SuperBike Magazine September 2020

38 SuperBike
Awesome display
in the cockpit
area, and take
a closer look -
keyless!
up the bike has an off beat rumble,
still obviously typical four cylinder
but with a hot cam type of idle. The
Honda fitted Akrapovic pipe also
helping with this bark, the catalysts
are still fitted.
I head out of pit lane onto the
track for the first time. Honda has
been forced to go all out with this
bike because it’s had a few lean
years in WSBK success and local
sales, but it’s power that buyers of
liter bikes are after and Honda has
not been on the forefront, that is
until now. Blimey, this thing is fast
and it just keeps on revving was my
first impression and it turns and is
smooth on roll in as you’d expect.
Drafting in the MotoGP – dominating
HRC set up to get involved not only
with this bike but also the WSBK series
has paid dividends. I have never
been on a Honda this track focused
in my life, it’s a full on thoroughbred
race bike. Just on the power, as you
exit 2nd gear corners you can set
the level of wheelie lift control and
you can just pin the throttle as hard
as you like, I wish I had a picture
to show you of this but the photographer
always sits at corners and
this happens at the exit. It’s quite an
addictive feeling being half leaned
over on exit with the steering half
crossed up. Of course I thought
I was Marques even just for that
second. There are so many other
aspects of the bike you can set, from
engine braking to lift height to suspension
to traction control and did
I mention cornering ABS. I have no
doubt that once Clint Seller’s team
get’s their hands on this bike that
they will soon be winning races, it’s
that good, even in standard form.
I sneaked a short breakfast run
in on it the Sunday just to experience
the track focused RR-R on the
road and to my surprise it had lost
none of it’s street appeal, I loved
The physical dimensions
of the Fireblade’s engine
have been decreased.
A more compact layout
between the crankshaft,
countershaft, and main
transmission shafts shortens
the overall length of
the engine, while a new
starter arrangement that
rotates off the clutch shaft
rather than the crankshaft
shrinks width. The primary
gear has fewer teeth than
before to save space and
now transfers the starting
torque to the crankshaft.
200
150
100
50
104.1Nm
@ 11,000rpm
186.87hp
@ 13,100rpm