Indeed it does, but I was flashing back a decade to the first press launch of my motojournalist career. The changes made to the 1998 CBR900RR made it the best big CBR ever, and I was awed by how fast yet controllable that new scalpel was.
Now, a little more than 10 years later, I’m again in the seat of the best literbike Honda has yet crafted. Compared to the RR I rode in ’98, it weighs less and has nearly 50 additional horses.
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was the estimable location this time around, and my day lapping the historic NorCal circuit proved this clean-sheet-design double-R performs at a level beyond its two-year-old predecessor, never mind the seemingly docile 10-year-old one. I came into this sessions already thrilled with the stellar new ZX-10R Kawasaki I rode last month in Qatar. To even rank in that league, the CBR needed to be something special. It is.
A phalanx of CBRs with tire warmers sit on stands, resplendent in five different color combinations, greeted us sitting in the same pit stalls the MotoGP teams use each July. This ’08 model, dubbed internally as MFL (previously the MEL), has a countenance that polarizes opinions. Gone are most of the sharp creases of the MEL, replaced with arching curves that suggest a more organic bent. Some dig it; some don’t.
Up front is a snubby nose that mimics the abbreviated proboscis of the RC212V MotoGP bike, something Honda says makes for easier steering transitions at speed. Dual ram-air ducts below the rounder headlights route cool airflow through the frame rails rather than the solo center-mount design of the 600RR. The new CBR1K’s rear area looks light and airy thanks to the relocation of the former bike’s underseat exhaust to a bulky unit somewhat camouflaged under the engine.
Anyway, the CBR’s nothing more than a blur if you’re watching it rocket up Laguna’s front-straight, accelerating so quickly that you’d swear it would get air under its wheels if its pilot had the cojones to keep the throttle pinned over the crest of the hill. This newest CBR has some stones of its own, hurtling out of corners with the addictive thrust of a mighty literbike.
Last year’s CBR trailed the pack in terms of peak power, so Honda threw out the old 998.6cc inline-Four and built a new 999.8cc version. (C’mon, guys, you’re giving up 0.19cc while remaining below the 1000cc limit!) Its bore has gone up 1mm while its stroke is 1.5mm shorter than before. Also new are titanium intake valves, slightly larger than previous. Cams are lighter by 1.1 lb thanks to a new, chilled, thin-wall, ductile steel casting process that allows a reduced wall thickness, and its cylinder head is narrower by 15mm and lighter. Overall, the engine has lost more than 5 lbs.
Getting Honda representatives to divulge closely held information is easier than getting al-Qaeda to talk, but not by much. Still, a short waterboarding session revealed this new 1000RR is pushing nearly 7% more power. Our 2007 CBR test bike cranked out a rather modest 148 hp, so we expect this new one to spit out nearly 160 hp at its rear wheel.
It can now run with the big dogs at the track. But even more impressive from a seat-of-the-pants perspective is the bump in midrange power. The’07 bike was at or near the top of the pack in terms of twist below 9000 rpm, but this new CBR easily puts the old one on the trailer. It was rather impressive to have the front wheel soar off the ground in a controllable power wheelie while exiting the second-gear Turn 3, no squidly clutch dump required.
2008 Honda CBR1000RR Review
Kawasaki ER-6n vs. Suzuki Gladius: Six of one, half dozen of another
Though Kawasaki’s ER-6n has been available in Europe since 2006, it’s finally made it to U.S. shores in a newly revised form for 2009. The ER is the fraternal twin to the Ninja 650R, the bike the U.S. got in 2006 and is also updated for ’09. It shares identical chassis and engine specs (just as they did in ‘06) to the Ninja but does away with virtually all bodywork, save for minimalist radiator shrouds that house turn signals, and a prominent headlamp that functions somewhat like a flyscreen.
This year marks the first revision to both the ER-6n and Ninja 650R. In our review of the 2009 ER, Kevin “Canadian Bacon” Duke, educated us with the news that Kawasaki smoothed out engine vibes inherent in the parallel-Twin engine architecture. Team Green reduced buzz by way of rubber bushings in the upper-rear engine mounts, rubber mounts for the steel handlebar, rubber-covered footpegs, and even included rubber mounts for the pillion grab rails. Other updates include revised frame stiffness, a lighter catalytic converter, and reshaped fuel tank and seat that are more welcoming of shorter riders. The Ninja 650R also received updated bodywork styling, and both bikes share a new instrument cluster.
Whether by a need to capitalize on shifting market trends or some other undisclosed logic, Suzuki laid to rest the venerable SV650, a bike that quickly reached cult status after its 1999 introduction. Oh, the wailing and gnashing of teeth that must’ve happened amongst the Suzuki loyal when they learned the naked SV650 was no more for 2009 (a fully faired SV650SF remains in the lineup at $6,999). Although Suzuki refuses to refer to the 2009 Gladius as a “replacement” for the SV650, the fact that the Gladius is powered by a revised and updated V-Twin that made the SV so popular makes it hard not to see this new naked sportster as an SV reborn.
We learned during the Gladius’ U.S. press introduction that its 90-degree V-Twin sees numerous improvements in the engine room with things like: higher lift cams; single rather than dual valve springs; the same 10-hole injector throttle bodies as found on the GSX-R600 and 750; longer air intake funnels in two different lengths for improved mid-range; use of Suzuki’s Idle Speed Control (ISC) system integrated into the throttle body rather than externally mounted – a first ever on any Suzuki street bike; a new compact mid-ship exhaust (similar to the ER’s); two Iridium-tip spark plugs per cylinder complete the engine update package.
Carrying the capable engine is the work of a truly new-for-the-Gladius steel-tube trellis-type frame mated to a box-section steel swingarm. The styling of this new middleweight is purely unfaired with only two small accent pieces dressing up a re-designed radiator, and a headlight and instrument panel styled together make for a look equally unique but different from the ER-6n.
Two peas in a pod
Both bikes are liquid-cooled, DOHC, 4-valve-per-cylinder, and both are called a 650 by their respective makers, but the ER squeezes out a skosh more in displacement at 649cc (83.0 x 60.0mm) in its parallel-Twin, while the Suzuki’s 90-degree Vee is a true 645cc (81.0 x 62.6mm). Compression ratios are scary close, too, with the ER at 11.3:1 and the Gladius with 11.5:1. But the similarities don’t end there…
There are two different types of engines at work here, but a quick scan of dyno results courtesy of Mickey Cohen Motorsports will make you do a double take. The graphic representation of horsepower and torque looks almost as if one bike was dyno’d twice. It’s a neck and neck race in hp, as both bikes are amazingly well-matched until about the 7,400 rpm range where the Gladius starts sprinting for a peak hp reading of 67.9 at 8,500 rpm, a full 5 more peak hp than the ER. The differences in peak torque are even closer, separated by just a hair over one foot-pound (44.2 v. 43.1 ft-lbs) in favor of the Gladius, but more important here is that the ER hangs tight until the last minute, as you can see by the dyno chart.
The numbers game is almost too close to call at times, but engine character is a different story. The Gladius’ Vee configuration provides that traditional grunty bottom-end feel, while the (mostly) vertical action of the Kawi’s side-by-side pistons gives the impression of a revy in-line sportbike motor. Neither of these bikes will leave 99% of their owners pining for more power. Both wheelie first gear easily with a little finessing of the clutch and will dig you out of a slow corner in no time.
Fueling and throttle response are good on both motorcycles, however, the ER exhibits a “hint of abruptness during throttle reapplication,” as Kevin dutifully points out, but then smoothes out immediately thereafter. Transmission and clutch action is more of the same. The ER’s trouble-free six-speed uses Kawasaki’s neutral-finder design that eases access to neutral when stopped, and rowing through the slick Suzi gearbox is a shifting pleasure.
Motor and Sensor Connector
The Cricket uses two-position connectors for the motor outputs and three-position connectors for the sensor inputs. These connectors are polarized, which means you can't insert them backward. (That is, unless you try really hard, and then they might break.)
The connector is made by a company called Hirose and it is their DF3 style. It's a very nice connector because it's reasonably robust, it's small, and it's fairly inexpensive. Further, one can buy pre-wired leads with a connector already crimped onto the wire.
To make a Cricket connection, you simply get the housing and then insert the leads with the pre-crimped connector.
Please note that the connector/lead assembly must go in the proper way. If it is inserted correctly, you will feel a tiny "click" as the connector locks itself into the housing. If it is inserted upside-down or side-ways, the connector won't lock and you can pull it out and try again.
