First Look: 2008 Honda CBR1000RR

t's that time of year again when bike makers barrage us with new and updated model info in attempts to get us primed for when their new machines hit dealer floors. Thus far for 2008 we know that the liter wars are shaping up nicely. For all intents and purposes, we have four new bikes from the Big Four.

Last year Yamaha and Suzuki got the jump when they brought in a revised R1 and GSX-R1000, leaving Kawi and Big Red resting on their venerable laurels. Losing ground to the competition usually doesn't sit well with Japanese business philosophies, so it wasn't much of a surprise when Kawasaki revealed their heavily revamped and trim-looking ZX-10R a couple of weeks ago. Now we have the final player, Honda, bringing their A-game with a ground-up make-over of the CBR1000RR.

The 2008 CBR1000RR
Swoopy and smooth lines are intended to make the new CBR1000RR recognizable as distinctly Honda, according to American Honda's Jon Seidel.

Motorcycle.com was invited to American Honda's Torrance, CA, headquarters to get a first-hand look at the 2008 CBR1000RR. Though appearances are a subjective matter, in this writer's opinion this is one beautiful sportbike. The new CBR has shed the angular edges of the previous incarnation in favor of smooth lines that draw you in with hypnotic power, beckoning you to run your hands across its fluid, understated shapes.

This new look is something of a departure for the conservative maker of many things with an engine, but the leap in styling may pay untold dividends. Assistant Manager of Motorcycle Press for American Honda, Jon Seidel, told Motorcycle.com that reaction from dealers during the annual dealer convention recently held in Anaheim, CA, was quite favorable.



"More than anything, what we were hearing was how excited dealers were about the looks of the bike," Seidel remarked. He also said dealers cited the reality that comparable performance levels between today's sportbikes often leaves styling to be the deal maker or breaker. Especially so for the younger "impulse" buyer.



No matter how much image dominates motorcycling, looks will only get you so far. On the surface it would appear that the CBR can walk the walk. The 16-valve inline-Four gained 1cc in volume this year with its 76mm x 55.1mm bore and stroke resulting in 999ccs, making it slightly more oversquare than last year's 75mm x 56.5mm. This, along with the switch to lightweight titanium intake valves, enables a higher rev limit, although what that is remains a mystery at this point. The inlet valves are also larger this year, up to 30.5mm. Additionally, the intake ports were cleaned up with a new shot-peening process that's claimed to improve power and torque, and the compression ratio has increased incrementally to 12.3:1 (12.2:1 in '07). The removable cylinder block's Nikasil-coated cylinders are sleeveless, and the forged-aluminum pistons are said to be thinner and stronger.

"More than anything, what we were hearing was how excited dealers were about the looks of the bike"