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The ton. A buck. One hundred miles per hour, without shifting out of first gear.
Theoretically, someone could ride this CBR1000RR-R SP on a normal commute without touching the shifter. So I did. A handful of miles from our RevZilla office in Los Angeles to my house, surface streets and stop lights, 75 mph on the freeway, and a last little stroll through a neighborhood to my garage. Average fuel mileage probably took a hit, but it proved what this machine thinks of an average rider on an average ride. Child’s play, with five of its transmission cogs tied behind its back.
Actually, it’s bigger than that. I rode the 2021 version of this motorcycle at Thunderhill Raceway for our first ride article, and then this 30th Anniversary edition at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway, the whole time doing my darndest to set the world on fire, and still never used fifth or sixth gear. Up to 160 mph and still only using two thirds of the gears available. Imagine the hit to my ego. Come to think of it, the only time I have used the top two options in the gearbox was trying not to go fast.
That is, back on the street and not in the midst of a first-gear-only experiment. And here the bike is just fine. Below about 7,500 rpm the valve in the exhaust system is closed and the engine is smooth and relaxed, anywhere within the bounds of an American speed limit. It could almost be a CBR650, loping along with a bit of thrust on tap and no drama. No reason to think it makes 186 horsepower (215 in Europe, so I’m told) and costs just about $30,000.
Chances are you won’t even notice the engine. Most riders will be distracted by other things. If you’re not coming from the world of sport bikes, you will most likely reach to place a foot on the foot rest and instead poke your ankle bone or lower leg with the end of the peg. Then you might notice that the hand grips are far forward and about the same height as the seat.
After that you might wonder how the heck to turn it on, and once you realize (or someone tells you) that the button just behind the left headlight is what does it, you’ll probably be dazzled by the bright and colorful TFT screen tucked under the windscreen. Within that screen lives a plethora of options for the display and adjusting the triple-R SP’s throttle map, engine braking, traction control, ABS, and of course the semi-active Öhlins suspension. There’s a lot to look at and feel on a CBR1000RR-R SP and the feels hit hard.
Part of the shock and awe comes from true sport bikes being fairly uncompromising, but some of it comes from the happy-go-lucky reputation of Big Red. People don’t believe me when I tell them that a Honda is uncomfortable. It just doesn’t compute. No offense to buyers of the triple-R SP: You are not likely to meet the nicest people on this motorcycle. More likely you’ll meet someone who wants to win. The suspension damping is adjustable but the purpose of the machine is not.
That’s what this bike is designed for, after all. One way or another, win. On the more obvious side of the coin is the bore-and-stroke ratio that matches the 2018 RC213V MotoGP bike, or the integrated aerodynamic winglets which produce the same amount of downforce as, you guessed it, the 2018 RC213V. Or the other features I mentioned in that track-only first ride linked above.
As a performance machine, it is truly and appropriately vicious. My good friend Ari, tester of many CBR1000 models of years past, had a similar reaction to so many other people when I suggested it was mean and purposeful: How could that be with a Honda? He took it for a spin around the block and came back with his eyes wide. He used the phrase “almost dangerous,” which feels like the kind of insult oozing with praise than an HRC engineer might love. When the exhaust valve opens and the engine breathes freely, it hits like a two-stroke on steroids, warping space and time like only a few motorcycles can.
Then there’s the other way that riders of a triple-R SP win, which is less obvious but often even more important. This bike is the best. Better than an Aprilia or a Ducati? A Kawasaki or a Yamaha? Never mind that, it’s the best Honda has to offer. Aside from the 2016 RC213V-S that landed off most people’s financial radar, this is the most expensive, the most exotic, and the most extreme Honda sport bike available today.
To paraphrase a metaphor put to me by a Daily Rider viewer: If this bike were a basket of hot wings, how spicy would it be? A strong Buffalo or a ferocious Carolina Reaper? I think to put it simply, this is a batch of a half-dozen “RR-R SP” wings that is too spicy. Of course, it’s a little bit more complicated than that — for an experienced track rider who wants to shed the lights and mirrors and only ride this machine on a closed course, the spice might be just right.
The beautiful thing about this chicken-wing metaphor is that the tolerance for spicy food lives as a secret within each of us. When someone orders the hottest wings on the menu, only they know how much pain it’s causing. And we can justify it to whatever degree feels right. We can say that we like our eyes to water and our tongue to throb.
It’s the same way we can be uncomfortable on a motorcycle for the sake of looking, or feeling, cool. And I do feel cool on this bike. Despite, or maybe because of, the seat feeling tall and U-turns being awkward. I know the swell of pride that fills our chests, it’s real. That said, I think if we look deep enough into ourselves we will find the truth, which is that it’s only fun once in a while.
To keep up the food analogy, I have incredible respect for the chefs that put together this basket of triple-R wings. The ambition and painstaking determination to create something this spicy is amazing and, just like the CBR’s gearbox, there’s no need for six. It will only take one to realize that it’s probably too much.
| 2022 Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP | |
|---|---|
| Price (MSRP) | $28,900 |
| Engine | 999 cc, liquid-cooled, 16-valve, inline four |
|
Transmission, final drive |
Six-speed, chain |
| Claimed horsepower | 186 @ 12,000 rpm |
| Claimed torque | 83 foot-pounds @ 11,000 rpm |
| Frame | Aluminum twin-spar |
| Front suspension | Öhlins NPX 43 mm fork, adjustable for preload, electronically adjustable damping; 4.9 inches of travel |
| Rear suspension | Öhlins shock, adjustable for preload, electronically adjustable damping; 5.6 inches of travel |
| Front brake | Brembo Stylema four-piston calipers, 330 mm discs with ABS |
| Rear brake | Brembo single-piston caliper, 220 mm disc with ABS |
| Rake, trail | 24.0 degrees, 4.0 inches |
| Wheelbase | 57.3 inches |
| Seat height | 32.6 inches |
| Fuel capacity | 4.3 gallons |
| Tires | Pirelli Supercorsa SP, 200/70R17 rear, 120/70R17 front |
| Claimed weight | 443 pounds |
| Available | Now |
| Warranty | 12 months |
| More info | powersports.honda.com |
