Spoilers, speed holes and the 2012 Castrol Honda CBR1000RR

The 2012 Honda CBR1000RR gains fancy new suspension and revised aerodynamics. The former won’t carry over to the already incredibly high-spec world of SBK racing, but the aerodynamics should. Peak under the chin of this new Castrol Honda and you’ll see the same tiny spoiler, designed to reduced lift, as the production bike, as well as the new-for-2012 layered fairings and their use of a low pressure area to draw cooling air through the radiator and smooth airflow over the rider. :continue:

Wes Siler. February 21st, 2012 - Permalink - Comments (16)

Without traction control and down on power, can the 2012 Honda CBR1000RR still compete?

It’s easy to feel a bit sorry for liter bikes as 2011 slowly becomes 2012. They’ve reached some sort of pinnacle — without exception the entire class is now so impossibly fast that the bikes have become distinguished not by power or handling, but by the efficacy of electronic rider aids. Even while technology progresses exponentially, model cycles are stretching longer and longer and cash-strapped buyers are increasingly hanging on to perfectly good, five-year old motorcycles rather than upgrading every two years. Into that mess enters the 2012 Honda CBR1000RR, a minor facelift of a model originally introduced four years ago. A bike that’s not only down on power compared to every single one of its competitors, but lacking any sort of traction control, much less wheelie control, launch control or any other whizz-bang rider aid too.

Photos: Brian J Nelson

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Wes Siler. December 18th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (42)

The CBR1000RR’s Balance Free Rear Cushion explained

So far as a defining mechanical unique selling points go, “balance free rear cushion” isn’t exactly the most evocative description. Not only does it evoke pillows rather than greasy parts, but it just lacks the pizzaz of terms like “EXUP,” “Deltabox,” and “SRAD.” That’s too bad, because the 2012 Honda CBR1000RR’s neat new trick is actually seriously neat. Here’s how it works. :continue:

Sean Smith. September 29th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (26)

Of spoilers and speed holes

In 1992, the Honda CBR900RR Fireblade forever changed motorcycling. In the decade preceding its launch, two-wheeled performance had already undergone something of a renaissance. The 1984 Kawasaki GPZ900R made an insane amount of power — 115bhp — allowing it to become the first stock motorcycle to ever exceed 150mph. In addition to the liter bike, another class of motorcycle was also created — the 600. They could go around corners. Bikes like the GPZ600R made about 75bhp. But, the two traits, performance and handling, weren’t able to totally coexist until Tadao Baba had the radical idea of putting a 122bhp engine into a bike the size of a 600. Thus the modern performance motorcycle was invented.

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Wes Siler. September 26th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (39)

62 high-res images of the 2012 Honda CBR1000RR

Bad cell phone shots of the 2012 Honda CBR1000RR leaked last month. But, here’s the real deal; 62 high-res studio shots of the lightly updated model. “Lightly updated,” you ask? Same frame, same engine (it’s supposedly a bit smoother now) and similar styling from the new fairing. The big differences appear to be in the wheels, which are now a more rigid 12-spoke design, and the suspension, which adopts Showa Big Piston Forks at the front and an all-new rear setup Honda’s calling “Balance Free Rear Cushion.” Supposed to increase damping ability and improve traction, we’ll take a deeper look at that in a few minutes. The big news is more what the new CBR doesn’t have: it doesn’t have more power than its rivals, it doesn’t weigh less and it doesn’t use any electronic performance aids such as traction control.

Click here to see how the CBR stacks up to superbike rivals like the Ducati 1199.

Update: two videos added. :continue:

Wes Siler. September 23rd, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (44)

The fastest liter bike in world isn’t what you think it is

The first every stock liter bike to cross the 200mph barrier in land speed record racing? It’s not a 193bhp BMW S1000RR or 197bhp 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R, it’s a humble 175bhp Honda CBR1000RR, ridden by a girl. :continue:

Wes Siler. August 31st, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (36)

2012 Honda CBR1000RR: a little facelift for 20

In 2012, the Honda Fireblade or, as we colonials like to call it, a Honda CBR with some big numbers and a couple Rs, turns 20. Time to celebrate, right? Sure, if you can call the relatively minor facelift seen here celebrating. Like any once-great, currently less-than-competitive beauty queen, it’s simply time for a little nip and tuck. For the 2012 Honda CBR1000RR, that means new headlights, new clocks, new suspension and apparently not much else.

Update: 48 images added to the gallery, full analysis added to the article. :continue: