Hey - look, I know I'm not here any more, having taken a sabbatical (or leave of my senses, or summat), but I need to get this off my chest and share it with anyone that gives a rodent's rectum.
I just had a ride on a BRAND SPANKING NEW 2005 CBR600RR. What a weapon!
My first impression was, "Wow!! Lookidat!", as the instrument panel lit up, MV Agusta style, with the tacho spinning up to 17 bazillion and back again, the speedo clocking up to 23578 km/h, and all the idiot lights blinking like Christmas decorations.
Second impression after getting under way was, "Where's the front wheel gone?!?", :spudwhat: as my head seemed to be right over the top of it.
A weapon?
Yeah.
Not a sledgehammer, baseball bat or something crude like that, but more like a stilleto, cut-throat razor or the like. The handling is simply sublime, with the bike going where you want to go as soon as you think about it, and almost no effort required at all. The engine is smooth, responsive and willing (to help you lose your license??)
Some confused immigrant decided at the last moment they couldn't really cross the Waitemata on the underside of the Harbour Bridge, and changed lanes abruptly, so I gave the brake lever a caress with two fingers, and nearly stood the bike on its nose. Whoopsie... those radial brakes certainly have some bite!
Ergonomics - sports riding position and (comparatively) plank-like seat notwithstanding - are typical Honda, with everything in just the right place, and the controls have that quality Honda feel (with only a few hundred km on the dial, there hadn't been time for the gearbox to misbehave itself. And maybe it won't.) The engine seemed to have the same sort of power as the VFR, but just arranged a little differently. However, the feel is definitely deceptive, as I found I was going well in excess of the speed limit a few times, when I thought I was merely crawling along. At 7K rpm, there is a real wicked intake howl, but the real power hit doesn't come until 10K, and (presumably) continues all the way to the redline (I only went to 12 or 13K or so).
It seems just a little fussy riding at around 4K rpm on a trailing throttle, but nowhere near us 'grumpy' as the VFR is in the same place, so that's hardly a criticism, nor even noticeable enought to be a nuisance. However, unlike the VFR, it certainly wasn't happy having the throttle whacked open at low revs (less than 5K) and bogged for a second or two. Typically for an inline four, it seemed busier than it actually was, and I went searching for 7th gear a few times, before looking down at the tachometer to discover I was sitting on 4, with many revs left. At the same revs, the VFR feels like it's snoozing. At the same speed at the same revs, the VFR also has a few cogs left!
The underseat zorst has a very attractive burble on overrun, very reminiscent of highly-tuned racing engines, but is otherwise very unobtrusive. AND sexy-looking.
The screen, despite being very small, low and practically under one's chin, seemed to do the job OK, at least on the briefish bit of 100k/mh+ riding I did. Though the 'bars are lowish, they don't feel extreme (but more on that later).
Does it wheelie? Yup, it comes up on the throttle in first gear at least, but I wasn't game to give it heaps in second gear, due to the illegal velocities this would invoke. I'd imagine after my braking episode, that stoppies would be a doddle too.
Despite the suspension being set up fairly firm (the owner's a bit bigger than me), it gave a compliant yet taut ride, and when I thought it felt like the rear tyre was skipping a bit over corrugations, I took it up one of my favourite bumpy streets and discovered it was actually handling the crappy road surface extremely well. The upside-downie Showas on the front, and the RC211V-derived "shock-in-the-swingarm" out back certainly do their job very competently. (I wonder if that front end will fit on the VFR.....)
The standard Michelin tyres gave excellent feel and grip, and no doubt contributed to the excellent handling.
So does this mean I'm trading my slippers, pipe, cardigan and "'old man's bike" in on a CBR?
Nup.
While it was a beautiful bike to ride in the short time I enjoyed it, I'd get in WAAY too much trouble on it. I also found that my hands were quite sore, particularly the right one, due to the weight on them. Although this is something you can train yourself to deal with by adjustment of your posture, so you're holding yourself up with your abs and back muscles, rather than leaning on your wrists.
So, I handed the keys back to their rightful owner, and climbed on the VFR. What an initially horrible feeling that was!
It felt HUGE; the handlebars felt like apehangers, and the seat which had previously felt hard and unyielding to me was positively plush and squishy compared to the CBR's.
But then the VFR character kicked in: the zorst gave that characteristic flat V4 drone, the airbox howled, and I was a bit more forgiving about it being such a comparative elephant.
My sincere thanks to Glenn at Santos, Ponsonby, for kindly offering me a ride on his new Pride and Joy, when it's barely run in.
You rock, Dude!
(And now back to the wilderness for me. Carry on as you were...)
Reply With Quote
SENSEI PERFORMANCE TUNING 
Bookmarks