The latest Honda CBR1000RR has been a revelation ever since its 2008 launch. A truly path-breaking superbike, the CBR1000RR could be just what the doctor ordered for relatively inexperienced high-performance bike buyers across India. However, immediate rival, Yamaha’s formidable YZF-R1 is already entrenched in the miniscule Indian superbike market, which means the CBR has its task cut out in India. AutoCar (June ’09) tested the CBR to see how it fares on Indian roads.

Design & Engineering
You can’t miss just how compact the faired-in CBR1000RR looks and belies its massive 1000cc engine capacity. Honda bent a lot of rules when designing this Fireblade and it doesn’t sport the angular, mean lines that dominate most other rival litre-class superbikes. This is a motorcycle with softer, friendlier lines that many have come to admire, and some just never grew into.

Love it or loathe it, it’s clear the CBR1000RR concentrates its mass low and close to the centre of the bike and the factory has labored hard to keep its weight to a bare minimum, so crucial on these kind of built-for-speed machines.

The CBR’s front fairing hints at some of the bike’s aggressive intent, with twin headlights glaring out of an aerodynamically shaped snout. Smart, really high-quality stalk-mounted mirrors, which show clear rear view at all speeds, house the front turn signal indicators. Just under its low-set visor sits a through bred motorcycle’s characteristic instruments bay, and digital speedometer offset to the right. The turn signal warning icons are smartly placed on the periphery of this single-pod fascia, while within the rev counter sits a low-fuel warning lamp, neutral, high beam and bright redline warning lights.

The CBR also provides an odometer, A & B trip facility as well as accurate real-time fuel economy readouts. All this is located in front of its attractive, machined alloy steering triple clamp. Clip-on handlebars are standard fare with all inclusive switches including a hazard warning button and engine kill switch to the right. A large and easy to turn cable-adjusting nut fastens into the clutch yoke. And the ‘Blade deploys Honda’s proven theft-preventing Honda Ignition Security System (HISS) that won’t allow the bike to start without its original set of keys.  

The CBR1000RR’s engine and curved radiator sit semi-concealed beneath its distinctive bodywork, with its massive frame running back to expose itself just under its long tank section. A big draw to the CBR is its attractive smartly clad and stubby silencer and much of its muscle comes from a humongous swing arm and 190/50 section rear tyre, flanked on one side by an exposed and O’ring sealed chain. The rear is slim, with boldly stepped rider and pillion pads ending in a petite tail-lamp, while the rear mudguard sticks out with considerable overhang. The CBR1000RR oozes quality from every pore, with a glinting paint job, superb attention to detail and nice fit and finish visible all over the motorcycle says AutoCar (June ’09).

Engine, Gearbox & Performance
Honda has packed a liquid-cooled, 999.8cc, in-line, four-stroke engine into the CBR1000RR. The 16-valve head is designed to be really compact and piston construction has intentionally been kept light to pave the way for really quick revving. This power plant uses dual sequential fuel-injection, precisely controlled via a nicely weighted throttle. Also included is a slipper clutch system specially developed for the ‘Blade; it sweats behind the scene, when a rider downshifts really aggressively from high rpm to keep the shift smooth and sends power back in seamlessly after the shift. There’s 174bhp made at 12000rpm and 11.4kgm of torque that comes into play at 85000rpm. Plus the CBR1000RR uses a cable-operated clutch and slick six-speed gearbox that shifts in a universal one-down-five-up pattern.

The best acceleration time achieved by AutoCar (June ’09) from zero to 100kph was a rapid 3.56 seconds with the bike cracking 190kph in a blistering 7.62 seconds.    

Ride, Handling & Braking     
The ‘Blade with its dinky rider pad and pillion perch will leave one longing for a break following every ride that lasts over an hour say AutoCar testers (June ’09). Its weight-forward riding position does well to load up the front end but is a real palm-killer. The bike uses a four-piece gravity die-cast frame. Front suspension is 43mm inverted telescopic forks while the rear is brought up by Honda’s Pro-link system and a gas-charged monoshock, both of which are adjustable for preload, compression and rebound. A massive alloy swing arm holds up the rear.

Braking is a combined ABS system with radial mounted four-piston front calipers chomping on 320mm twin discs up front, which require no more than a firm finger or two on the lever even while hauling the ‘Blade violently from 100kph to rest in 46.71 metres. Handling is surprisingly light, with sharp cornering manners as expected from this kind of motorcycle. An electronically adjusted steering damper has made the CBR easier to steer at low speed and progressively stiffened dampers keep the rider safe at high speeds.   

Fuel Economy
While fuel economy is not of much use in this regard, for the record, the CBR1000RR gave the AutoCar team (June ’09) 16.7kpl in the city and 18kpl on the highway.

Verdict
The CBR1000RR didn’t win the International Bike of the Year 2008-2009 award without good reason. This is a bike that performs with flying colours on all counts. A refined Honda with loads of pose value, it sits a league higher than the brat pack of track-bred litre-class bikes. The ‘Blade is capable of delivering explosive road-shrinking power when called upon and backs up its fiery performance with precise handling and formidable ABS armed brakes.

Although through bred racing replica bikes like the ‘Blade are never going to make ideal motorcycles on Indian roads, if you simply must have one of these road-going rockets, the CBR1000RR is the best that money ca buy, for now signs off AutoCar (June ’09).