2017 HONDA CBR1000RR AND CBR1000RR SP
FIRST TEST
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bike won't be neutered too much
when it comes to the States, but
I'm not so sure. American Honda
can't tell me, either.
We didn't get the chance to
ride a CBR without the optional
quickshifter (standard fitment on
the SP/SP2), but I can report
the new quickshifter-equipped
gearbox is a massive improve-
ment over the old CBR. The
quickshifter has three individual
modes so you can vary the sen-
sitivity from a solid lift to barely
touching the lever to get your
next gear, and it works in both
up and down shifts, putting it on
par with pretty much every other
superbike available today.
On the downshift, the new
slipper clutch does a brilliant
job of keeping everything in line
and allowing you to get on with
the job of stopping the motor-
cycle without worrying about the
back-end skipping and wonder-
ing around the racetrack. The
feel at the lever is lighter than
before, but seeing as I only
touched the lever twice when
exiting and entering pit lane, I'll
reserve final judgement until the
road test.
Mechanically—as in both
the and chassis—the new
CBR1000RR and CBR1000RR
SP2 are excellent machines.
Less weight and more power is
always a good practice when
it comes to creating a real,
modern-day superbike. It has an
excellent chassis and the motor
has plenty of mumbo with the
top end we've been waiting for.
Twenty-five years on. Check out
the difference between the original
1992 CBR900RR (not imported into
the U.S. until 1993) and the current
crop of master blasters.
the side of the tire, but it's vastly
improved over the 2008-2016
model and allows you to access
that stonking midrange and a top-
end that makes the old bike feel
like a 900.
It's also got a wailing, scream-
ing exhaust note that is at odds
with the noise level you experi-
ence while riding. In the cockpit,
the engine isn't what I'd con-
sider overly loud, but hearing the
other journos blast past the pits
between the grandstands ham-
mered home just how much loud-
er the new CBR is to the 2016
model. I hope to high hell the
