This CBR had 50 thousand kilometres on it and it revs to 16 thousand RPM. That is a lot of revolutions per minute. The kind of stresses placed on an engine revving so frantically are enormous. But, based on a cursory inspection and a quick ride, I had no hesitation in handing over my hard earned. Such is the confidence that Honda inspires in me. Sound design and reliability is just a given with Honda.
I’ve since done a 500K day with plenty of twisties and commuted through traffic on it. Here are my initial impressions of this bike.
The bike’s got a Yoshimura exhaust so I’m pleasantly surprised that it’s not too loud when I fire it up. I don’t like my bikes to be unnecessarily loud. The idle is fast (not loud) and this gets annoying after a while. I will back it off a bit. The take off is remarkably smooth. Clutch engagement is the best I’ve ever experienced on any motorcycle. As a result, its really smooth getting off the line. Acceleration is where it gets a bit confusing for me. The bike’s a screamer. AT 7K RPM I think the bike’s doing 12K and at 12K I think I will soon be engulfed by hot oil and bits of flying Honda engine! I think I will get used to this but it’s a bit fucking intense if you’re not used to doing 60KMPH with the engine screaming like you’re doing 160!
And the best part is that this is not a 1000cc superbike where if you’re doing 9K RPM, you’re almost guaranteed to be at odds with the law (and make the cover story of Today Tonight if you’re lucky), regardless of gear. On a supersports, 9K RPM in second gear while tootling around town will not send you to jail. Yeah, you’ll get the stares but more for the noise than the speed.
All bikes ride better when you’re on the throttle but I found the CBR to be particularly responsive to positive throttle input. I started getting on the gas very early in the corner and the suspension really settles and it corners beautifully.
What else?
Umm yeah, Brakes! Outstanding! Really powerful, good feel for the grip on the front while braking. Because of the firm suspension and low weight there is not a lot of dive and weight transfer while hard braking and this is confidence inspiring on corner entry.
This is not a practical motorcycle. It has one agenda. And one agenda only. Go hard or Go home.
I think I will go hard. I have a good feeling about this bike. We will see.
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