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Quick Ride

ROUNDUP

HONDA CBR954RR Forgotten flyer?

QUESTION: How COULD the all-new Honda CBR954RR—a 406pound, 136-horsepower rocketship capable of a low 10-second quarter-mile and a top speed of nearly 170 mph-finish third in last year’s Open-class sportbike comparison?

Answer: The competition included the also newly updated Yamaha YZF-R1 and reigning class champ Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Last June’s “Show of Force” face-off praised the Honda for its light feel, compactness, balanced suspension and “paradegrade” fit and finish. “Aboard the 954, you feel as though you’re hovering over the road, its dash and nose disappearing beneath you,” wrote Road Test Editor Don Canet.

Criticisms-an annoying power surge around 3000 rpm, driveline slop and a heavy clutch-were few, but in such exceptional company, enough to relegate the 954 to also-ran status. Ultimately, the GSX-R turned the quickest lap at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, thus giving it top honors for the second year in a row.

Back to the drawing board, eh, Honda?

Not quite. For ’03, Honda changed only the steering-head bearings, going from tapered rollers to balls, a la the earlier CBR929RR. Two new colors-

Metallic Titanium/Black and black/red-more visibly distinguish the current bike from last year’s model. Price remains $10,599.

The 954 is the latest in a long line of CBR-RRs. Power is provided by a dohc, 16-valve, 954cc inline-Four, with Honda’s PGMFI fuel-injection making for instant startup without the need for a handlebar-mounted fast-idle as found on some injected bikes. The chassis is equally evolution ary, currently combining extruded aluminum spars with a cast bracket that attaches to the backof-engine swingarm pivots. Speaking of swingarms, the deep-sided aluminum support looks as if it could have come from Nicky Hayden’s Superbike. Showa supplies the fully adjustable suspension, Nissin the four-pot front brakes.

Neutral steering has long been a Honda hallmark, and the dense-pack 954 needs no undue muscle getting into corners, on or off the binders. Acceleration is just as impressive; gunning the CBR out of low-speed corners will leave only the truly wacky wanting more go. Okay, in stop-and-go traffic, the drivelash can get on your nerves. The low-rpm stumble, however, seems to have disappeared.

The rest of the package follows the big-picture concept analogous to CBRs of all sizes. The digital speedometer, for example, includes twin tripmeters, a temp gauge and clock. And the keyed underseat locker with its cool, hinged lid boasts 6 liters of storage, enough for a flat-tire kit and, depending on your dietary needs, lunch. That’s important, especially for daily riders whose bikes are more than Sunday-morning specials.

Given all that, third place hardly seems fair, now does it?

Matthew Miles