Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

OND PLACE NDA Measured wBt weight: tb Peak horsepower: 148.42 hp Perk toFque: 75.49 ft.-lb. Weight-tofower ratio: 3.O3 lb.,/hp Fastest lap time: 1:27,78 lSor'ensenl Ouarter-mile time: 9.79 @ 144.78 mph Price: $11,299 onda is a perennial favorite whenever we hit the high- ways and twisties in these shootouts, but a better per- formance at the racetrack is what the company needed in ord€r to get on the top of the podium. lf the street riding alone determined lhe win- ner of this shootout, the Honda wins with its perfect combination of com{ort, performance and niceties, Honda worked hard to make the '06 CBR1000RB more aggressive, so much so that it actually surprised a few of us. Honda didn't do a maior redesign of the CBB, but you could still call it a s6ri- ous overhaul. Most of the changes per- tain to the chassis, which we'll get to in a bit, but the engine was massaged for improved performance as well. lf you want to compete against the GSX-R1000, your bike had better behave like a GSX Rl000. The most noticeable sensation after letting out the clutch on the CBR is the bike's new Iighter, snappi- er and aggressive feel. Not only did it lose a lot of weight, but it also gained power to boot. The primary changes were made to the cylinder head - specilically its com- bustion chamber and ports. Not only was the compression ratio raised lrom 1'1.9:1 to 12.2:1, but the redline is now up from 11,650 to 12,200 thanks to new double- coil intake-valve springs. Tweaks were made to the ram-air intake and the exhausl system as well in an effort to increase airflow both in and out of the engine, The revised double-R's dyno chErts now look suspiciously similar to the nice clean curves ofthe Suzuki - not a hole or dip to be found anylvhere. The Honda Ielt liko it was going to be in the hunt on the track early in the day, and then the winds came roaring in. The engine canl be completely blamed for lap times that were less than stellar, so we'll have to aim some ofthe blame else- where, The Honda is now just a few ticks off the Suzuki in outright power and almost makes the same amount of peak torque. lt was just one of those days at Willow Springs - not even the monster Kawasakicould punch a big enough hole in the wind so as to be completely unaf' fected by it. The Honda received high marks lor its engine performance, but most of the testers felt that it was still a bit off from the Suzuki and Kawasaki, "The Honda has smooth, linear poweL" Sorensen said, "but not the bot- tom-end torque of the Suzuki and Kawasaki." The dyno chart reinforces this, as the Suzuki makes a solid five more from 4000-10,000 rpm - and wo donl €ven want to bring the Kawasaki's engine up in the same conversation. At the drag strip the Honda improved dramatically over last year. Despite run- ning a nearly identical trap speed of '144.78 mph (it went 144.407 mph in '05) the bike was much quicker off the line, running a quicker 60-foot time and a much better 9.79-second E.T., compared to last year's 9.961. Could that improved weight-to-power ratio have anything to do with it? Everyone loved the transmission on the Honda, which didn't receive a single complaint. However, everyone agrees that it is due time for the CBR to get a slipper clutch, and it would definitely help the bike get into the tight stuff with less drama. On our street ride the Honda received rave reviews. Everything associated with the engine is positive; good power, nice fuel injection. nice linear action from the hydraulic clutch and a smooth shifting transmission. as much midcorner stability as some of the others. The Honda Electronic Steering Damper (HESDI does its job. not allowing the head to shake, but the bike still didnl feel as stable as some of the others. As for the rear shock, it received high marks, but Sorensen thought that it could use a little firmer spring. There is one thing that hasnl changed on the CBR, and that's the bike's ability to lay the power down in a smooth fashion, aided by the Pro Link resr suspension. Getting on the gas early over Willow's turn-six rise is paramount to a good lap, and the Honda allowed the r;der to open the throttle early without worrying about spinning the tire too much as the bike unweighted itself- Another update on the CBR for2006 is the new Iront-brake package. The bike now has larger. lighter, twin 320mm discs up front, squeezed by the same excellent four-piston, radial-mount calipers. The brakes got high marks by every tester and were the lavorites of a few . nice ini. tial bite and tons of power. Although the bik6 leels small. it is very comfortable on the street or the track. lt has a perfect seatjng position for attack mode on the track but is perfectly com- fortable on the street as well, although not as sofa-like as it used to be. When it comes to living with a bike on a day-to-day basis, the Honda excels. The CBR'S fit and finish is excellent. the dash is easy to read and informative, the mir- rors are quite good. and details such as the easy-to-use adjustable levers only add to the positives. But it was the bike's new street man- nerisms that impressed us the most. Not that the bik6 was a dud befor€, but the revised model struts its new power-to- weight ratio by lofting the front wheel in the air every chance it gels. lt honestly feels like a GSX-R1000 on the street, albeit with a roomier seating position and wider swept bars. CHASSIS/HANDLING XEY CHAI{GES l5 pounds lighter Mors radical gsometry (stgsper raks, less trail) [arger, lighter 3mmm front rotors New spring rates and shock link The CBB has to win the award for most dramatic change in character. Last year the Honda felt, well, a bit soft and pudgy. This year the bike is sharp, cut and aggressive. Not only does the bike weigh a lot less (15 pounds), but with added lrower dnrl improved sLspension the bike feels completely different. ln order to reduce so much weight off the bike, Honda had to redesign almost 60 percent of the components on the bike to meet their goal. A gram here, an ounce there, it all adds up to a huge weight savings and mLlch improved we;ght to power ratio. Around Willow Springs the bike felt more like a 600, chassis-wise, than a 1000. "Ihe CBR was the smallest leeling of the bunch," Sorensen said, "like a 600cc bike and very flickable." Not only does the bike flick from side to side qLrickly, it also feels small and nimble from the cockpit. Getting through the tight stuff was really easy, but the chassis needed to give the rider more feedback in some of the fast corners. The fork's new spring rates are defi- nitely better than last year's, but some- times in fast turns eight and nine, it was difficult to trust the available traction and stay on the gas. Especially in our windy timed session when the bike wanted to understeer and run wide and didnl offer Mair Porirer =!tls.i2 Max Torque = 75.48 Htrnda EBRIOEE 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 o = 4 o a El Engine Speod (BPM xl000) 0 PClEtITT\,ECI Much lighter Great brakes Nice turn-in NEG'ATI\,EB Lack of front-end feel No slipper clutch More power please CYCLE NEWS MARCH 15,2006 35 - 1O8 POINTS /t 7....-, hL'., 7/ tryffi 2 1 n * s { €NGIN€ KEY CHAI{GES Higher compression ratio l12.2rl I Redline increased to 12,200 rpm New cylinder h ead porting New transmission gears and improved clutch \l- t' :l

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