It still wasn’t enough to win the WSBK series world championship, even though the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade is such a blast, with the most powerful engine on the market. That’s why the new generation is coming, thoroughly refined and refined. In such a way that not only racing drivers but also ambitious normal people benefit from it.
It takes half a study to understand all the details of the new Fireblade. I don’t want to tire you out with exaggerating the details here, but the most important thing needs to be said. The most important thing in brief The revised Honda Fireblade is actually better to drive and more pleasant to handle than the first version of the completely new generation from 2020. It was particularly annoying because the translation was too long. This has now been changed, all gears have been reduced to shorter ratios. The engine has also been revised so that it delivers more pressure from the middle and delivers more smoothly (very complex). Plus powerful changes to the electronics and chassis. The sitting position was also relaxed. So: She drives better. Why? If you’re interested, read on here. Or watch the video.Optimized engine with two throttle valve motorsIt remains at 217 hp at 14,000 rpm. and a maximum torque of 113 Nm at 14,000 rpm. (yes, the speed level is still higher than that of a BMW, for example). But the torque curve has changed, although not earth-shatteringly (see graphic). The cylinder head, the compression (13.6 instead of 13.4), the valve control and the valve springs have been revised, the crankshaft and the connecting rods are lighter (and at They also found 1 gram each on the inlet valves). Overall, the engine is around one kilogram lighter than before, which makes the whole bike easier to handle. The special feature of the 1000 cc four-cylinder engine is that throttle valves 1 and 2 as well as 3 and 4 are controlled separately from each other. When you apply the throttle lightly, only 1 + 2 open, before 3 + 4 are added when you turn the handle harder. This helps when accelerating out of the curve, protects the rear tires and nerves. When braking, the engine braking effect can be increased: To do this, flaps 3 and 4 open, but without getting any fuel. In addition, the exhaust flap closes. If you then accelerate again, 3 and 4 close again briefly before their throughput is needed again. The switching is also clearly audible. The engine can roar powerfully, although the noise level has dropped by 5 dB thanks to the Akrapovic muffler, which has grown by one liter. Everything is Euro5+ compliant. So that the engine has the best possible air flow and Ram Air can be used optimally, Honda forgoes a classic ignition lock on the Fireblade and uses a radio key with a start button on the left behind the fairing. Kodo the third, from the middle of the speed? I have to mention the extra power from the middle speed range again: As I said, the engine has become more powerful and the gearbox has been given a shorter gear ratio. This made the test bikes feel better in terms of performance. Without having a direct comparison: I think that on a BMW, for example, I would have tended to use a higher gear more often. But at least I didn’t have to shift down to first gear anywhere. However, the pre-production test bikes had one more tooth on the rear wheel, meaning they had a shorter gear ratio than the production bikes. As before, there are two versions of the Fireblade, the standard model and the premium version with the addition of SP. The base costs 26,990 euros and comes with Nissin brakes (330 mm discs at the front) and a conventional Showa chassis. The SP that Honda made available to us in Portimao costs 32,090 euros. Fine Brembo Stylema stoppers and the adaptive suspension from Öhlins are installed here. Strictly limited: the Carbon Edition for 39,990 euros. By the way: The two-piston brake on the 220 disc at the rear generally comes from Brembo. New Öhlins chassis series on the SP C 3.0)” spring elements. The 43 mm NPX fork and the TTX36 rear shock use so-called spool valve elements (slide valve technology) and, according to Honda, offer racing-quality suspension. Response, ride quality and cornering stability are controlled via the suspension stroke. Everything is managed via an OBTi (Öhlins Object Based Tuning) interface. This also includes digital spring preload recommendations on the TFT display. This means: You enter the rider’s weight on the display and it shows you how to manually adjust the fork and shock absorber. In addition to the standard settings for the fork and shock absorber, three individual user modes can also be put together and saved as desired. This means that different settings can be configured for changing conditions such as weather, tire wear or fuel quantity and then called up or activated while driving.Electronics with six-axis gyro sensorAs before, a six-axis IMU is installed (in all Fireblades) via the traction control (nine levels plus off), ABS, wheelie and stoppie control, engine brake, steering damper (adjustable to three levels) and (on the SP) the chassis. The ABS still cannot be switched off, but now has three modes: Standard, Track and Race. In race mode, the rear wheel ABS is switched off, the one on the front wheel is only supposed to intervene in the event of massive slides. Everything is controlled via three fixed driving modes called 1, 2 and 3 or via freely configurable user modes, which are controlled via the five-inch TFT -Display (with five different layouts) or the 4-way switch can be accessed or programmed. This definitely requires a certain amount of training. The launch control keeps the speed at 6000, 7000, 8000 or 9000 rpm. constant.More flex in the frameThe aluminum bridge frame has lost a kilogram and also a lot of stiffness. Better said: It has gained in flex, which makes it easier to turn into curves or increases steering precision and provides more grip and feel: lateral stiffness fell by 17 percent, torsional stiffness by 15 percent. The wheelbase is now 1455 mm, steering head angle and caster are 24.7° and 101.9 mm, respectively. The weight with a full tank is 201 kg (Carbon Edition: 200 kg). The weight distribution is 53/47 percent front/rear. Tires measuring 200/55-ZR17, 120/70-ZR17 at the front, either Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V3 or Bridgestone RS11 are mounted. New seating position The seat geometry has also been changed. You sit at a height of 830 mm. The handlebars are 9 mm higher and 23 mm closer to the rider, while the footpegs have been positioned 16 mm lower. The switching pattern can be easily reversed by screwing the linkage into the alternative thread. The shape of the 16.5 (previously 16.1) liter tank has been adapted to enable better knee closure. Overall, at 1.88 m tall, I feel noticeably more comfortable than before.Riding The Honda CBR1000RR-R is even more of a high-tech device than before, especially as an SP. But the immense effort is not an end in itself, but is noticeable during driving. The whole package is overall more coherent than before. Whether that’s enough to win the WSBK World Championship remains to be seen. The innovations definitely pay off for the normal driver. The old model is currently still available at a discount, the new generation will be available from dealers in April (26,990 euros/SP 32,090 euros). Before you decide on the old one, it is advisable to go into detail with the dealer. The time investment is worth it. Something else for gourmets: a carbon edition limited to 300 pieces for Europe is available for 39,990 euros. It not only looks elegant with its carbon body parts, but is also one kilogram lighter. It is questionable whether it is worth the extra 7,000 euros, as carbon rims are not offered. In general, the Fireblade is more suitable for everyday use than before – but also definitely better for the racetrack. Why? Successful high-tech package More powerful engine with shorter gear ratio Why not? The most powerful, but not the lightestOr maybe…… BMW S 1000 RR/M 1000 RR, Yamaha R1/R1 M, Ducati Panigale V4/S/SP2
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