Honda CBR 1000RR Forums banner

2020 CBR1000RR-R SP reviews and thoughts

11K views 92 replies 16 participants last post by  null 
#1 ·
It must be a ton of fun to ride these amazing bikes and tracks us mere mortals could only dream to ride but MAN most of these guys don't say too much about what the bikes are actually like to ride and they all kind of regurgitate the same list of specs without answering what does this model do better than others......

Sure it has Stylema calipers from Brembo, Ducati and Aprilia have that.

The Ohlins fork is relatively new tech as it employs the FKR pressurized system on the compression side which helps a ton in the braking phase during track use but the new R1M and last year's Ducati V4R have those forks - and they are GREAT as I have FKR inserts on several bikes and I own a V4R.

Motorcycle News said the bike is to come with the third version (SP3) Pirelli Daiblo Supercorsa tires - no one else has mentioned the SPV3 tire yet - this is important as the SPV2 came out in 2012 on the Ducati Panigale and the SPV3 was updated for the Ducati V4 - both are GREAT tires but the third version of the tire is good enough to actually race at the expert club level.

GP One was the first to mention the SP bike came with a lithium-ion battery and I confirmed that here --> https://hondanews.eu/gb/en/motorcyc...es/196428/2020-honda-cbr1000rr-r-fireblade-sp and they said the bike feels like an extreme Fireblade but that doesn't explain anything to those who don't have a Fireblade, lol

44 Teeth said "it is quick, it is SUPER quick" and the other standout feature is "super planted....the best front end in the business by far...and ABS intervention is seamless...the fastest 600 I have ever ridden and I mean that in the nicest possible way...not only does it feel like an Aprilia (RSV4) with that front end confidence but it steers quicker, turns quicker, is WAY more agile)" --> Now THIS is useful info!

No one has mentioned where the rider puts the key! The bike has a push button switch to turn on the ignition and 44 Teeth showed the switch has a twist off feature to turn the ignition off but when you ride on track do you take the key with you? I lost a key to my van one time at Deals Gap because it somehow came out of my Dainese full suit while I was riding!

I would like to know if the seat is grippy.

44 Teeth said the throttle is twitchy....can that be changed? I think the Aprilia in Race mode has one of the best throttles in the business but in Sport mode I am not a fan. Kawasaki ZX-10R has a very smooth throttle but the R1/M throttle is twitchy and when leaned over the initial pick up from closed throttle upsets the chassis.

GP One said "The fuel tank is a little too large and in braking, it is difficult to squeeze it with your legs. It needs to be slightly more hollowed out so as to anchor better with your knees."

I will update this space when I know more or find reviews that answer these and other questions.

I ordered mine and my dealer said hopefully April but I don't expect it before June....
 
See less See more
#3 ·
@RC45, agreed it is widely known that the new bike is to be available in June of this year but this dealer said hopefully April as they are a premiere Honda dealer, they ordered 3 of them and Honda North America is just down the road. Makes little difference to me but that is what they said. I know I am among the first to have even ordered the bike back in November.
 
#4 ·
But their being a premiere (I am sure they mean Power House) dealer wont allow them to get the bike any earlier than its ship and delivery date :)

Good luck, hopefully you are the #1 name on the list as there is little to no chance they get a second or third unless another Power House dealer already gave them their place on the list.
 
#5 ·
#9 ·
@SP2RR - thanks for the detailed info on the battery. I'm glad the new SP comes with one. Too bad they didn't do the titanium gas tank on this new bike as well! :)

So they are saying 443 lbs fully-fueled and ready to ride which happens to be the same weight as the 2015 R1M.

I always optimize my bikes and generally can knock off 25-30 lbs on a Japanese bike.

Can't wait to see how this one works out! Should be pretty easy to loose 20 lbs with wheels, exhaust, chain and sprockets, mirrors, license plate holder and emissions farkle!

Bike Social put up the most thorough review I have found so far --> https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesoci...r1000rr-r-fireblade-sp-2020-review-price-spec
 
#11 ·
@Bevo, most of the 18 bikes I currently own are used on track so YES I will upgrade.

The oem Akrapovic end can looks and sounds great (basically the same as the Aprilia Factory 1100 end can) BUT that end can is HEAVY and the Akrapovic EVO system will be at least 6 lbs lighter and allow for more power over stock.

I do see a trend happening where manufacturers are going to start making street bikes with nice-looking end cans that are lightweight and basically make it impossible to upgrade but for now I plan to make changes to improve the bike like I do to all my bikes :)
 
#15 ·
Didn't expect the lithium battery, but that's good to hear. One less upgrade to do. Now about those rubber brake lines...

My dealership told me "We are slated to get one of only 48 coming into the United States. We do not have a deposit on it yet. We anticipate delivery in June/July." (I think it's 47, not 48) and "Also, we just got a tentative ship date of July 17, 2020. I will keep you posted if that changes to a closer date."

I don't think your dealership was being honest about the date either. They may have ordered 3, but I don't think they'll get them, and if you aren't the first to put a deposit there and really want one -- I would consider putting a deposit with another powerhouse dealership.

My local dealer got a deposit from me before I learned about powerhouse dealers and said they would order one. I put a second deposit with another powerhouse dealer that said nobody had put a hold on the one they were allocated yet. Worst case my local dealer gets one, and I lose the deposit.
 
#16 ·
Didn't expect the lithium battery, but that's good to hear. One less upgrade to do. Now about those rubber brake lines...

My dealership told me "We are slated to get one of only 48 coming into the United States. We do not have a deposit on it yet. We anticipate delivery in June/July." (I think it's 47, not 48) and "Also, we just got a tentative ship date of July 17, 2020. I will keep you posted if that changes to a closer date."

I don't think your dealership was being honest about the date either. They may have ordered 3, but I don't think they'll get them, and if you aren't the first to put a deposit there and really want one -- I would consider putting a deposit with another powerhouse dealership.

My local dealer got a deposit from me before I learned about powerhouse dealers and said they would order one. I put a second deposit with another powerhouse dealer that said nobody had put a hold on the one they were allocated yet. Worst case my local dealer gets one, and I lose the deposit.
If your local dealer can't provide proof that their order has been accepted I'd ask for that deposit to be refunded.
 
#22 ·
You have to wonder why they even bother.
All this money and effort to review a bike that will be limited to less than 50 units and cost $32,000 with tax and not even have the same specs as the bike they are testing.

WTF is American Honda’s game? All this effort and marketing to sell the bike to 47 people that didn’t even need the marketing to sell to?

Something is certainly fucked up about this entire Honda SuperBike program in the USA.

Who are the morons in charge of this fiasco? It’s like amateur night with the keystone cops.

In the meantime Honda actually sells the real fuggen bike (and in 2 models in 4 colors no less) in markets that are not being saturated with all this hype.
 
#23 ·
@RC45 Maybe this link below will help? I get that it sucks for the consumer a bit but consider that Honda would LOVE to sell customer what they want if there were enough customer who actually would part with their cash! This is not Honda's fault but rather the EPA and the 80 db limit which is measured at roughly 50 % of max throttle....

This IS a halo product and Honda wants to win World SBK races in addition to their MotoGP effort.

The reality is these bikes are expensive to develop and the forks on the SP model are the same as the Yamaha R1M, Ducati's V4R and Fogarty V4S; all of these bikes are even more expensive than the Honda. Even the Stylema calipers are about 2x as expensive as the standard cast Brembos you might find on something like the ZX-10R(R) or GSX-R1000(R).

A new motor, TITANIUM rods, new chassis, low friction technologies, etc all add up. My 2019 ZX-10RR was like 25k and it didn't come with electronic suspension or carbon fiber and even Ohlins (except for the steering damper)! It was super expensive for a ZX-10R BUT but those titanium rods and Marchesini 7-spoke wheels added about 9k onto the MSRP (25k vs 16k)!

How much was the RC45 when they came out? I had a RC30 (made in 1991) and THAT bike cost MORE than a loaded Mustang GT at the time (19k)!

Bikes these days are NOT cheap and you really wouldn't want them to be....I am inclined to say they are probably worth every damn penny given the capabilities and we are actually really LUCKY manufacturers still want to make really amazing bikes like these and sell them to the public. Never before has the gap between a factory superbike and what you can actually buy from a dealer been so close. Case in point, I bought a V4R to turn into a track bike. All I did was full exhaust, Stomp Grip, rearsets and bodywork, that is it! Literally nothing else and on the stock street tires I was only 1.5 seconds slower than my race pace (on my first outing at a track day) versus my legit race bike (2019 ZX-10RR) with Dunlop slicks and tire warmers.....and I'm a consistent top 10 racer in the expert superbike class with all orgs in CA (WERA, AFM and CVMA).

--> The Code of Federal Regulations of the United States of America
 
#25 ·
@RC45 Maybe this link below will help? I get that it sucks for the consumer a bit but consider that Honda would LOVE to sell customer what they want if there were enough customer who actually would part with their cash! This is not Honda's fault but rather the EPA and the 80 db limit which is measured at roughly 50 % of max throttle....

This IS a halo product and Honda wants to win World SBK races in addition to their MotoGP effort.

The reality is these bikes are expensive to develop and the forks on the SP model are the same as the Yamaha R1M, Ducati's V4R and Fogarty V4S; all of these bikes are even more expensive than the Honda. Even the Stylema calipers are about 2x as expensive as the standard cast Brembos you might find on something like the ZX-10R(R) or GSX-R1000(R).

A new motor, TITANIUM rods, new chassis, low friction technologies, etc all add up. My 2019 ZX-10RR was like 25k and it didn't come with electronic suspension or carbon fiber and even Ohlins (except for the steering damper)! It was super expensive for a ZX-10R BUT but those titanium rods and Marchesini 7-spoke wheels added about 9k onto the MSRP (25k vs 16k)!

How much was the RC45 when they came out? I had a RC30 (made in 1991) and THAT bike cost MORE than a loaded Mustang GT at the time (19k)!

Bikes these days are NOT cheap and you really wouldn't want them to be....I am inclined to say they are probably worth every damn penny given the capabilities and we are actually really LUCKY manufacturers still want to make really amazing bikes like these and sell them to the public. Never before has the gap between a factory superbike and what you can actually buy from a dealer been so close. Case in point, I bought a V4R to turn into a track bike. All I did was full exhaust, Stomp Grip, rearsets and bodywork, that is it! Literally nothing else and on the stock street tires I was only 1.5 seconds slower than my race pace (on my first outing at a track day) versus my legit race bike (2019 ZX-10RR) with Dunlop slicks and tire warmers.....and I'm a consistent top 10 racer in the expert superbike class with all orgs in CA (WERA, AFM and CVMA).

--> The Code of Federal Regulations of the United States of America
None of this is news to me. I have literally spent the last 3 years eating sleeping and drinking this fiasco.

My point is American Honda is again trucking over the US consumer.
 
#28 ·
The majority of the offending noise is ironically the intake and induction roar - most mufflers are quite quiet in the grand scheme. So that's why the revs get cut, ETV tables altered and more than likely intake tube restriction to help quell the intake noise.

And while these are all relatively simple fixes, voiding ones warranty just to run and gun with the other bikes int he same class is still an unpleasant exercise.
And none of the other players are so severly restricted on top - most of the other players simply nerf the mid range but still allow the bike to breath well at the top end where the noise is not taken into account.

See BMW, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Ducati and Aprilia if you want a stock bike with decent top end in the USA.

Honda just choose to be ultra conservative in the US market.
 
#37 ·
For US SC77s, not only are is the max throttle butterfly movement limited to 73%, but the tables themselves lack any resolution above 11,000rpm.

So what ever the value is at 11, carries to redline.

There is always a chance one of these days, that either the EPA will demand or Honda will be such cowards, they will try bake into the ECU some limitation that prevents tampering with table values above certain RPMs that have been preset.

We already see similar restrictions making it very hard to manipulate O2, PAIR & EVAP settings in the current SP & SP2 ECUs. (And R1M)

If you try remove any emissions equipment without flashing, the ECU will hard error lock.

Hopefully Honda haven’t gone full Nazi with the US SC82 ECU.
 
#38 ·
I've asked this in another thread and got no response... how are the other manufacturers putting out such loud bikes (Ducati in particular) and posting such high HP numbers if they are meeting the same EPA restrictions? I read somewhere on the internet (so it must be true) that some other sportbike manufacturers just ignored the EPA restrictions and sold bikes that did not meet them.
 
#41 ·
@RC45, I feel your pain - it is also my pain and we all want a great bike from a great manufacturer.....I think Honda just doesn't want to screw with the EPA and FTC, after-all, they fined Harley and Volkswagon for BILLIONS! Companies like Ducati don't seem to care as much, although the are owned by Audi which is owned by Volkswagon....when I bought my Ducati 1299 Superlegera it came with a race exhaust in a box - the one with two pipes that exit under the seat like the World SBK. That race exhaust required the removal of the kickstand rendering the bike "track only" because who would ride a bike on the street without a kickstand??! LOL That was Ducati's solution to getting around the EPA, et al and that 1299 Superleggera is LOUD with the race exhaust!!!!!

Honda takes the most responsible approach and you can't blame then....in this country companies are getting sued left and right for the irresponsible behavior of others, case in point, Johnson & Johnson only manufactured about 5% of the total opioids yet they paid disproportionately higher penalties mostly because they have the deepest pockets.
 
#42 ·
More like Honda taking the cheapest, easiest way out with spending no money on research to tune exhaust sound and still keep performance numbers. Just slap a basic proven restrictive system on it and cut down power to meet requirements, as opposed spending some $ on research that could keep both.

That is HONDA, sorry to say. By far the cheapest “Peripheral” components I have seen used on bikes, when compared to the competition. That Honda had its 1st ride by wire and IMU CBR in ..... 2017 speaks volumes. They capitalized on cheaper components and paid off technology demanding the same price; when everyone else was inventing, Honda was barely evolving.
 
#43 ·
More like Honda taking the cheapest, easiest way out with spending no money on research to tune exhaust sound and still keep performance numbers. Just slap a basic proven restrictive system on it and cut down power to meet requirements, as opposed spending some $ on research that could keep both. . .
Huh?

Honda has stuck an Akrapovic on the new RR-R and not a massive titanium box as found on the 2017 - 19 models. Surely money has been spent there?

Further, it's not necessarily a 'proven restrictive system' because the Akrapovic is a preferred option for being 'unrestricted'. Granted, to meet noise standards this Akra will not offer the same performance level as those marketed 'For Race Use Only', but I believe that Honda has sought the best performance option for a bike marketed to street purchasers. ;)
 
#44 ·
Just learnt from my local dealer that some UK Honda mechanics have spent a 3-day training course on the new RR-R at Honda UK (Bracknell). One might assume that Honda mechanics might be biased toward the product, but I was encouraged by the positive reaction and was told: 'You've made a good move with that one.'
 
#59 ·
So I am reading that Honda screwed the consumers and etc on fake promises. Anyone care to give a short and brief cliff note?

I apologize as I have been out of the motorcycle world for a some time now.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top