2005 Honda CBR 1000RR Fireblade

From its original 893cc capacity, the Fireblade had gradually been upsized every few years, firstly to 918cc, then 929cc and 954cc. Going up to 1000cc seemed the next logical step, but rather than just making a bigger bike, Honda decided to make a better bike when they moved the Fireblade into the litre-class.
While it shared the same name as its predecessor, the 1,000cc Fireblade was very much a 'clean sheet' design, sharing no major components with the preceding CBR 954RR 'Blade. In developing their challenger to Yamaha's R1, the new Sportsbike king, Honda engineers tapped into their MotoGP development work, and applied some of the features from the race-winning RC211V into the CBR 1000RR. Unlike previous generations of Fireblade, the new CBR 1000RR was developed as a race bike first and a street bike second.
The 998cc engine was an all-new design, with a different layout, bore and stroke to its CBR 954 predecessor. The configuration of the crankshaft, mainshaft and countershaft was in a triangular pattern, shortening the length of the engine, which in turn allowed the fitment of a new style swingarm. The longest in the litre-bike class (and taking over 40% of the CBR 1000RR's total wheelbase length), the new swingarm acted like a longer lever arm in the rear suspension to improve traction under acceleration, thus allowing the CBR 1000RR to accelerate out of corners earlier. The swingarm also contained a MotoGP-style Unit Pro-Link rear suspension design encased within the swingarm, rather than mounted to it. This design freed up space between the frame rails, allowing the bulk of the fuel tank to be lower and more centrally-mounted (under a faux tank cover), sharing space with the airbox. Mass centralisation like this goes a long way to improve handling, something appreciated on the street, but essential for the racetrack. To assist this and further improve handling, the engine was positioned further forward in the chassis, which makes high-powered bikes like this less prone to wheelie under hard acceleration. Some riders may see this as a negative, but on the racetrack this is a hindrance, not a help! To allow room for the large capacity, MotoGP-style radiator, the engine is tilted forward 28 degrees. To further aid mass centralisation, Honda even lightened things like the headlights, tailights and rear brake system - basically anything that wasn't close to the engine's centre of mass.
The new Fireblade also featured HESD (Honda Electronic Steering Damper), a rotary-type steering damper that electronically modulated steering damping based on road speed, allowing both high-speed performance and low-speed handling. While some big capacity bikes could be 'squirrely' at high speed, HESD made the 1000RR very stable. Another acronym of note was the HMAS (Honda Multi-Action System) on the 43mm front forks. The forks were largely carry-over units from the outgoing 'Blade, but HMAS added spring preload, rebound and compression damping adjustability for precise action and unparalleled rigidity.
Like just about everything else on the CBR 1000RR, the chassis was an all-new design, too, composed of gravity die-cast main sections and a fine die-cast steering head structure, based on the RC 211V design.
Released in 2004, the CBR 1000RR Fireblade soon found its way onto the racetrack in World and national Superbike competition, winning races soon after debut.
There's virtually nothing to separate the debut 2004 CBR 1000RR from a 2005 model, aside from colour options. For 2005, available colours were red/black, metallic silver/black, titanium/black and a Repsol replica edition, all of which featured a new 'CBR Racing' logo, reflecting the new 'Blade's race-bred design.
While the bars are lower and the pegs higher on a 1000RR compared to the 954RR, riding position is quite acceptable for a sportsbike and certainly isn't the recipe for discomfort that the new model's race-bred elements may suggest. Being a Honda, they're supremely reliable with no major issues to speak of. Early 1000RRs were oil-hungry, and while this wasn't a major problem, some owners changed the piston rings to reduce oil consumption. Some examples were also subject to a recall due to inaccurate speedo readings, but most of these were 2004 models and should have been remedied by now. Of course, being a race-bred example means that some of the bikes that come onto the market may have actually been raced, so buyers need to check the history of any CBR 1000RR they inspect.
For riders wanting top-shelf performance and handling without the top-shelf price tag of similar capacity Italian exotica, the 2005 Honda CBR 1000RR Fireblade is a very attractive package.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine:998cc DOHC 16V inline four cylinder four stroke.
Bore/Stroke:75 x 56.5mm
Compression:11.9:1
Power/Torque:126.4kW @ 11250rpm / 115Nm @ 8500rpm
Fuel System:DSFI (Dual Stage Fuel Injection)
Cooling System:Liquid
Electrical System:12 volt
Transmission/Drive:Cassette-type 6 speed manual/chain drive
Front Suspension:43mm inverted HMAS telescopics - fully adjustable - 120mm travel
Rear Suspension:Unit Pro-Link with gas charged HMAS damper - fully adjustable - 135mm travel
Front Brake:Twin 310mm ventilated discs w/4 piston calipers
Rear Brake:Single 220mm disc w/1 piston caliper
Front Tyre:120/70 ZR17
Rear Tyre:190/50 ZR17
Dry Weight:179kg
Seat Height:830mm
Wheelbase:1410mm
Fuel Capacity:18 ltr
Top Speed:284 kph

TRIVIA

One of the CBR 1000RR's first race victories was at the fast and dangerous Macau Grand Prix. Michael Rutter won there in 2004 and 2005. The 1000RR's first World Superbike win came in 2004 and the Hanspree Ten Kate team won the championship on a CBR 1000RR in 2007.