Honda will finally get started on its CBR1000RR range sports car. A motorcycle left so unused that its name began to be put away in the souvenir aisle. Especially in a Superbike discipline where his age has increased in the face of ambitious competition in full development. But 2020 should mark his rebirth, with a project so new that it even convinced Alvaro Bautista to leave Ducati for him. As required by WSBK regulations, the base will be a production machine. Here are some juicy details…
The veil is beginning to lift on the future Honda missile. A new motorcycle that we hope to see at the Tokyo Motor Show which will open its doors on October 24. Little is known about the news CBR1000RR, which is however promised by Honda executives as the most powerful supermoto. It should be a completely new Fireblade, where every screw should be new. Unlike the old Superbike, this machine would not have been designed for comfortable travel on country roads, but rather for racing.
The development project is under absolute secrecy, only a few key figures have leaked. As before, the CBR will be powered by an in-line four-cylinder engine that will comply with Euro 5 emissions regulations. The patented designs use variable valve timing that moves the intake and exhaust camshafts laterally to engage two different profiles on the two camshafts. The patented system also works with latches between the camshaft and the valves. So far, Honda uses more conventional bucket lifters in the Fireblade engine. The bore is increased to 81 mm, the current model claims 76 mm.
Japanese websites advertise that Honda will respect the system with three model variants. The base model is rated at over 210 hp. To surpass the Ducati Panigale V4 R., the SP or SP2 version should reach more than 221 hp in the production version. The weight should be 20% less than it is today. Speculation concerns a new transmission. Sophisticated driving aids go without saying.
The mirrors are designed like fins from which the Superbike version would not benefit. Therefore, additional wings must be attached to the fairing.
While it was thought that the 2020 Fireblade would be presented at EICMA in Milan in November, the Japanese now believe that the Tokyo Motor Show (24.10-4.11.19) will be the venue for the presentation. The new bike will be present in Superbike within a real HRC factory team with Alvaro Bautista as first pilot. The second pilot would be the Japanese pilot Takumi Takahashi.
