INTERVIEW
P92
2017 HONDA CBR1000RR SP PROJECT LEADER MASATOSHI SATO
How long have you been
involved with the CBR1000RR
project?
I started working on the Fire-
blade in 2008, so a very long time!
Why is now the right time to to-
tally overhaul the CBR1000RR?
From 2008 we have been mak-
ing steady progress through a
series of regular upgrades. How-
ever, after its last update in 2014,
we needed to think how to bring
it up to the next level and what we
actually wanted to do with the next
generation of CBR1000RR. On the
racetrack our results weren't where
we wanted them to be and so we
knew we needed a radical evolution
to bring it up to the next stage of
performance.
Traditionally, the CBR has
avoided electronics such as
traction control or variable fuel
modes. This new model has cut-
ting edge electronics; why the
change of thinking?
A large part of taking the CBR to
the next stage meant making it a lot
lighter, but also an equally impor-
tant part was to bring the electron-
ics in. When we thought about how
to make the bike even more enjoy-
able to ride and allow riders to get
even more both from themselves
"THE BIKE HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT BEING FUN TO
RIDE, AND THAT ABILITY TO DEVELOP ELECTRONICS
THAT DON'T INTERFERE WITH THE FUN AND FEEL OF
THE BIKE WAS KEY TO THE PROJECT."
(Left) Sato-san
admitted one of
the hardest parts
of creating the new
CBR was working
with titanium for
the exhaust and
gas tank. (Below) A
33-pound reduction
in overall weight
was favored over a
massive increase in
horsepower.
