2006 Honda CBR1000RR Review
From its introduction in 2004, Honda’s CBR1000RR (labeled in Europe as the “Fireblade”) has always been a light, agile machine with astounding acceleration. In normal street riding and occasional track excursions, the bike produced far more performance than most of us could fully tap, but somehow it was tamed into a real-world package.
Make no mistake, this weapon astonished and delighted all but the most battle-hardened veteran of the superbike wars. One would think that having produced such a beautifully balanced, incredibly fast machine, Honda would have been happy to sit on its laurels and merely tweak the RR for 2006. But, no, that would have been too easy for a company that is so committed to racing and technical innovation.
The genetic material shared with last year’s Laguna Seca race-winner is evidenced by the redesigned and altogether-sharper look of the MotoGP-inspired bodywork and all-black engine. Additionally, the new model finds itself with almost 60 percent of its parts redesigned. A slight reduction in steering head caster and trail makes the steering response quicker and improves overall cornering ability slightly.
Even when the RR was first rolled out of the garage, the elegantly carried lack of weight was noticeable. The changes are all in the details, and there is no shortage of fine points that add up to a better, tighter all-around package. Although the Fireblade is 17 pounds lighter and produces three percent more horsepower than its predecessor, somehow this latest iteration of the 1000RR has not lost its original rider-friendly usefulness.
Entering Turn 3 requires some fairly hard braking, especially following the antics just described. The radial-mounted Tokico calipers, coupled as they are with a radially actuated master cylinder, work extraordinarily well. There’s a lot of travel at the lever and every millimeter of bar-ward movement does something positive to slow down the machine. My preference of “covering” the brake lever comes from years of road riding experience, and is a habit I’ve not yet needed to disturb. On the 1000RR, however, I found that even with the slight pressure from my hand at rest I was actually making the front brakes bind a little, such is their powerful progression. On a track you could not ask for more, but on the road you might find yourself asking for a little less. Experimenting with different grades of pads will help you find something that suits your personal riding style.
Bridgestone fitted their awesome new track-compound BT-002s after lunch and the difference was immediately noticeable. There is nothing wrong with the original equipment tires—actually, they’re excellent—it’s just that, as Bob Graham of Bridgestone explained, “OEM tires have to be manufactured to be good at everything, and naturally we build them to the manufacturer’s specifications. The track tires are actually what we want to build, and they only have to be good at one thing.” Demonstrably, Bridgestone’s experience in MotoGP has trickled down to their products in the same way that Honda’s has. The 002s, as expected, had quite a bit more grip, and excelled in helping the bike turn quickly without any loss of stability.
Honda’s “nearly all-new” 1000RR has progressed logically and very effectively for 2006. With incredible attention to detail, the Honda CBR1000RR is better than ever, achieving Honda’s goal of providing us with motorcycles we can actually use.
Photography by Kevin Wing
2006 Honda CBR1000RR Specs
ENGINE
Motor: Inline-4
Displacement: 998cc
Bore x stroke: 75 x 56.5mm
Fueling: PGM-DSFI EFI
Ignition: Fully transistorized
Lubrication: Force-feed and splash
Transmission: 6-speed
Clutch: Wet multiplate
CHASSIS
Frame: Diamond
Front suspension: Telescopic fork
Rear suspension: Linkage-assisted shock
Front tire: 120/70ZR17; Bridgestone
Rear tire: 190/50ZR17; Bridgestone
Front brakes: Hydraulic disc
Rear brake: Hydraulic disc
DIMENSIONS and CAPACITIES
Wheelbase: 55.5 inches
Rake: 23.3 degrees
Trail: 3.9 inches
Seat height: 32.3 inches
Curb weight: 454 pounds
2006 Honda CBR1000RR Price: $11,299 MSRP