Red Reign?
RED REIGN?
CW RIDING IMPRESSION
Tired of losing in the showroom and on the racetrack, Honda unveils an all-new Super CBR1000RR
DON CANET
WHOA, THIS CAN’T BE GOOD! THE REAR TIRE BREAKS loose and spins up rapidly with several thousand rpm of meaty torque remaining in the upper rev range. It quickly gets away from me as I find myself in a crossed-up, full-lock power-slide driving off the apex of Turn 4, one of the fastest bends at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
I’ve got it! Or so I hoped.
Wishful thinking, as a moment later I was pitched over the high side and slammed to the pavement like a sack of potatoes thrown from a speeding truck. I hadn’t yet stood up following the lengthy tumble and slide when the following thought sprang to mind: Poetic justice that my mistake has provided leather-grinding hard evidence to dispel early speculation suggesting the 2008 CBR1000RR featured electronic traction control. Observant readers will recognize Cycle World's part in perpetuating that unfounded news (“The TWord,” March, 2008).
In our defense, details had been strangely vague regarding the mysterious system, an all-new feature Honda calls Ignition Interrupt Control. A few weeks prior to the bike’s stateside introduction staged in Monterey, California, a CBR1000RR press kit landed on my desk. I dove right in, flipping past fold-out pages filled with beautiful photogra phy of the all-new machine, searching the text intently for a straight-from-the-source description of anything resem bling traction control. What I found painted a much clearer picture of TIC's role. It's simply a system devised to mini mize the effects of drivetrain lash when the throttle is first cracked open. It does this by reducing initial power output for a blink of an eye, just long enough to more gradually take up the slack between the shift dogs, play that exists as a necessity for smooth shift action, but which also contrib utes to sudden shock forces when power is first applied.
Traction control? No. But any enhancement to on-throttle transition control is a welcome feature when cornering on the edge of traction. A good example of the antithesis of this is the abrupt throttle response of last year’s MV Agusta F4 312R and the distraction and added difficulty it posed in maintaining mid-corner chassis composure and grip. The press kit, however, left out one important detail regarding Honda’s new system that I later learned at the CBR’s trackside technical briefing held at Laguna Seca. There we were informed that IIC is only implemented between 2500 and 6000 rpm, and that the amount of interrupt duration is uniquely programmed for each gear in the six-speed box. The system isn’t used at higher engine speeds because the time it takes to “move through” the lash between dogs is drastically reduced at increased revs and no benefit was derived from interrupting the ignition. The racetrack puts emphasis on utilizing the business end of the CBR’s 13,000rpm rev range, and here responsibility remains with the rider’s right wrist-as I so rudely found out...
So what’s the true value of this new twist on ignition mapping? We’ll likely feel its full worth once we have a testbike to ride on the street, where a great deal of time is spent in the lower reaches of the rev range. Smoother onthrottle application is always a welcome addition around town and should prove beneficial when plugging along an unfamiliar backroad or riding in slick conditions.
Honda has been slow to join' the ranks of the slipper-clutch crowd, but has now committed in hopes of providing any hard-charger, on the street or track, with greater corner-entry control. When I've inquired about the lack of a slipper clutch in recent years, increased weight, complexity and reduced reliability were reasons Honda reps cited for retaining a con ventional setup. This time I asked Kyoichi Yoshii, Test Large Project Leader (the man in charge of this CBR's develop ment testing), about employment of the new clutch. "It is derived from Honda's race department with its origin in the RC2l1'~" stated Yoshii, who served as LPL for Honda's MotoGP platform through 2006, having a hand in both sides of this and other race-developed technology now seeing pro duction on the CBR. "Our clutch-assist feature came as the result of problems Nicky Hayden had with starts in 2006," continued Yoshii, explaining that clutch slippage following an abusive GP start led to the development of a reverse ramp as found on the new CBR's clutch hub.
The assist feature Yoshii spoke of has an opposite effect to that of the back-torque ramps that lift the pres sure plate during deceleration to allow enough slip to alleviate rear-wheel chatter caused by engine braking. Just as undercut transmission gear dogs are used to pull two cogs together, undercut ramps on the clutch hub and pressure plate pull the two together under an acceleration load, thus increasing the amount of pressure applied to the clutch stack.
• Yo~hiisaid the assist feature was paramount in Honda's decision to offer a slipper clutch. Maintaining clutch dura bility without the assist would have required use of addi tional plates that increase weight and width or necessitate a much heavier spring rate, resulting in an uncomfortably stiff lever pull. The lighter spring requirement has the side benefit of allowing cable operation, yielding improved feel and weight savings over a hydraulic system that would havc otherwise been required.
The 1000RR now uses an Idle Air Control Valve like that introduced on last year's CBR600RR This is yet another early RC21 1V technology targeting improved rider control. The IACV has an ECU-controlled stepper mOtor that allows a measured amount of intake air to bypass the throttle valves when the throttle is closed duringdeceleration. This raises engine idle speed slightly for reduced engine braking and helps smooth reapplication of throttle.
Looking to the chassis, Yoshii pointed out key elements derived from the MotoGP program. Use of a longer swingarm within the same wheelbase dimension is one such example. Construction of the new four-piece, hollow, fine diecast frame applies lessons learned on the world champion ship stage. While the frame is now significantly stronger and more rigid, it shed 5.5 pounds and is 1.2 inches narrower. The familiar Unit Pro-Link rear suspensio~1 remains as one of the first RC21 1-derived designs to be adopted by the CBR family.
Weight reduction and improved mass centralization both were key design goals the engineers focused on. The engine itself is more than 5 pounds lighter, and while a lmm-larger bore is used, cylinder width has not increased. A 1.4mm reduction in stroke allows quicker and higher revs. The cylinder head is 15mm shorter and carries the weight of its cams and valvetrain lower than before. Such details all contribute to centralizing mass, although they are far less apparent than the new low-mount exhaust system. It’s easy to imagine the handling benefits that came from repositioning exhaust system weight much closer to the machine’s center of mass compared to the predecessor’s underseat muffler.
More than a pound of combined weight has been pared from the alloy wheels, with the front brake system shedding another 1.5 pounds of unsprung weight. The 320mm floating front brake rotors now have four fewer attachment buttons than before, reducing the rotational inertia of the rotor/carrier assembly for lighter steering. A lighter, morecompact Honda Electronic Steering Damper (HESD), like the unit used on last year’s CBR600RR, is hidden beneath the fuel tank cover and offers a cleaner cockpit appearance. The stability afford ed by the damper has allowed a 2.5mm increase in triple-clamp offset resulting in reduced trail for even quicker steering response.
As we took to the track for the first of three 25-minute morning sessions, I was immediately impressed by the bike's lightness and agility. The CBR feels more compact than last year's but not uncomfortably so; in fact, there's a hint of relief for the street as the clip-on bars have been raised a quarter-inch. Riding at a moderate pace to allow heat to build in the stock-fitment Dunlop Sportmax Qualifier radials gave me a sense of how the bike feels at street speeds. The ease with which it turns-in and makes side-to-side direction changes is uncanny for a liter-class machine. The sense of stability this chassis delivers is exceptional, having a very neutral steering feel that makes holding an angle of lean or line through corners as natural as breathing. Control operation is equally light and fluid, with an ideal amount of resistance provided by the throttle return spring-not so feathery as to allow road bumps to influence your input, yet not overly stiff, either. Neither was there any grabbiness in the front brake, just strong and pro gressive two-finger stopping power. Clutch pull is decidedly lighter than in years past and the slipper effect could clearly be felt through the lever during downshifts.
Despite steering geometry that’s more radical than its class peers, this secure-handling sensation didn’t diminish as the pace heated up. The engine feels strong and has a midrange hit that lends an element of excitement that has gone somewhat missing with many of today’s most powerful sportbikes. Performing a few roll-ons from low revs on the front straight, I could feel steps in the power delivery around 4000,
5000 and 7000 rpm, the latter producing second-gear power wheelies like no other liter-bike I’ve ridden lately. I recently sampled the latest Kawasaki ZX-10R at a press intro in Qatar, and while it laid down an impressive, very linear spread of power, it lacks the fun factor experienced on this Honda.
As I lapped the track throughout the morning, I couldn’t find any fault in the bike when ridden at the pace the stock tires allowed, with one exception: I encountered an occasional stubbornness with the gearbox when upshifting from second to third on the main straight, having to tap down on the shift lever to index the mechanism before the next upshift could be completed. Others reported similar shifting trouble, so it wasn’t isolated to my assigned bike. Considering these were pilot-production bikes, barely broken-in, I can’t imagine Honda letting that little glitch get into customers’ bikes.
My stupid error in Turn 4 put a premature end to my day, resulting in a wrist sprain too painful to sup port weight under even moderate braking. A shame, as I missed an opportunity to test the bike with race-compound Dunlops that were mounted for the afternoon sessions.
While leaving the crash scene, I noted a 75-foot streak of rubber arc ing out of the corner's apex. Dark and fat, it might have been a mark of beauty to admire if not for the red paint smeared along the same trajectory farther down track. One thing is certain: When ridden properly, the 2008 CBR1000RR is truly a thing of beauty and one of the finest machines I've ever thrown a leg over. I can't wait to get back on it for a more complete test.
For additional photography of the CBR1000RR, log on to www.cycleworld.com
