Honda CBR900RR
Tlic fairing's hales were designed to 'enhance airflow to improve cornering performance '. according to Honda. The feature was quietly dropped on later models.
Apart from using a 16-inch front wheel instead o f the normal 17-incher. the ncinal Blade's layout was a: nary. Its combination of p er and light weight was anything but.
In retrospect, it all seemed so simple. The key to Honda's stunning CBR900RR was that it packed a powerful, open-class four- cylinder engine in a chassis small and light enough to belong to a 600cc middleweight. The result was dynamite. When the bike they named the FireBIade was launched in 1992. it was the hardest-charging, sharpest-handling, shortest-stopping big-bore sports machine ever seen.
Of course, Honda's task had in reality been far from easy. To create such a powerful yet compact and reliable engine was very difficult; to package it in an ultra-light chassis that w-as both agile and stable even harder. Yet the team led by Tadao Baba succeeded, and in the process created the legend of the FireBIade and began a new' era of two-w'heeled high performance.
The CBR relied on the conventional technology of a tw in-cam. liquid-cooled. 16-valve straight four. The 893cc motor was physically barely larger than Honda’s CBR600F engine. It was very light, too.
Despite the absence of expensive titanium. There was nothing radical about the design, it was just that nobody before had put together such a refined and compact package that approached the Blade's peak output of 124bhp at 10,500rpm.
The same w'as true of the chassis, which added a few twists to the familiar twin-spar alloy design to produce a bike whose 4071b (185kg) weight figure belonged in the middleweight class. The thick conventional forks held a 16-inch front wheel; four-piston front brake calipers bit on drilled discs. Steering geometry was remarkable at the time; closer to grand prix racebike figures than to those of the Honda’s roadster rivals.
More to the point, the RR performed like a purpose-built racebike too. Engine performance combined instant throttle response, minimal vibration and adequate low-rev power, before the serious urge arrived at 6000rpm. At 90()0rpm the RR shifted into hyperdrive, screaming to the 11 .OOOrpm redline with renewed thrust. Top speed was around 160mph (257km/h), slightly down on larger-engined rivals from Suzuki and Yamaha. The smaller engine also lacked a little mid-range by comparison, encouraging frequent use of its six- speed gearbox. But the lightweight Honda was a match for anything on acceleration.
Stunningly light steering
It was in comers that the FireBlade's lack of size and weight made most difference, for no other open-class Japanese sportster provided agility in the same league. Steering was stunningly light and quick, bordering on the nervous yet responding to every command with pinpoint accuracy. The CBR's cornering ability was also partly due to its firm and well-damped suspension.
A combination of efficient fairing, wide seat and generous leg-room made the FireBlade reasonably comfortable. This was no sports-tourer, however, but a brilliant, purpose-built sportster; the quickest, nimblest superbike ever to come out of Japan. Honda claimed that in developing the FireBlade. they had set out to rewrite the rules of motorcycle design. For once, what sounded like a typical piece of advertising hype rang true.
Erion's Racing RR
The CBR900RR's capacity made it ineligible for World Superbike and many other four-stroke race series, but the Honda was very successful in America. Erion Racing's highly tuned, 170bhp, 180mph (290km/h) RRs won the 1993 AMA endurance title and the following season's Unlimited Team Challenge. In late 1994, team boss Kevin Erion launched a roadgoing replica, incorporating ram air, 918cc capacity, polished engine internals, new cams, Keihin flat-slide carbs, race pipe and 144 rear-wheel horsepower. Numerous chassis modifications reduced weight to 378lb (172kg) and improved handling too. At $35,000, the Erion 900RR Replica was expensive, but very few bikes provided comparable roadgoing performance.
Compact dimensions, light weight and a taut chassis gave handling that was agile to the point of occasional instability.
Specification Honda CBR900RR (1992)
- Engine Liquid-cooled dohc 16-valve four
- Capacity 893cc (70 x 58mm)
- Maximum power 124bhp @ 10,500rpm
- Transmission Six-speed, chain final drive
- Frame Aluminium twin spar
- Suspension Telescopic front; single shock rear
- Brakes Twin discs front; disc rear
- Weight 407lb (185kg)
- Top speed 160mph (257km/h)
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