Can the 25th anniversary Fireblade’s new electronics give the average road rider the confidence to go faster?
How hard could it be? Don’t lean over too far and don’t run on; the electronics will take care of the rest, surely? APS,ABS, HESD, TBW, HSTC… there are so many acronyms (I counted 14) that there must be enough tech in this bike to keep even the least confident of journalists upright at the Portimao circuit.
On the day, and nervous as hell, I was surrounded by race professionals – Jenny Tinmouth, Dan Linfoot, Jason O’Halloran, Steve Plater, James Haydon, John McGuinness and Freddie Spencer. FormerMSL deputy editor and endurance race champion Bruce Wilson was there too. I was out of my depth. Yet realistically, I’d expect a large proportion of these bikes to be sold to road riders like you and me, so I wanted to cut through the race hyperbole, and find out what a machine like this, bristling with the very latest electronic aids, is really like for an average road rider.
There are three models available – the CBR1000RR, the CBR1000RR SP and the CBR1000RR SP2.The top bike wasn’t at the launch, so we started the day with the RR, most easily distinguished by its black frame, before trying the SP. Both of them share the same engine and electronic rider aids that have long been awaited on the Fireblade, with the SP’s main selling point being its electronic suspension.
RUN ONE: CBR1000RR, S21 ROADTYRES
Scrawled across the page of my note pad in all caps after my first run was “F**K ME. IT’S AMAZING. IT’S LIKE MY CBR6 BUT LIGHTER AND FASTER. IT’S INCREDIBLE.” I’d never felt so excited after riding something as when I first stepped off the new Fireblade.
Bu hikaye Motorcycle Sport & Leisure dergisinin April 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Motorcycle Sport & Leisure dergisinin April 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now
BMW R 12 nineT
Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff
Portuguese Perambulations
Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored
Highway to Heaven
Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...
Battlaxes at the ready!
We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet
Ducati Riding Experience
When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...
Four pot flyer
Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...
Eastern adventurer
With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry
First Time Lucky?
It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.
