Long-Term Test Update: 2008 Honda CBR1000RR

Adding the CBR1000RR to the long-term test fleet was a no-brainer. For starters, at 413 pounds dry, the redesigned-for-2008 Honda is the lightest literbike available. It's one of the most powerful, too, producing nearly 160 horsepower at the rear wheel. On the backroads of Southern California, every corner is another reason to smile.

Comparison testing at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah ("Turn & Burn," July, 2008), left us wondering how much better the bike might have performed if we had been able to get the rear tire to hook up better exiting corners. Was this shortcoming due to low track temperatures on that cold Spring day? Or was it simply a lack of setup time?

More questions where raised when the CBR-RR won Motociclismo's annual MasterBike shootout in Spain. At Albacete, the setup was softer and the Dunlops were hooked-up. The broad torque curve that we loved on the street produced predictable slides, and the Honda cut the quickest lap times in the finale.

We recently fitted an Öhlins 25mm Cartridge Kit ($1762) and a TTX36 shock ($1399). We'll report on how they effect handling in the next update.

|#### SPECIFICATIONSTotal miles:|1685| |Next service:|4000 miles| |Maintenance costs (including tires):|$0| |Repair costs:|$0| |Average fuel mileage:|34 mpg| |List price (2008):|$11,595|