2019 Honda CBR1000RR SP Review

The Honda CBR1000RR SP is getting restored, for sure, for 2020.

Honda emerged ready to take care of business at the 2019 EICMA Show in Milan with the principal ground-up upgrade of the CBR1000RR since 2008.

The new bicycle is an outright monster, with Honda guaranteeing 215 torque from the new 998cc inline-four engine, in addition to more hardware pressed into the ECU than a Best Buy store. 

As cool as that sounds, despite everything it doesn't change the reality the 2017-2019 release of the CBR was a fine one although most would agree it has fallen under the radar to some degree.

I know this because for as long as a quarter of a year, I've been driving and track day-ing a 2019 CBR1000RR SP, which is the center of three CBR siblings in the base model, this one and the race-spec SP2, of which I'm still yet to see one in the metal.

The Honda came directly after we gave the keys back to the 2018 Suzuki GSX-R1000R that I'd had in the carport for a half year, a bicycle I cherished in spite of reasoning at first that I wouldn't.

The SP is a more adjusted piece than the somewhat more unpleasant GSX-R. The fit and finish on the SP are wonderful, with stunning contacts in the gold top triple brace, gold haggles semi-dynamic suspension.

We'll begin with the things that I truly loved during my time with the SP, and afterward move onto stuff that drove me somewhat nuts.

That makes for a mind-blowing road bicycle engine, as you don't have to go hustling all over the gearbox to get a significant drive.

Perfectly mapped, the CBR's deft throttle enables you to effortlessly dial in little throttle increases while on the tire.

This additionally helps in stop/start traffic, making for a smooth ride in a busy time in LA. The SP engine likewise doesn't create the vibrations the old 2008-2016 model did, so longer rides are not as awful on your wrists and feet.

Coordinated to the all over quick-shifter, the CBR's gearbox is too smooth and that light, the positive move is inconsistent with something you'll discover on a pre-2019 BMW S 1000 RR. Ergonomics-wise, the CBR is far superior to it was previously.

The 2008-2016 model had an absurdly short space between the seat and footpegs, which means it felt like your knees were up around your ears.

Here are two or three things I didn't care for in the CBR. The first was the absence of journey control.

The bicycle has wheel-speed sensors and ride-by-wire throttle, so there's no explanation journey control ought to be overlooked from the bundle.

The second is the elastic brake lines, which blurred after around three hard laps on the track.

A superior item like this ought not to have such penny-sparing measures set up, particularly when you have stuff like electronic Ӧhlins suspension available to you.

In the city, brake execution was fine, however, it was consistently in the rear of my mind that I must be extra cautious on the brakes at the hard-braking setting of Buttonwillow in California.

Having such extraordinary Brembo monoblocs coordinated to those brake lines ought to be unlawful.

One of the most irritating things on track was the wheelie control.

At the point when I tried the primary variant of the SP in 2017 at Portimao, the single greatest issue I had with the bicycle was that the footing and wheelie control calculations were connected, implying that on the off chance that you did a power wheelie, the ECU would cleave the power radically.

The issue is, you can't switch the wheelie control off.

On the track, this turned into a genuine torment, as I couldn't convey a drifting wheelie while hard on the gas as I attempted to expand increasing speed.

I additionally couldn't pop a legitimate wheelie, which, when you have this much power, is a genuine killjoy.

I get why Honda did a wonder such as this, yet if you have a framework, for example, wheelie control, you ought to have the option to turn it off.

A fascinating part of my time with the CBR was the exhibition of the electronic Ӧhlins suspension.

The framework fitted to the 2019 CBR is the original Smart EC, and since I've ridden on the Smart EC 2 on a Ducati Panigale, it's fascinating to perceive how far the framework has come in such a brief timeframe length.

The CBR gets six modes, three auto and three manual modes, and I left it in the stiffest auto setting more often than not I had it.

Over unpleasant boulevards, the exhibition was great, yet when moved to the track, the ride was diverse inside and out.

At Willow Springs in both the firm manual and auto modes, the ride was not ideal.

The ride was cruel, with the bounce back in auto particularly sudden on the fork.

At the back, the CBR's suspension performed better, however it was a long way from the smooth ride I recalled at Portimao.

Changing to the street and with everything relaxed off, in auto mode, the CBR was a significant pleasant bicycle to ride.

It would, in any case, flounder and dissent if you hit huge knocks hard, yet on the off chance that you escaped the seat and let the undercarriage drench a portion of the knocks more, the ride was out and out truly great.

During my time on the CBR, I arrived at the midpoint of around 32 miles for each gallon, which was a touch more mileage than I escaped the GSX-R at 30 mpg.

With Honda drawing out the creature that is the 2020 CBR1000RR Fireblade SP to give it it's full and address title, this CBR will speak to some truly sharp purchasing in the coming a long time as sellers attempt to rid themselves of old, yet at the same time quick, stock.

The general impression I had of the CBR was of a decent bicycle, yet one that had some pointless corners cut.

Stuff like the brake lines are a simple fix, yet the wheelie control and absence of voyage control aren't.

In any case, the CBR is a fine send off to the bicycle that began life in 2008.

The 2020 CBR will be a rager, yet this 2019 version could be a deal whenever found at the correct vendor throughout the following barely any months.

2019 Honda CBR1000RR SP Specifications:

MSRP $19,999 (ABS only)

Engine:Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, 16-valve, DOHC inline-four

Displacement:999cc

Bore x stroke:76 x 55mm

Horsepower:189 hp @ 13,00 rpm (claimed)

Torque:84 lb-ft @ 11,000 rpm (claimed)

Compression ratio:13.0:1

Fuel system:EFI, five variable throttle modes

Exhaust:4-2-1

Transmission:6-speed gearbox, optional quick shifter on the base model, standard on SP

Chassis:Aluminum composite twin spar

Front suspension:Öhlins NIX30 43mm inverted fork with Ohlins Smart-EC control, preload, compression and rebound damping adjustable

Rear suspension:Öhlins TTX36 rear shock with Ohlins Smart-EC control. Preload, compression and rebound damping adjustability

Front brake:Brembo radially mounted Monobloc 4-piston caliper, 320mm disc, ABS

Rear brake:Nissin single-piston caliper, 220mm diameter disc, ABS

Front tire:120/70ZR17-in. 58W

Rear tire:190/55 ZR17-in. 73W

Rake:23.3°

Trail:3.8 in.

Wheelbase:55.3 in.

Seat height:32.7 in.

Fuel capacity:4.2 gal.

Weigh (wet, claimed):428 lbs.

Color:HRC Tri-Color