2012hondacbr1000rr

2012HONDACBR1000RR

ROUNDUP

Revamped styling, revised suspension, new wheels and feature-rich instrumentation

HONDA’S 1993 CBR900RR WAS A watershed motorcycle: lighter, quicker than and nearly as fast as the Open-class giants of the time, the Suzuki GSX-R1100 and Yamaha FZR1000. Now, almost 20 years later, with the launch of its 2012 CBR1000RR, Honda is once again promising “exemplary liter-class sportbike performance,” albeit without traction/wheelie control or rider-variable power modes that are now either standard or optional on most of its European and Japanese competitors.

Chassis changes to the new CBR1000RR are noteworthy. The twin-spar aluminum frame and deepsided swingarm are unchanged, but like the current Suzuki GSX-R1000 and Kawasaki ZX-10R, the big-bore Honda now has Showa’s 43mm Big Piston fork. This beefy-legged design places its springs at the bottom of the fork, with the pistons above them, the greater damping volume providing “more precise action during the initial stroke.. .and a more solid feel during hard braking.” The older fork used its double-wall feature to pro-

the main seal (at the bottom of the outer upper tube) from rebound pressure; in the single-tube BPF, the main seal withstands rebound pressure.

Showa also makes the “balance-free” shock, which trades single-wall construction for double and, according to Honda, offers more-linear bump progression than the previous damper. The valves are now moved completely off the piston, as Öhlins did some years ago, and placed in the body where it is easier to locate the adjusters. Also, the valve assembly is more accessible for changes.

Three-spoke wheels have given way to a more-rigid, even-lighter-looking design with 12 wafer-thin Y-shaped spokes cast in aluminum Honda’s Combined ABSj is, once again, an option. Incidentally, this past September at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Honda TT Legends team finished fifth on a C-ABS-equipped CBR.

It was the first racing use of this electronically controlled anti-lock braking system at the world level.

No changes to the liquid cooled, dohc, 16-

999cc inline-Four, though revised EFI settings are said to improve response, especially at smaller throttle openings. Our last CBR1000RR (“Alternative Energy,” July, 2010) produced 155.2 horsepower at 10,785 rpm and 79.5 footpounds of torque at 9410 rpm.

Weighing a claimed 441 lb., the 2012 CBR1000RR is scheduled to reach U.S. dealerships in December. MSRP for either the Pearl White/Red/Blue or Black model is $13,800—an increase of $401—with the C-ABS version in Red commanding a $1000 premium. Matthew Miles

www.cycleworld.com