SHOOTOUT
P84
2013 MIDDLEWEIGHT SPORTBIKE SHOOTOUT
The Showa-sourced BPF fork
allows the rider to brake harder
into corners but its settings aren't
fully sorted yet.
The Honda's brakes ranked well and
were second to only the Kawasaki.
The Honda has one of the more
accommodating cockpits. It is more
relaxed than perhaps any other
machine but still favors smaller riders.
settings dialed-in and that's what
occurred with the Honda… but
the potential is there.
During braking, our testers
were pleased with the function of
the Honda's Tokico set-up even
though it lacks the prestige and
eye-catching flash of the Brembos. Both power and feel were
always consistent whether we
were on lap 1 or lap 11 and the
brakes were easy to modulate
during corner entry. During braking for turn 1, the CBR registered
the highest g-force (-1.19g) and
third-highest at turn 8.
Mid-corner the Honda got the
job done but didn't instill the kind
of confidence we remembered
from past shootouts. Navigating
turns 4 and 5 the CBR's corner speed (65.07 mph) ranked
it mid-pack. But where it really
counts, in the high-speed fourthgear bowl, it was at the back of
the field recording a speed higher than only the Ducati (69.28
