Usually the bold-new-graphics of a revised model don't impress much but the '06 CBR is one bad-ass bike. Not only are the graphics slick but the curvy bodywork opens up to expose the engine.
Up at 7am and down to the complimentary breakfast got me ready for a big day of riding. Seidel offered to serve as chauffer and haul me to the track in one of the new
Honda Ridgeline pickups. I grabbed the backseat in an attempt to hide my nervousness about hitting a brand new track with a brand new bike only two months after crashing my brains out and breaking my ribs during my first and last attempt at desert racing.
When we arrived at the track, our bikes were lined up in two adjacent garages with our name on the windscreen and a technician we would share with one other editor. The previous night as I was looking over the yellow and blue model they had on display, Seidel asked me what color I liked best. Apparently at the Honda dealer show the clear winner was the yellow/blue but I personally like the red/black combo which was similar to the bike I own. So as I searched each of the seven bikes for my name, it came as no surprise that I would be riding the red/black. Coincidence? I doubt it. Honda had also brought out a couple of 2005 model CBR1000RR's and they urged us to ride the older bike for a back-to-back comparison.
My first lap around Buttonwillow Raceway Park took place in the back of an Acura MDX driven by Honda R&D rider and Buttonwillow lap-record holder Jeff Tigert. He showed us the appropriate lines and offered to play follow-the-leader on bikes during the day. After the sighting lap, we hopped on our bikes and followed Toland around. Buttonwillow is an interesting circuit with a combination of slow corners, fast sweepers, and esses where the bike needs to get side-to-side in a hurry. Doug took it easy on us and got us around the circuit twice before turning us loose. No more babysitting, it was time to start riding.
I spent the first 20-minute session learning the track. In the second session I was feeling comfortable enough to try looking somewhat competent for the photographers and start paying attention to what the bike was doing. Riding around in these kinds of conditions forces attention directly to tires and tire grip. The tire warmers did a good job of getting the scrubbed tires up to temperature and once I started picking up the pace I was impressed with the OE (Original Equipment) tires from Bridgestone. In my past, tires that come stock on a sportbike are used to rack up break-in mileage and then are either removed or torched with a big, smoky burnout and then tossed. But I was pleasantly surprised with how competently the new BT-015s handled the cold track and big horsepower from the CBR.
Toward the mid-point of that first session I started to get comfortable on the CBR1K and picked up the pace - getting the bike up to speed is really the only way to identify the improvements. My first reaction was that the new CBR just felt more competent on the track - it felt like it was meant to be on the racetrack cutting hot laps.
I'll take two says Dee Bee. That's one red/black 2006 CBR1000RR for the street and one blue/yellow for the track - please.
Seventeen pounds sounds like a lot of weight, but I was skeptical that I'd be able to tell much of a difference. I was wrong. Thanks to the aforementioned weight reduction and more aggressive geometry, this new CBR is significantly easier to get into a corner and it holds its line much better than its older brother.
So the bike felt better and I was adequately impressed after my first two sessions but I needed to ride the 2005 model to put things into perspective. Going out on the older bike really didn't point out any shocking problems. Let's be honest, the bike is fairly capable in its own right. But there were things I started to notice.
The first was getting the bike slowed down. The added weight of the older bike and the smaller brake rotors meant it took a little more muscle and a little more time to scrub speed. And towards the end of the session, the brake lever was coming farther and farther back, a brake fade issue that I've experienced on my personal bike and our past test mules.
Getting the older bike flicked over and into a corner took more effort and concentration, and once in the turn holding a line was more difficult at higher speeds. Where the '05 would wallow its way to the outside of fast corners when pushed hard, the new bike stays planted. Transitioning the bike from corner to corner at speed is now suddenly something to look forward to instead of a muscle-testing, gut-groaning exercise.
It wasn't immediately evident to me that the older bike's motor wasn't on par with the '06 but what I did notice was that the '05 seemed to have more vibration and generally was buzzier than the new model. When I asked Toland about this, he looked at me like I was a crazy person and shot me a quick comment meant to keep me from embarrassing myself any further.
Ending the third session meant I could hop back on the 2006 bike. The Honda crew assured me that I would notice much more by going from the '05 to the '06 rather than the other way around. That's when I shot them the crazy person look. And, of course, they were right again and I was wrong, again. The 2006 felt like a different motorcycle. And it wasn't just the softer seat foam.
Solid - Smooth - Stable: Any of these terms can be used to describe the handling characteristics of the CBR1000RR. Fun is another good choice of words too.
What was it that made the bike feel different? It was the combination of a lot of small refinements that added up to a ride that is significantly more fun to ride. The smooth power delivery of the new CBR meant that shifting gears was optional at most parts of the racetrack. You could rev it out thanks to the additional leeway of the higher redline and rev limit, but lugging it down around 7,000 rpm didn't seem to have much adverse impact on acceleration. This motor just seems to pull no matter the gear or rpm, and to my butt-dyno the delivery was more linear. And while Toland thinks I'm nuts, the bike did seem less buzzy with less engine braking on corner entry.
The bike's seeming reduction of engine braking meant the brakes themselves got the majority of the slow-down duties. Using the brakes more means a more reliable way to slow the bike. Instead of guessing how much the engine will slow you, you can use the binders at your discretion. And these new front brakes are more than up to the task. Their bite is firm and it only takes a finger or two to get the CBR slowed to the desired speed. The best part is that I couldn't get a hint of brake fade even when the riding sessions went longer than the Honda designated 20 minutes. On one occasion it seemed like we were out there for 40 minutes, and the brakes exhibited none of the mushiness prevalent on the '05 model.
That longer session was easily my most enjoyable of the day. Because of the back-to-back comparison, I was able to really appreciate the improvements of the new bike. I wouldn't quite compare the new
CBR1000RR to a 600cc sportbike, but Honda has definitely closed the gap to the big dogs in the Open class.
During lunch the Bridgestone and Honda technical staff got to work swapping the OE tires for the DOT race rubber. My job entailed eating a hot lunch in the Buttonwillow cafeteria and wondering how I got so lucky. Normally I'm the guy swapping wheels and banging knuckles. It's hard to beat a factory ride for a day.
Hitting the track on the Bridgestone BT-002 race tires made an immediate impression. Where the stock BT-015s felt good in the morning and even better compared to the BT-014 tires on the 2005 bike, the DOT race tires were purpose-built and absolutely great. For consistent grip on a racetrack, there's nothing better than race-compound tires. These Bridgestones provided ample grip and a very predictable feel. I found myself having to acclimate myself to the track again because my brake points got deeper and corner speeds went higher. And the pressure started increasing too: Honda techs were out with the stopwatches and Bridgestone techs had the tire temperature meters handy.
Changing suspension settings isn't exactly my forte. Even in my racing days (long since gone), I found myself riding the bike as hard as I could and dealing with the problems as they came up. As I've gotten older I've decided that playing around with the adjusters is a good way to avoid landing on my head. Riding the CBR at a faster clip allowed by the race rubber, the tires seem to transmit a good deal more energy back into the bike. Combine that with the higher speeds and the bike was protesting by bucking in the bumpier corners. My two Honda techs, Jesse Lazzarino and Chris Comeise deciphered from my comments that I needed a couple of clicks of compression taken out from the rear shock. Venturing back out onto the track after that quick adjustment gave me a motorcycle that felt planted and solid. Thanks guys, you're hired!
Don't be surprised if this is the most common view you will see of the CBR1000RR this season.
My final two sessions allowed me to hit the track with some significant track knowledge on an awesome bike with sticky race tires at my disposal. Because the CBR is now more capable, it allows the rider to explore more of the limit without hanging too far out there. There were many times that I found myself not attacking corners like I should because: a) The bike accelerated so fast it freaked me out, b) the brakes slowed me so quickly that I was going too slow by the time I let off, or c) I couldn't anticipate how well the new CBR could handle added corner speed. Excuses aside, it all came together toward the end of the day and I could actually put the bike to work. And as I pushed the CBR, it simply complied and asked for more. I didn't find the limit but that's good, because having a bike with more competence than the rider is better than the alternative.
What I do know is that the new
Honda CBR1000RR will be a true contender in the Superbike Smackdown circa 2006 - both on the street and on the track. Honda apologist or not, this bike is in the running! And from my track experience, I'd say you'd be hard pressed to find an easier to ride open-class sportbike for your next trackday or canyon sport ride.
Does that mean I should buy one to replace my '04? Well, let me weigh the alternatives. A complete makeover would mean spending a few thousand dollars, tons of time and labor, not to mention all the stuff I would screw up along the way. And the reality is I'm lazy and Honda makes it too easy to upgrade by setting the MSRP at $11,299; exactly the same as the 2005 model. Honda will release the bike to the public in February 2006 so I have a couple months to clean up my credit for that easy payment Honda Finance Plan.
And what about those future press intros? Well, Ken and Kevin now have another willing participant chomping the bit.
Let us know what you think about this article in the MCUSA Forum.
Click Here
