VOL. 53 ISSUE 34 AUGUST 30, 2016 P83
T
here's doubtless a finer
engineering sound than
a 1000RR on the pipe.
Between 6000 and 9000
rpm, right where that maniacal
midrange resides, the intake
noise takes center stage. The
1000RR's sounds go from quiet
and sedate to guttural. Great
dollops of oxygen are ingested,
compressed, exploded, and
converted into tire shredding
torque. The grip of the rear
Bridegstone S20 is quickly
overcome as the Honda powers
forward, the thick black smear
out of the sweeping left-hander a
universal sign of its surrender.
Slamming the throttle on a
1000RR mid-corner requires a
riding mindset quickly evaporat-
ing in modern motorcycling.
This and the Suzuki GSX-R1000
are the last of the analog su-
perbikes, the final two to be
untamed by traction control and
lean angle sensors and giro
whatsits.
But the Honda is even more
archaic than the Suzuki, which
has three separate ECU modes
that, in the lowest setting, make
the Suzuki a poor example of a
superbike. The Honda has none
of that. It's just you, your right
wrist, and your nerves.
LAST
SAMURAI
THIS
IS
THE
LAST
ANALOG
HONDA
CBR1000RR.
NEXT
YEAR,
IT'LL
BE
JUST
LIKE
ALL
THE
OTHERS
WITH
BUTTONS
AND
SWITCHES
AND
ELECTRONICS
FOR
DAYS.
WE
TAKE
THE
OLD
GIRL
FOR
ONE
LAST
SPIN.
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK / PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT PALMER
