Honda was tired. Tired of losing in Superbike racing. Tired of finishing as an also-ran in bike-mag Open-class comparisons. Tired of having its CBR1000RR described as a “nice” motorcycle in a class of ferocious, pavement-ripping literbikes. So Big Red shifted its R&D department into high gear and performed major surgery on its flagship performance bike. The end product is the 2008 CBR1000RR, which could be one of the finest repli-racers ever produced by anyone.
We say “could be” because we’re basing this WebRide on our on-track riding impressions from the bike’s U.S. introduction at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. But during those few on-track sessions, the big Honda dazzled us with its spectacular power, light, agile handling and rock-steady stability.
Among Honda’s goals with the new CBR was the reduction of weight and physical size. The engine alone is more than 5 pounds lighter, and despite a bore that’s 1mm larger (combined with a 1.4mm-shorter stroke), the cylinder is no wider. The cylinder head, however, is 15mm shorter and carries the weight of its valve train lower than before. Such details all contribute to centralizing mass, as does the underslung exhaust that replaces the under-seat system used previously.
In the chassis, the frame is stronger and more rigid, yet is 5.5 pounds lighter and 1.2 inches narrower. Wheelbase is the same as on the ’07 bike, but the more-compact motor allows the use of a longer swingarm that works through Honda’s Unit Pro-Link rear suspension. More than a pound of weight was pared from the alloy wheels, with the front-brake system shedding another 1.5 pounds of unsprung weight. The dual 320mm floating front rotors now have four fewer attachment buttons, reducing the rotational inertia of the rotor/carrier assembly for easier steering.
A lighter, more compact Honda Electronic Steering Damper (HESD), like the one on last year’s CBR600RR, hides beneath the fuel-tank cover. The stability afforded by the damper allowed a 2.5mm increase in triple-clamp offset, resulting in reduced trail for even quicker steering response.
Two interesting features make their debut on the new 1000RR. One is the Ignition Interrupt Control (IIC), which, contrary to early rumors, is not traction control. It’s a system designed to minimize the effects of drivetrain lash when the throttle is first cracked open. It does this by reducing initial power output just long enough to more gradually take up the freeplay between shift dogs. IIC only functions between 2500 and 6000 rpm, and the amount of interrupt is uniquely programmed for each gear in the six-speed box. Also, with this big 1000, Honda has finally joined the current slipper-clutch movement. The CBR’s clutch incorporates a unique design that not only allows the plates to slip slightly during abrupt downshifts, it employs an undercut ramp mechanism that applies greater pressure-plate force under acceleration.
Though the new 1000RR is noticeably more compact than last year’s model, it’s not uncomfortably so. And the handling is nothing short of sensational. The ease with which the bike turns in and makes side-to-side directional changes is uncanny for a liter-class machine, yet the bike is extremely stable. It has perfectly neutral steering that makes holding a lean angle or a line through corners a no-brainer.
So, too, is the power exceptional. It delivers a midrange hit of acceleration that gives the bike an element of adrenaline-pumping excitement that has gone somewhat missing on many of today’s electronically “managed” literbikes. During roll-ons from low revs on the straightaways, steps could be felt in the power delivery around 4000, 5000 and 7000 rpm, the latter producing the most effortless second-gear power wheelies in recent memory.
The only problem we experienced was the transmission’s occasional reluctance to complete the second-to-third shift. Other riders in attendance also reported similar shifting woes on other bikes, so the problem was not indigenous to our assigned 1000. All of the bikes were pilot production models, however, and Honda reps were confident that the problem would be ironed out on actual production machines.
Our racetrack experience with the new CBR1000RR certainly was not conclusive, but we can’t help but believe that Honda has produced a winner here. Any motorcycle that is as easy to ride on a racetrack as this one is bound to be an exceptional streetbike.
