Honda CBR 900RR Fireblade

• The Blade’s drag-reducing front mudguard was the same design as the one on Honda’s NSR500 GP bike.
• Phillip McCallen won the 1996 and 1997 Production TTs on the Blade.

Honda admited nervousness from year 1996. Blade was a long time on the top of selling charts. And rumours were spreading about new competitor's models . Yamaha replaced FZR1000 Exup by YZF1000R Thunderace, Thunderace paper data were impressive. Honda therefore adjusted Fireblade like never before to be able keep fighting with competitors. Honda introduced 1996 Blade on the end of 1995.

Though the look wasn't too different from previous model it was practically new bike. 893cc engine disappeared and was replaced by 918cc one. Dry weight droped down 1 kg on 184 kg and power increased for 5 HP on 128 HP. Supply of power was more flatten. First test spoke about what kind of miracle Honda achieved with rebuild of CBR. Bike was faster, better manageable a hard ride was easier.

Honda keeped first position among supersport bikes.The Thunderace was more powerful (145 HP) byt with dry eight 198 kg was too heavy. Tilt the bike into the curve required a lot of effort and the hoods made bike much bigger than CBR. But FireBlade buyers were pleased, because otherwise Honda wouldn't improved its CBR so much. Except new engine CBR got lighter hoods, different riding posMotorcycle.com ition and lower tank (about 10 mm) and higher handlebars, narrower and stiffer frame and lighter crank and bent cooler and more durable exhaust. Front 16'' wheel stayed without change. Changes in engine, which included stiffer crankchaft, smaller alternator etc. brought 3 Nm moreof torgue.

Honda had prepared a big revamp for the Fireblade at the end of 1995 and it was now known as the CBR918RR.

The name gives a very clear clue of the increase in displacement but this was unusual for Honda, to feature an all new dedicated 918cc engine, not the previous Japan-only bored-out 750 cc engine. Other updates aimed at improving the riding position but, very important, 1995 brought the upgrade of the suspensions. That model year was introduced as the RRT model.

Keeping their recipe for 1997, when the RRV model was released, Honda had added some horses and reduced the weight a little bit by using a new aluminum silencer. Weighing only 183 kg, the only thing that the bike than needed were some new color schemes which gave a new apparel and made that model year stand out even more.

1998 brought the RRW/X models featuring a redesigned fairing and headlamp unit and a wider seat/tail light unit. The upgrade now needed to bring better handling, was only achieved with a much stronger fork yoke unit and stiffness provided by a redesigned swingarm. That model year also brought the adding of a 17-inch front wheel instead of the previous 16-inch. The new element, taken right out the CBR600 completely transformed the handling and together with the new suspension parts made the critics raise no handling issues.

Motorcycle.com   Review

Honda brought out the old and the new to Willow Springs Raceway. The old: The 1995 CBR 900RR. The new: The 1996 CBR 900RR. Normally, motorcycles add weight with age, but not the CBR. It's back lighter and stronger than ever.
Honda made a big deal of "Optimized Mass Centralization" four years ago, when the CBR nine was first rolled out. Translated, the jargon means if the weight is in the center of the bike, it handles better. So the lighter all the extremities are, the easier it changes direction. And while we're lightening, why not lighten the big stuff too? That design credo introduced a 900cc sportbike with the weight of a 600 class machine. Four years on, OMC is still the word, and the new RR is the lightest, most powerful yet.

From the start, the CBR 900RR (better known as the Fireblade in some other parts of the world) earned a reputation as a super-sportster with a temper. Honda's aim this year was to keep the bark, lessen the bite. Power is up (depending on who you believe, the figure ranges from 123hp to 128 at the crank) due to a minimal 0.10 point compression ratio rise, and a significant 1.0mm overbore. The CBR now displaces 918cc (and if they'd called it that, they'd be two up on Ducati) totalling a 25cc boost. Previous cast-in cylinder liners lost their flanges and rough surface finishes.

A new casting technique allows non-flanged, smooth finished liners, and allowed Honda to overbore each cylinder without increasing the motor's overall width. Indeed, the width is down, narrowed 9.5mm with a new, more compact generator using a new unobtanium ferritic magnet compound. The bigger, only very slightly heavier pistons are matched by larger connecting rods with bigger crankshaft big end journals to match. Those much-ballyhooed holes are gone from the fairing sides -- though the front of the fairing still resembles swiss cheese, as does the rider's footpeg guard. Honda claims that the new, aerodynamic front fender with built-in air scoops does more to promote turning ability than the holes did. It's claimed also that the fender even circulates air under the fairing, helping to support the rider (the lower pressure air behind a fairing's bubble usually pulls the rider's neck and head down, leading to shoulder and back strain).

"In the interest of weight reduction, the drive chain is reduced in size from 530 to 525."

A whole list of parts has been lightened, including the tires (new Bridgestone BT56, designed to warm up to operating temperature sooner), the cylinder head cover (now magnesium) and even the frame. The new design of the frame and swing arm means that sections of the frame are now open-backed, instead of closed. The frame is triple-box section, instead of quad-box section as before, but is claimed more rigid in critical areas, although the frame's designers have actually gone for less rigidity in places, finding after extensive research something that seat-of-the-pants frame builders always knew -- a little torsional frame flex is good for handling.

Honda engineers were at pains to point out that lateral (side to side) strength is not compromised. A new, curved radiator keeps the same cooling area but decreases width.

There are also smaller, lighter, worldwide turn signals. The new tires, BT56F and BT56R Bridgestone Battlaxes front and rear, have a new tread pattern claimed to optimize cornering grip. The conventional front suspension has been reworked for lightness, and now boasts compression damping adjustability in addition to rebound and preload adjustment. Rear suspension has also been altered, with a smaller diameter piston claimed to give a greater range of adjustments, and a reworked linkage ratio giving more progressive damping over a longer amount of travel.

Even the transmission has been reworked to lessen the gaps between first through third gears, and provide a higher overall sixth gear. Likely the only changes the average CBR900RR owner will actually notice are the reworked handlebars, the 10mm higher seat and the much narrower, more svelte fuel tank. These improvements combine to give the CBR a much lighter, easier to handle feeling. Before, the tank would get in the way of knees and elbows when cranking in hard to a turn: Now the tank is not a barrier, and the bike feels smaller because of it. Power is, like before, seriously adequate. Bang the throttle up to the 11,000 rpm redline, and you'd better be pointed in the right direction.

The capabilities of this bike are frustrating at the track. It's one that repays seat time with even greater levels of performance. Or maybe I'm just rusty. Anyway, after many laps around Willow I found myself only just starting to trust the revamped Honda at the end of the day, and then even more amazed that it would go wherever I pointed it. Okay Honda, you've convinced me, lighter and more powerful means faster and better.

Source Motorcycle.com