A trio of winglets hides behind the outer fairing panel on each side, creating – it’s claimed – as much downforce as the 2018 RC213V MotoGP bike.
The Blade’s bodywork clearly demonstrates the huge aerodynamic strides that Honda has taken since its last major revamp. Here’s where the SP’s biggest change comes – it gets Ohlins electronic control suspension at both ends allied to Brembo Stylema stoppers. The base model uses Showa BPF forks and a Showa BFRC-Light rear shock, with Nissin brakes. At the back, there’s a new swingarm and the rear shock’s top mount is a bracket on the engine rather than part of the frame. Wheelbase grows from 1405mm to 1455mm, wet weight rises 5kg from 196kg to 201kg. The intention is to maximise feel for the rider. The CBR1000RR-R’s features a completely revised mix of rigidity and flex compared to its predecessor, with 18% more vertical stiffness and 9% greater torsional strength but 11% less horizontal rigidity. With a new engine, it only makes sense to use a new frame as well. Massive 52mm throttle bodies gulp air from that airbox, up from 48mm on the old bike, and the exhaust is dealt with by a free-flowing system co-designed by Akrapovic and incorporating a patent-pending power valve.Įlectronics include all the kit you’d expect from a range-topper three riding modes, a six-axis IMU, nine-mode traction control and launch control are standard, while the SP also gets an up/down quickshifter. Honda has even given the 2020 CBR1000RR-R a keyless ignition system to allow it to remove the ignition barrel that would otherwise share that space. That duct rams air into the engine’s airbox via a hollow steering head. You’ll notice that the new bike’s nose is dominated by a central air intake – looking remarkably similar to the mock-up we published more than a year ago. Titanium rods and endless exotic-sounding coatings are used in the engine to cut weight and friction. Notable previous bearers include the VTR1000 SP1.Īlthough Honda hasn’t gone to the extent of using race-style gear-driven cams, the Blade does get a shorter-than-normal cam chain driven from an idler gear above the crankshaft. You’ll also notice that the 2020 Blade features HRC logos a rare treatment that Honda reserves for machines that truly have significant design input from the Honda Racing Corporation. The CBR1000RR-R’s Large Project Leader, Yuzuru Ishikawa, also developed the 2002 RC211V and the 2016 RC213V-S road bike. The bike’s links to MotoGP go deeper than just its engine dimensions. The cams are also given a Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating to cut friction – a technique first seen on the RC213V-S and not used on any other mass-made model. Those numbers are partly responsible for the engine’s stratospheric ability to rev, aided and abetted by race-style design including finger-followers instead of buckets between the cams and valves. The internal dimensions are shared with the RC213V MotoGP bike, using the MotoGP-limit 81mm bore and 48.5mm stroke (previously 76mm and 55.1mm respectively). And if you want even more alphabet soup, there’s a higher-spec CBR1000RR-R SP version in the range, too.īoth bikes share the same engine, and it’s a far cry from the previous one which has been largely unaltered since its introduction way back in 2008. Try to say that without sounding like a pirate. Until now, the Fireblade has topped the firm’s R-count with three, both as the CBR900RR and CBR1000RR, but the 2020 bike adds yet another. We’re all familiar with the fact that when a Honda is named, every ‘R’ in its title means more performance.
Only the super-expensive, homologation-special Panigale V4R can lay claim numbers that beat the mass-made Blade, with 217.25bhp (221PS) at an astronomical 15,250rpm. Even Ducati’s 1103cc Panigale V4 can muster ‘only’ 211bhp (214PS).
However, while each development has added more performance, in the era of 1000cc superbikes the Blade has rarely had as much brute power as its immediate rivals and is has sometimes been seen as something of a soft option.įor 2020 Honda has more than addressed that with a completely new Fireblade that offers an astounding 214.56bhp at 14,500rpm more than 10bhp and 1000rpm higher than any 1000cc inline-four rival. Combined with ultra-sharp handling, thanks in part to a 16in front wheel that made it occasionally twitchy, the bike carved an instant reputation as a beast that only the best could tame.
Back in 1992, the original 893cc ’Blade outgunned all-comers thanks to extra capacity that gave it a torque and horsepower edge over 750cc competitors while retaining a weight advantage over 1000cc and 1100cc rivals.
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