VOL. 53 ISSUE 4 FEBRUARY 2, 2016 P87
2000
After two years of getting its ass
kicked by the R1, Honda got serious
and completely worked over the
900RR. Capacity was ramped up to
its now namesake 929cc and it was
the first RR to receive Honda's PGM-
FI (Programed Fuel Injection) system
and an all titanium exhaust system.
The chassis was also totally
redesigned and had the swingarm
pivoting inside the crankcases, and
Honda finally ditched the 16-inch
front wheel in favor of the universal
17-inch.
2002
This was the final CBR to come from
Baba-san and thus the Japanese
legend's favorite design. Capacity
was hiked to 954cc thanks to a 1mm
bore increase, there were larger
injectors, hotter cam timing, larger
throttle bodies, a bigger radiator,
a re-mapped fuel injection system
and a revised ECU. The frame was
redesigned with a stiffer swingarm,
bigger brakes and externally, the CBR
was now sharper than ever before
with totally redesigned bodywork and
colors.
about twist to all of this. Now
that the 1000RR is joining the
21st century electronic arms
race in 2017, I find I'm lusting af-
ter that analog, right hand/rear
wheel connection, that reliance
on my abilities alone, which
will soon be a thing of the past.
I guess you don't know what
you've got until it's gone…
Word out of Japan is the
2017 1000RR will be smaller,
lighter and faster than ever
before - a given sentence for
a new superbike from anyone
who wants them to sell. But I
hope Honda doesn't make it too
much smaller than this model,
because even though the reach
to the bars is pretty comfort-
able, the seat-to-peg distance
is far from it. An hour, tops, is
all I can stand on this 1000RR
because my legs are jacked
up too high and the bloodflow
from the knee down becomes
