Honda Cbr1000rr

Honda CBR1000RR

The Family Plan

DON CANET

IT SEEMED ALL TOO FAMILIAR, TRAVELING TO BUTTONWILLOW Raceway to ride a newly revised member of Honda's CBR-RR sportbike family. This outing was akin to one a year ago when American Honda invited the moto-press to the 2.5-mile roadcourse flanked by farmland in the heart of California's Central Valley to ride its second-generation CBR600RR. And just as with the 600, Honda has treated its two-year-old CBR1000RR to a midlife update, making it lighter and more powerful.

Judged by its own merits, Honda’s flagship repli-racer was already a highly capable platform and one of the best streetbikes among hardcore liter-class sportbikes. But it has also taken a beating from its lighter, more agile and more powerful class peers in track-based comparison tests. Honda has addressed all three of these points, achieving notable gains (or reductions) in each area. The overall result is a more exhilarating ride thanks to a claimed 17-pound weight loss,

3 percent increase in peak power, revised chassis geometry and sleeker bodywork, all of which has sharpened both the bike’s performance and looks. Perhaps the most attractive aspect of the ’06 RR is that these improvements carry only

New for 2006

$300 premium, with the price now at $11,299.

A tech briefing held the evening before we rode the new bike on the track seemed almost a formality. The RR features no revolutionary new systems branded with clever acronyms, nor are there any radical new production processes to tout; just plenty of attention to detail resulting in a few more foot-pounds of torque while grams shaved here and there add up to tons of enlightenment. A revised underseat exhaust (with titanium muffler core) attached to a lighter subframe account for a good chunk of the weight loss and improved mass centralization. More subtle revisions abound, such as downsizing the ECU to a brain small enough to be centrally located atop the airbox, shedding the unnecessary weight of a steel bracket used to secure last year’s control unit to the right side of the main frame.

While it’s difficult to get too worked up over lightened, hollow-core camshafts, the engine’s quicker rev response and a higher, 12,200-rpm redline (up from 11,650) should do the trick! The 998cc liquid-cooled inline-Four’s peak power gain is attributed to a number of factors starting with the revised shape of the ram-air ducts and a less restrictive grille offer-

ing improved airflow. The upper showerheads of the dualinjector EFI system have a new spray pattern said to deliver greater efficiency in feeding the reworked cylinder head’s straighter intake and exhaust ports. Combustion chamber volume has been reduced, yielding a power-producing bump in compression ratio that’s gone from 11.9:1 to 12.3:1. Altered valve timing and increased lift-on the intake side-also contribute to the boost in power, which now sees peak torque at 10,000 rpm, 1500 revs higher than before.

A tooth has been added to the rear sprocket, yielding greater acceleration without a sacrifice in top speed thanks to the engine’s extended rev ceiling. Refinements within the six-speed gearbox are twofold, with gear dogs undercut for a more positive engagement and widened to reduce drivetrain lash. The CBR bucks the current trend that sees the use of a back-torque-reducing slipper clutch on some of its classmates. In speaking with the CBR project leader, I learned that the added weight and cost was thought to outweigh the performance benefit of such a setup.

I’d have to agree, as even during the chilly (and somewhat slippery) morning sessions aboard the bike, I didn’t have issue with rear-wheel chatter when downshifting for corners-yet it remains that slipper clutches tend to be more forgiving of sloppy technique. The early half of the day was spent riding on the standard-fitment Bridgestone BT015 Battlax radiais, while BT002 supersport race tires were mounted for the afternoon. The race rubber proved exceptional, delivering increased grip, stability and improved steering neutrality-though the unusually low tire pressures used during the cold morning sessions may have hampered the OEM rubber.

The Buttonwillow circuit is a good proving ground with plenty of bumps, crested turns and a variety of side-to-side transitions taken at mid-to-high speeds. A 2005 CBR was on hand for back-to-back comparisons. Swapping bikes halfway through a session offered clear insight into the strides Honda has made with its new machine. Spoiled by the new bike’s extended rev range, I promptly found myself tapping the rev-limiter aboard the ’05 model. Another notable difference is the reduced front brake lever pressure required to slow the ’06. Enhanced stopping power is credited to 320mm rotors (a 10mm increase) while sensitivity has been maintained by changing the shape of the thin metal shim sandwiched between the caliper pistons and brake-pad backing plate.

Although the new bike had notably less engine vibration, the engineers had no mechanical explanation to account for this. So, moving on to the real point of difference felt between the two, the new bike is certainly lighter-handling. Chassis geometry has been sharpened ever so slightly, with a .25-degree steeper rake and a 2mm reduction in trail. This, in conjunction with a 4mm-shorter swingarm, has skimmed .3 inch off the wheelbase-now spanning 56.3 inches. Hardly a huge change, but factor in the bike’s substantial weight loss and more centralized mass, and you can understand how the improved agility has been acquired.

Front spring rate has been increased, yielding even greater stability under hard braking. A softer shock spring is used, although the Pro-Link has less of a rising rate than before, making for a more track-oriented setup. The overall result is greater chassis control and enhanced feedback. Softer seat foam is now used to maintain a degree of comfort for the street rider.

While the bike feels decidedly more spirited than its predecessor, it retains a sense of stability that in the past has set the Honda apart from others in its category. Honda’s unique Electronic Steering Damper-a rotary-type unit that automatically modulates damping resistance based on road speed and acceleration-is still at work atop the steering stem. A number of times I had the front tire float out of the track’s final turn and touch back down while cocked to the side, yet the chassis snapped back into line with minimal drama. Ya gotta love that!

The question on many people’s minds (including several inquisitive Honda folk at the CBR launch) is how the new CBR will stack up against the 2006 Kawasaki ZX-10R. It seems as though each manufacturer has taken a step toward the other, with changes to the latest Green Machine making it more user-friendly, perhaps a bit duller, but certainly better for a broader audience. With the CBR sharper than ever, Honda has closed the gap and is back in the hunt. □