Honda CBR900RR Fireblade Road Test

Classic Bike Reviews and Road Tests

The design of the Superbike was generally thought to have been well sorted during the transition from the 80s to the 90′s. Alloy beam frames, ever widening tyre sizes, and four cylinder engines were the norm, and technical revelations few. Then, completely out of left field came the CBR900RR and changed it all, causing a never-ending power struggle that continues unabated 20 years on.

With the introduction of the Blade the Japanese manufacturers scuttled off and redesigned their idea of a Superbike, the larger machines in their respective stables being consigned to sports-tourer status while most had to start from the ground up just to stay on a par with Honda. Some great machines came out of the time however all spurred on by the CBR900RR.

It is important not only to look at what came after the Blade but also what preceded this ground-breaking machine. The class leading Superbikes of the late 80s and early 90s all saw huge increases in power year-on-year, but with it came equally large all up weights. The head of the class before the CBR900RR, the Yamaha FZR1000, thought by all at the time to be a very advanced machine, weighed in at over 200kgs making it one big lump of a bike when it came to throwing it around. Honda Design engineer Tadao Baba, the man who single-handedly penned the CBR900RR knew that saving weight was the answer for the next generation of Superbike, effectively he created a racer on the road, an ethos that has lasted 20 years to date.

First seen in 1992, the Fireblade was in existence many years before its arrival on the world scene, an internal competition, between Honda design departments to create the ultimate 750cc sports bike during 1887, led to two designs being taken forward, one a V4 that we now know as the RC30 and the then unsuccessful CBR750. The latter machine was not chosen as it was too similar in many ways to the opposition, but it did share more than a passing resemblance to the bike that became the Blade, basically a scaled up, and far more powerful CBR400RR, a machine that pre dates the first Fireblade by four years. Incidentally the CBr400 was forst of all named the hurricane but gained the Fireblade tag too later in the machines life.

Tadao Baba, the head of that competition, was later rewarded a year later when a full-blown version was given the go ahead, this resulted in the first CBR900RR model of 1992. It was also among the first machines to have a real name instead of a set of numbers and digits indicating its model designation, soon everyone know what a Fireblade was and, despite costing over 7K, most wanted one too.

The first model broke several moulds, seeing a return to the early 80s thinking of a 16inch front wheel for lighter steering and huge savings in weight seeing the finished model tipping the scales just 4kgs more than Hondas own CBR600F. The Yamaha FZR1000 of 1991 weighed in around 36kgs more than that first CBR900RR, leaving the Honda engine with far less work to do and the rider even less so.

Upside down forks where forsaken for a much lighter pair of conventional tubes, although the lower castings did look, from a distance, like a pair of upside downers just to stay fashionable. The engine stayed true to the general Honda thinking of the time, a relatively simple 893cc four cylinder DOHC affair that produced 122bhp but thanks to clever design work the power plant was little larger than a CBR600F. The chassis, once again broke few rules looking much like that of any other leading machine of the early 90s but there was a handful of innovations tucked away in the dark recesses. Mass centralisation became the watchword (before this point it had been a purely Italian thing to do) and Tadao Baba produced a road machine that was stable at speed and yet supremely agile and easy to throw around.

Baba used a single-minded approach to the design, personally track testing each and every incarnation during that four-year development period, usually alongside the top Honda race pilots of the time. Clearly Baba is no mean rider as the first Blade took the world by the scruff of the neck and changed the expectations sports bikes riders forever. Baba remained on the Fireblade project for the next twelve years until the 2004 version, even now, overseeing every new model and helping out the designers in his position as quality controller of all Honda two wheeled machines.

As each and every new model marched on, usually following a two year development pattern, the Fireblade developed into the hi-tech machine it is today, the first models were raw and brash so much so that few could really appreciate or even use its full potential. These days however the Blade is a different animal, not sanitised or fully tamed into submission but more approachable to a wider audience. Even so if one were to sample a 1992 model against a 2007 version the basic elements would still be evident, light weight, superb manoeuvrability, but in more recent times these attributes have been joined by comfort and a wider talent base.

To keep the CBR at the front of its game the engine capacity grew in 2000 from the original 893cc to 929, then again two years later when the RR-2 model stretched out to 954cc. Following the two year development and revamp cycle the engine yet again swelled to 998cc in 2004 making CBR RR-4 series a full on 1000. By this time the Fireblade was one of the most technologically advanced street machines as an electronic steering damper joined the well-sorted engine management systems to create a bike that is so easy to ride it beggars belief.

High mileages aren’t a problem providing the engine has been well looked after, a 10,000 miler will be barely run in making a 3-4 year old bike as good as new, while the oldest of the breed are cheaply available and still ride like a fresh machine. All Fireblades offer stunning speed and acceleration no matter the age the older version do it in an aggressive and uncivilised manner while the newer you go the power feels less but is actually well tamed and controlled. Used prices are ridiculously cheap for such performance and build quality with ten year old bikes tipping the price scales a shade over the two grand mark while few examples will be over mileage for its age either.

Fireblade History, the first decade

1992 – CBR900RR FireBlade debuts.
Featuring an aggressive Supersports-styled bodywork highlighted by tiger-stripe pattern paint job.
All-new 893cc inline-4 engine features one-piece crankcase and cylinder running race like slipper pistons for a compact and lightweight configuration.
38mm CV carburettors.

Lightweight and rigid twin-spar aluminium frame designed for optimised mass centralisation.
Quick-handling 45mm hybrid cartridge-type front fork with lightweight forged bottom cases.
Lightweight ‘Yagura’-style aluminium swingarm with CIVSIII remote reservoir damper.
Responsive 4-piston calliper brakes with 296mm floating rotors.

1994
New front cowl with new dual multi-reflector headlights behind one-piece flush-surface lens.
Aluminium finish silencer.
Lighter weight magnesium head cover.
Fully adjustable cartridge-type front fork.

1996
Newly designed main fairing and front fender feature thinner and lighter construction.
Engine displacement boosted to 918.5cm3 for a stronger rush of power and a wider, more useful band of torque.
Map-type computerised ignition system.
Stainless steel exhaust system with aluminium canister-style silencer.
Triple-box-section twin-spar aluminium frame.
More robust Yagura swingarm.

1998
Wider-looking front cowl improves air management and reduces air resistance.
Newly improved engine realises stronger power and torque output.
Tapered box-section aluminium swingarm optimises balance of rigidity for lighter handling.
Front brake callipers and larger 310mm floating rotors
Fully electronic instrument panel.
HISS (Honda Ignition Security System) theft-deterring immobiliser

2000
More compact and sharply angled fairing design with 3-bulb headlight.
All-new engine delivers stronger power and torque for more aggressive performance.
PGM-FI fuel-injection system with bypass starter for quicker and easier starts.
Titanium exhaust system features H-TEV (Honda Titanium Exhaust Valve) for enhanced high-speed performance.

Lighter and more rigid aluminium twin-spar frame.
43mm inverted front fork.
17″ triple-spoke front wheel mounts new wide-carcass tyre.

2002
More aggressively designed bodywork.
Larger-displacement 954cm3 fuel-injected engine.
Larger yet lighter new ‘Works’ type hybrid aluminium swingarm.

Specifications 1992 Honda Fireblade

Engine – Liquid-cooled inline-four four-stroke DOHC
Capacity – 893cc
Bore/stroke – 70 x 58mm
Power – 122bhp @ 10500rpm
Torque – 65ft-lb @ 8500rpm ft-lb @ rpm
Carburetion – 4 x 38mm Keihin CV
Transmission – 6-Speed wet clutch chain final drive
Frame – Alloy twin spar
Suspension – 45mm telescopic forks, Pro Link single shock rear
Brakes – 296mm discs 4-piston calipers, 220mm disc single piston floating caliper
Wheels – 130/70 x 16 180/55 x 17
Weight – 185kgs
Top speed – 167mph
Wheelbase – 1405mm
Fuel capacity – 18lts