on
the correct line to the apex. Rake and trail
have remained the same but the wheelbase
has been extended by 5mm for stability andBUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
WANNA STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD?
COP THIS LOT...If you don’t want to se le for being the grey
man, you can opt for the tri-colour SP model,
which comes in at $6000 more than the base
model. Two of these special models were
present at the CBR1000RR launch but Honda
Australia made the sensible choice of keeping
those keys in the hands of professional racers
Troy Herfoss and Bryan Staring. We can only
guess that these limited-edition units will
be theirs to test as they transition from the
2016 model in the campaign of the Australian
Superbike Championship (ASBK).
The SP model comes with a 43mm NIX30
Öhlins Smart-EC front fork that is fully
adjustable and capable of being switched
over from manual operation to semi-active.
These se ings are not described using the
gobbledygook of suspension technicians,
but with the simple terms ‘General’, ‘Brake’,
‘Corner’ and ‘Acceleration’.
A +/- fi ve-level system is used to make
adjustments which amount to a very intuitive
entry into the black art of suspension tuning.The electronic suspension makes up the bulk
of the SP’s added expense but there’s also a
total weight saving of 1kg over the base model
thanks to the titanium fuel tank, Li-Ion
ba ery, single seat, lighter aluminium wheels
and the same upgraded radial-mount Brembo
Monobloc calipers that grace the all-singing,
all-dancing SP2 model.
This third model is a homologation special
that was released specifi cally to provide
a more versatile platform for WSBK
competition in an eff ort to provide their
ex-MotoGP factory riders a fi ghting chance
of winning. It has larger intake (31.5mm
versus 29.5mm on the standard and SP
model) and exhaust valves (25.5mm versus
24.5mm), 2.5mm shorter and 8gm lighter
piston pins, a stiff er swing arm and high-li
camsha s (28mm versus 26mm). The SP2’s
gold Marchesini forged aluminium wheels
not only look the part but also help shave
off another kilogram of unsprung mass and
allow the SP2 to weigh in at just 194kg.38 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDERLAUNCH REPORT: HONDA CBR1000RR FIREBLADE
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