Mr Fireblade: PH2 Meets

PH2 meets Masatoshi Sato, Project Leader of Honda's new CBR1000RR Fireblade SP and SP2

"If we decided to make a bike with 300hp, we could. If we wanted to make one with 200hp we could. But, to be honest, you couldn't use a 300hp bike and people can't use all of 200hp!"

Honda says it's 90 per cent new - have a look!

When PH2 put the question of power to Masatoshi Sato, Project Leader of Honda's new CBR1000RR Fireblade SP and SP2, his answer was pleasantly to the point and honest. With a clamed power figure of 'just' 189hp, the new 'blade isn't hitting the magical 200hp number rivals like the new Suzuki GSX-R1000R and Kawasaki ZX-10RR or even the current Yamaha YZF-R1M are boasting. And in a world dominated by headline grabbing numbers Honda's high-180s claim is a little disappointing. However Sato thinks we may be missing the real headline figure in the 'blade's spec sheet...

"What do you feel first on a bike? The first time you lean it over, its agility. A 15kg weight reduction over the old model makes a bike that is far more fun than a bike with 300hp. The new Fireblade SP will be far more fun thanks to this than if we had just been fixated on a power number in order to simply match rivals."

Interestingly this dramatic weight loss has been achieved through a total redesign, not that you'd necessarily realise from looking at the pictures. While the bike's engine, frame and wheels look identical in their construction to the older model's, this isn't the case. Not by a long shot.

And with its clothes on

"Over 90 per cent of this 'blade is new; if you touch any part of the bike it will be a new part," confirms Sato. "While we lost some weight through changes to the titanium silencer, titanium fuel tank and battery, virtually every single part of the bike has been redesigned. Frame, swing arm, fasteners, nuts, bolts, even the drive chain is now lighter, we went through the whole machine."

And as part of this redesign, Sato also broke from Honda tradition with the introduction of cutting edge electronic assistance. What brought this change in philosophy?

"On the race track our results weren't where we wanted them to be and so we knew we needed a radical evolution to bring the 'blade up to the next stage of performance," he admits. "A large part of taking the Fireblade to the next stage meant making it a lot lighter, but also an equally important part was to bring the electronics in. When we thought about how to make the bike even more enjoyable to ride, and allow riders to get even more both from themselves and the bike, we thought the time was right to bring in electronics in such a way they support the rider without interfering too much in the riding experience."

"The new Fireblade will be far more fun"

And Masatoshi Sato speaks from experience. Despite (probably modestly) admitting he isn't the fastest rider in the world, he has extensively ridden the new 'blade SP and promises the electronics don't detract from the experience. In fact, he says the new ride-by-wire throttle (taken from the RCV road bike) has actually enhanced the 'blade's traditionally turbine-smooth motor, while the weight reduction has restored some raw Fireblade spirit lacking in some generations of the bike. Which all sounds very promising. But alongside the 'blade's quoted power figures, there is another elephant in the room. Namely, while we all love the SP an SP2 models, where is the basic model Fireblade?

"Please give us one month, then you will know..." he says with a smile. So that will be the Milan Motorcycle Show in early November then. We will wait with intrigue to see how many of the SP's refinements are carried over into the stock model, or if Honda has put all its eggs in the SP basket...