Honda CBR1000RR-R

The Honda CBR1000RR-R, in the top-spec Fireblade SP version in which it is available, is easily the most aggressive and sportiest looking CBR designed to date. The overall design of the Honda CBR1000RR-R seeks inspiration from the mighty Honda RC213-V Moto-GP spec motorcycle, which has made it look much sharper and more focused than ever before.

The Honda CBR1000RR-R now gets a wide front fairing, which incorporates a sleek looking pair of LED headlamps tucked in its lower portion, with a large air dam in the middle of the headlamps. The upper part of the fairing is designed very aerodynamically, with a transparent windscreen in the middle and fairing-mounted rearview mirrors with LED turn indicators integrated into them.

The side panels of the front fairing of the Honda CBR1000RR-R feature several recesses for passage of air, while also neatly integrating slim-looking winglets in the frontal part of them. The motorcycle looks muscular, all thanks to the beefy looking fuel tank and the huge inline-four 999cc engine finished in a theme of black. The Honda CBR1000RR-R comes standard with blacked alloy wheels and high-rising long exhaust pipe sourced from Akrapovic.

The sportiness of the Honda CBR1000RR-R is well-evident in the design of its rear profile as well, with the motorcycle having a pointy tail section with a tiny LED tail lamp and a long rear fender with LED turn indicators mounted on them. The Honda CBR1000RR-R is the first-ever motorcycle in the Fireblade’s history to feature a full-TFT instrument console, which includes every major and minute of data that is required on the go. The lower-positioned clip-on handlebars and rear set footpegs offer a committed riding posture.

Sitting on an aluminium frame with thicker but light-weighted wall sections than in the previous model, the new Honda CBR1000RR-R boasts a suspension combination of 43mm inverted hydraulic forks from Ohlins with preload, compound and rebound adjustment at the front and pro-link with gas-charged Ohlins TTX36 smart-EC damper featuring preload, compression and rebound damping at the rear. For braking, the Honda CBR1000RR-R gets dual 330mm disc brakes with Brembo callipers at the front and a single 220mm disc brake at the rear.

The Honda CBR1000RR-R is powered by a four-stroke, liquid-cooled, inline-four, 1000cc engine, which also seeks a lot of inspiration from the might RC213-V. The engine uses top-notch technology and parts like finger-follower rocker arms, improved crankshaft and intake valves, lighter aluminium forged pistons, lighter titanium connecting rods, lighter rod bolts and diamond-like carbon coating. Paired to a 6-speed gearbox, this engine produces 218 bhp of maximum power and 118 Nm of maximum torque, thus making it the most powerful road-legal CBR produced to date.

Besides having the best engine and mechanical hardware for a CBR model to date, the new Honda CBR1000RR-R also has the best suite of electronics and safety features present in a CBR model. The motorcycle comes equipped with features like five different power modes, dual-channel ABS, ten different torque control modes, an anti-slip regulator, assist and slipper clutch, three engine-braking levels, and three selectable wheelie control levels and more.

In this latest form, the Honda CBR1000RR-R has a European charm and engineering prowess, which is evident in the suite of electronics and bewildering performance it has on offer. At the same time, the Honda CBR1000RR-R hasn’t compromised on the traditional Japanese virtues of offering sheer quality and reliability, which have always remained Honda’s traditional virtues in all these years. The Honda CBR1000RR-R is easily the most technically advanced and superior Fireblade model produced to date, and while it is expensive, it is worth every penny spent on it.