IN
THE
WIND
P30
HONDA CBR1000RR GETS
A HOST OF UPDATES
T
he eagerly-anticipated 2017
Honda CBR1000RR – the
first all-new superbike from
the big H since 2008 – will be
getting a stack of electronic
updates, plus less weight and
more power and subtly re-
worked styling.
According to MCN, the new RR
is expected to have "around 180
bhp at the rear wheel," which will
still not put it in the same league
as the BMW S 1000 RR, Kawa-
saki ZX-10R or the Ducati 1299
Panigale, but is still an increase
from the claimed 175 horsepow-
er of the current model.
According to MCN's unnamed
Japanese source, "The changes
to the new bike are very signifi-
cant and there has been a lot
of work done to make the bike
more competitive with rivals. The
weight loss over the current bike
will help the bike to turn much
more easily and those who have
tested it have said it makes for a
much sharper bike."
Honda is also set to join fellow
Japanese manufacturers Ya-
maha and Kawasaki in using the
six-axis Bosch Inertial Measure-
ment Unit (IMU) that debuted
on the 2015 YZF-R1. The IMU
is about three times lighter than
the C-ABS system Honda has
used for years and measures the
longitudinal, lateral and vertical
acceleration, as well as the yaw,
roll and pitch rate of the ma-
chine. Its inclusion means the
CBR will be on equal electronic
footing with Yamaha, BMW,
Ducati and Kawasaki.
Another benefit of the IMU's
inclusion is that the new RR will
also be the first Honda super-
bike to come standard with
Öhlins electronically adjustable/
semi-automatic suspension simi-
lar to that as used on the Ducati
Panigale. The system works with
input from the IMU to link front
and rear damping in semi-active
mode to ensure the machine
has optimum suspension damp-
ing at all times.
Expect the styling to be
an evolution of the lines that
debuted back in 2008, with
a sharper headlight similar to
that of the iconic 959 of 2002-
2003. CN
Insiders say the
new 2017 Honda
CBR1000RR will have
less weight, more
power and electronics
updates.
