Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

• 1997 Honda CBR11 OOXX sidebar story on the XX's chassis shows, it sits smack bang between Yamaha's YZF100Q and Kawasaki's ZXll in chas~ sis geometry. The figures suggest the Honda should be nimbler and lighter than the ZXll, but Jess razor sharp and heavier than the Yamaha. We'll have to wait for a full comparison of the three before passing final judgment on that score (as well as top speed), but initial impressions suggest that while the XX is indeed nimbler and more responsive than the Kawasaki, it doesn't possess the ZXll's legendary rock-solid stability. That's not to say that the XX couldn't cope with flat-out high-speed runs. Far from it. Along the slightly uphill Mistral Straight with a strong wind .hitting the XX three-quarter front-on, the bike tracked as straight as an arrow. There wasn't a single twitch or weave, and I saw over 175 mph indicated on the dial lap after lap. I've no doubt that, given another 500 yards, the magical 185 mph would have been indicated. That's seriously fast. . No, where the XX got a bit squirreUy was under brakes and when changing direction in the esses, al though to be fair, there was nothing too disconcerting. At the speeds the XX was hitting, it would have benefited from a firmer suspension setup for the track too, especially to limit the front-end diving under heavy braking. By Ken Wootton Photos by Henny Stern ~ 18 he organizers will not be able to intervene if you are arrested for traffic offenses." That was the sobering warning printed in the information booklet handed out to the world's motorcycle press at the launch of Honda's much-tduted CBR1100XX. With a speed limit through French towns of 30 mph, and a maximum on the rural roads of only 55 mph, it was unlikely that the XX would even get off the idle stop. And let's face.it, when you get a bunch of motojoumaJists togeth.er the chance of the rules being adhered to is minimal - especially when the bike in question is being openly marketed as the world's most powerful and fastest production motorcycle. Luckily for us, Honda had also booked the famous Paul Ricard Circuit near Ie Castellet in the south of France so any frustrations caused by the weekend's crowded French roads could be overcome on the mile-and-a-quarterlong Mistral Straight. Speaking of which, have you any idea how difficult it is to breathe when your 'nose is being spread from one ear lobe to the other? Or how difficult it is to focus when your cheeks are being forced upward into your eyebrows and your head feels like it's about to be violently wrenched from your neck? Welcome to life behind the bars of a CBR1100. That was the situation I found myself in as the speedometer nudged ever closer to 180 mph, and the terrifyingly fast Courbe. de Signes at the end 'of Mistral Straight approached faster than my confused brain could register. Pause for a moment and contemplate that speed. One hundred and eighty miles per how meant that I was skimming across Paul Ricard's grippy pavement at over 260 feet per second. Still not impressed? Let's put that in perspective. For every third of a second that I (Above) Australian Motorcycle News editor Ken Wootton at speed on the new Honda CBR1100 XX. (Right) The highly touted XX is claimed to produce 162 horsepower. hesitated about the approaching comer, another 100 feet was passing under the • XX's fat Bridgestone radials. Not only was there no room for error, there wasn't even time to sneeze. Cosseted behind the XX's svelte aerodynamic fairing, the windblast wasn't a concern, but as soon as I stuck my nose nervously over the rim of the rakish tinted screen, all hell broke loose. That's when the helmet visor got forced back into my face, my neck seemingly grew by four inches and the simple act of just breathing became a major undertaking. Am I exaggerating? Try this simple exercise. Next time you're cruising along the freeway at a steady 65 mph in your mom's Chevy Chevette, try sticking your hand (or head) out the window. Surprised by the windblast? Imagine that multiplied by three, with your survival dependent on being able to move your whole torso against those forces so as ·to control the projectile you're astride. Get my drift? That's why my head was poking nervously over the screen, trying to pinpoint the braking marker so ~ could, flick right at nearly 150 mph. Remember, a moment's hesitation at those speeds and I'd be 250 feet off the track and digging drainage ditches in the spectator mounds with my proboscis. This sort of carry-on isn't something .that would normally be expected of a sport tourer. Thus it's a credit to Honda that it had enough faith in it~ road-going .motorcycle to launch it at a race traCK which, by its nature, imposes stresses on a motorcycle not normally encountered on public roads. WHERE IT SITS It's worth spending a few minutes here positioning the CBRllOOXX in the market. Forget Honda's marketing hype about it being 'a Supersport - that's the niche filled by bikes like the sibling CBR900, Kawasaki ZX7R and Suzuki GSXR750T. No, the CBRllOOXX is more sport tourer, and as the accompanying It was only in hindsight that I 'realized I'd been doing things to a sportstourer that none of its peers could have coped with. There is no way a ZXll could get arounli the turns as quickly, and there is no way a ZX9R can match the lowdown grunt of the big Honda. TRUTH IN STATISTICS 'The power and torque figures are proof of that, although we'll have to put the XX on the dyno to get the real truth. With a claimed 162 horsepower, the Honda has a marked power advantage over its opposition, but it's in the torque department where the Honda comes up a winner for everyday use. Whereas the ZXll and YZF1000R have and 81 and 79.6 foot~pounds, respectively, both at 8500 rpm, the CBRllOO has 91.9 foot-pounds at only 7250 rpm. That's quite an advantage, which probably explain:s why the Honda was quite happy to putt along in top gear (sixth) at only 2000 rpm, which equates to 37 mph. Redline, incidentally,

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