Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

springs made from a different material with an increased rate. More spring preload is necessary on the new model because the rear Unit Pro Link suspension gets a more supple +ring rate (12.0 kg/mm to I 1.5 kg/mm) and a new linkage system that gives less rising rate, according to Honda, We rode the entire day at Buttonwillow without makinga suspension change, and that's saying somethinS. Ler's juit say that Buttonwillow won't ever be confused with a billiard table. But as long as they kept throwing new Efidgestone Battlax BTOl5s at the bike, all was grand - especially so in the afternoon sessions when the DOT race-compound tires were fitted. Not all the bodywork on the new CBRIOooRR has changed, but enough has been altered to give it a differ- ent, tad more radical look. While the tank and tail section remain the same, the fairinS has changed with the front and side cowlings takinS on a different, sleeker look. While t looks the same, the seat gets rcvised foam mate- rial in an effort to make it more comfortable. We didn't disapprove of last year's seat and didn't notice much of a change on this one - at least at the racetrack- You will notice that the pipes exiting under the seat cowling have a slightly different look from last year's model- 5o how does this Honda compare to last year's CBR|oooRR. lt's better. Much better. At least on the racetrack. ln list year's shootout (and really every shootout that's ever f€atured a CBR), our testers raved over the Honda as a streetbike, and only on the mcetrack did it sutfer enougfr to keep it frofi winning. lts stability. supple sus- pension, and predictable eirsy-to-use power had us say- ing, "There are no surprises on the Honda: Everything does its job ven/welland lets the rider worry about other things such as deer, gravel or trallic, instead of worrying about the bike," AEain, its problems on the racetrack (and it didn't have many) came mostly from its weight. How much that extra weight played into making it the streetbike that it was won't be known until we get to take the newest CBRI000RR on a nice ,ong road ride. Whatever comPro- mise Honda had to make to get the bike to work better at th6 tr-ack will likely be worth it. ln order to contend in this qtrass, magazines around the world told them exactly what we told them: The bike had to get lighter and it had to har'e a bit more snap, a bit more power. We wanted a livelier Honda and Honda has given us one. Now we iust have to wait and see if it's enough to make the CBRI000RR the class leader when the smoke settles on our 2006 Open-Class Shootout. List year's CBR|000RR was introduced at a price of $10,999, but it was one of Honda's models which had an incr€ase on February l, 2005, bringing its suggested retail price up to $ I I ,299. The bike will retain that price for 2006. This year's colors include a new Candy Blue/yellow (whth we were fortunate enough to have for the day's photos) to go alonS with .edlblack, silver/metallic and sil- ver and black. So pick a color, any color. Cll fhi exhoust still exits ot the teor bul hos q sliahrly ditf.rcnr look fron post models. IIT BTSI OT SUPTRGIllSS 0Lll &lltu, 0lt VIDEO lt I tututu rof rI suPtRGR0ss.cG.c0 &u0t0s.Gc.G01tl , it n I I Jake Zemke . Emesto Fonseca . Eric Bostrom . Travis Preston ' Aaron Gobert . Sean Hamblin . Ben Attard . Jason Perez . John Dowd . DannY Eslick . Scott Simon . Jeremy Toye . Jason Curtis ' Josh Grant ' Larry Pegram . Tyler McDonald . Billy Laninovich . Mark Junge ' Wayne Rainey Tommy Hahn . Eddie Lawson . Bryan Johnson Shayne Byrne . Chris Jake Weimer . Norick Peris . Chris Vermeulen Abe . Sean Collier. Josh Herrin . Martin Davalos Yukio Kagayama . Matt Goclkc. RrLrichi Kivrtrtari . Ja) lvlarntont''lbhru Ukaw'a'Bally ]la"vk Barrett Lons . Rand1, llau'kins .lbrr)' Mciring ' C-huck Wootlfilrcl ' Rich Olivcr. Piiul Krause . Pascal Picotte ' l'ravis Baker Jordall Szoke ' Dean Mizdahl . Logan Young . Cale Wallace ' Jcssica Zalusky ' Frecld!' Karrlc CYCLE NEWS . JANUARY I I, 2006 29 J I cun Jl rll ,/ q /) a , I I I .-/ I I I I a I I L u c< I ... I L/ I 1 ,,, I E: I I I f I I l I t- I I I I l I I

• Cover