Review of 2008 Honda CBR1000RR
As the bike is turning 20,000 kms old I have decided to put together a list of things such as aftermarket parts, modifications and likes and dislikes of this machine.
Back in October 2008 and after 23,000 kms on the CBR600 I decided to see about getting another bike. I was fortunate to have had a ride on Cliff’s new Kawasaki ZX10 and loved the rush it gave me. I'm always after a challenge with my riding and thought about owning a 1000cc and having a rest from the 600 that I love very much. So off to the shops to check out pricing on the new Kwaka and was surprised on the deal at the time. I was about to do the deal when Glenn, out at Metro Honda, got wind and offered me a similar deal on a new Blade. Not one for magazine articles, but the CBR has received a great rap and after the trouble free run on the 600, I was more than happy to have another Honda. The bike may cost a little more up front but the savings will be there down the track with resale and the Honda brand.
End of October saw me ride out on a red one
with some extras such as a Ventura Rack, Eliminator kit and a radiator guard. I
ran the bike in over the weekend with a trip down the
· 1st Service was done with minimal work with only oil, filter and a check over. We used Shell VSX oil and a genuine filter. 25.10.08
·
2nd Service was conducted at 3,000 km. The
bike needed new tyres and I thought I may as well do the oil. The
air filter was filthy after the Melbourne Cup weekend trip. It certainly needs
monitoring in the future. 8.11.08
·
A dyno
day was conducted at New World Honda and a result of 144 hp was achieved. While we were there we put in a washable BMC
Race filter gaining an extra 1 hp. The biggest improvement was the air/fuel
ratio.
· 3rd Service at 7,000 km with only oil, general check over and tyres. I went to Motul 660 RBF brake fluid which has a higher boiling point as I found the brakes losing some feel after a mountain pass and a track day. I also decided to try a 2CT front with a Road 2 rear to get more mileage. The feel was pretty good and the mileage great. During the first 50% of wear there was plenty of grip but after that the tyres felt worn, even though the tread depth indicated otherwise. 7.1.09
·
Kroozetune suspension was next. I
always give Dave my bikes to check over and make changes as he sees fit. The
front end had very heavy fork springs so we changed to lighter ones and a revalve; the rear shock just needed a revalve.
We also dropped the forks through 4 mm to make the bike steer a
little quicker. No wonder I liked the bike straight out of the
box; it had hard springs just like the Ducati! The difference was very noticeable.
On a Club ride, Misho and I swapped bikes. Misho had his bike down at Dave’s that week to get the same done. Costs are a little on the high side but hopefully the results will be higher mileage out of the tyres. The only concern I have with this setup is Dave took out the hydraulic stops which, under hard braking, cause the forks to make a crashing sound like the mudguard hitting the top fairing. I mentioned this to Dave and he has since taken that mod off the road bikes. 16.1.09
·
12,000 km service. Full lube service, new braided
brake lines and pads! I managed to get a
heap of spare, slightly damaged fairings so we put them on, bike now dressed in
black. New tyres because of Tassie coming up and I didn't want to spend my
days off looking for tyres.
I still felt the brakes weren't much better so I
picked up some braided lines which helped but as per the 600, the pads were gone
after 12,000 km. The pricing appears to be better so I was not too
disappointed. ($160 compared to $105) I fitted a Slip On exhaust pipe and
modified the air box flaps to make them stay open all the time. On
the dyno the mods indicated a slight improvement in power and torque.
The main reason I changed the exhaust is because the
standard exhaust flap inside it would open and shut when I didn't want it to,
such as cruising through town, the bike would not hold a steady speed and the
new exhaust fixed that. Now the power picks up a lot earlier than before. 2.3.09.
·
16,000 km changed the oil and filter due to a track
day at the
·
18,000 km full lube service, clutch recall - replacement
of plates and basket, not that there as has been failures in
A week before I went to an auction with Rob Langer to
bid on a wrecked Fireblade. I have a heap of spare parts acquired over time for
this model bike (thanks Steve). The bike went for a ridiculous price to a wrecker.
I was interested in the wheels which I feel would be a good investment. A week
later I contacted him but the front wheel was gone, only the rear left.
Paul Southwell went and checked it out for me and managed to get great deal
with the complete wheel, disk and tyre. The bike wreck also had a Power
Commander and Paul managed to talk a deal for the lot at a price of $750 which
was great as Power Commanders are $500 new and the rear tyre approx $280. Thanks Paul. (No, you’re not
getting it after I sell it!)
Another chance of parts came my way with an old
racing buddy had some parts from his son who is racing a Blade and was happy to
give me his junk at a good price. Every now and then I get ex-race tyres from
him and this time he had an Ohlins shock, spare brake
pads and set of chain and sprockets. I made a few phone calls to see if the
shock would be worth it. At that price, it was a bargain. If the unit
was no good or I couldn't tell the difference, I could move it on for
more than I paid for it.
Power Commander installation
saw another dyno run to make it all work perfectly. The result was a total of
10 hp improvement from stock. The only problem is the increased power is from
7,000 rpm. By then you are really moving and I don't ride around that area
very often. Certainly the improved performance will be a benefit at the track.
First ride with the new shock was a pleasant surprise as I thought would be too hard but after backing off 4 clicks on the compression and two on the rebound the ride was plush in the first part of the stroke, then a little firm. I noticed that the steering is sharper as the ride height is raised like a race bike. I planned to give the bike back to Dave at Kroozetune at the 24,000 km mark to conduct a service. I will get him to check out the shock and make adjustments to suit. 22.5.09
As you can see, a fair bit of work has been done to this bike but I have had a lot of help from people in the know to assist me with parts and great prices. All additional parts can be resold for not much more than I paid for them. I don't mind getting parts to help improve the bike providing if I can get improved performance. The new Blade has performed above my expectations and I would have no problem in getting another one down the track. I will do my homework in October to see about getting a 2009 run-out model. To be honest, I think the pricing will be out my league with the amount of kilometres our Club does. Bike shops hate any bike over 5,000 kms and we get penalised for wanting to ride and enjoy these machines, so I may have to keep it for a while longer. I don't see the point in spending 10 grand plus to change over to the same model when I would prefer to get another bike and then have a choice of rides. Maybe another 600 might come my way!
Lastly, with so many spare parts I have for this bike I also see no reason why I would change over to another make as the Honda is what I'm after in a bike. It goes well (smokes ZX10's, eh Cliffy), stops well, is comfy, has a great fuel range and best of all, it has been reliable. There have been some talk of the CBR using oil. The most my bike has used is 300ml in 6,000 kms which I consider normal after doing Tassie and one ride-day. Honda has told me that a bike would have to use one litre every 1000 kms for them to take notice. However, in the last Honda Magazine they suggested a different oil for the Blade. I'm not changing as I have no problems with mine.
Am I happy with this bike? You betcha!
If anyone would like to talk further about what I
have done with this bike feel free to contact me directly.
Dave Ward