Well, it might as well be. It's his 2007 Honda CBR1000RR.
My youngest brother got some leave and came to the states to hang out. His first stop was my house, then the next stop was the local Honda dealer where he bought the bike I had picked out for him a couple weeks prior.
We bounced around town a bit but the weather was prohibitive and he didn't get as many miles on it as he would have liked for the first four days or so. Then, he took off for Phoenix for a week, then back here for a few days, then headed back to his deployment.
Enter the Dragon.
Well, what we have that works for us, anyway! Of course, he's keeping the bike here and it's our job (mine, really) to keep it ridden until he comes back to get it. In six months?
I've said it many times before, I hate riding other people's bikes. I'm always paranoid I'll do something stupid and dump it. There have been a couple times in the last few months when I've ridden a bike for someone because they needed it done but it freaks me out for some reason.
So, last weekend, I bit the bullet and took the CBR out to our local mountain and gave it a run for its money. It's very similar to the Gixxer 1000 in most respects. I could tell right away, though, that it needs to have the suspension adjusted for my size.
Most notable difference was this HESD logo on the top of the triple tree. I never really questioned what that meant, just figured I'd find out if it ever mattered. Trust me, it mattered.
As I rode through the canyons, I couldn't help but notice how entirely stable the steering is. Very tight, very controlled and very controllable. Almost like it's doing 3/4 of the work for you. When we stopped at the top of the mountain, one of my buddies was looking over the bike and called it, "the Honda Electronic Steering Damper." Ahhhh. So THAT's what that was! I was diggin' it! Had to relearn how to steer a little bit, that's all!
Similar to the Gix, it runs at about 1,500 to 2,000 rpm higher than the Busa. Usually, on the Busa, I keep it at an easy 5,000 to 6,500 rpm, depending on the turn. The CBR needed about 7-9,000 to do the same work.
I noticed that the perception of speed is higher on the CBR. I think that's probably because I have a double-bubble on the Busa keeping the wind out of my face. Still, on a wide sweeper that I usually do at 100 on the Busa, I thought I was doing about 120 on the CBR but when I looked at the speedo, it only showed 90. Very different. Next time I get out there, I'll have to relearn how to ride so I can really pump it up like it needs.
One thing I like better about this bike than the Gixxer: There are cutouts in the gas tank of the CBR where your hands can go when you're doing a tight low-speed (parking lot speed) turn. My hands don't run up against the tank like they do on the Gixxer.
What I don't like is that the undertail exhaust WILl heat up your butt! Swamp a$$ supreme by the end of the ride. Also, the "gas tank" is under a plastic "false tank" so you can't use a magnetic tank bag.
Nice stable mate to the Busa if you're thinking about one! I understand Rich's love for the CBR now!
--Wag--
My youngest brother got some leave and came to the states to hang out. His first stop was my house, then the next stop was the local Honda dealer where he bought the bike I had picked out for him a couple weeks prior.
We bounced around town a bit but the weather was prohibitive and he didn't get as many miles on it as he would have liked for the first four days or so. Then, he took off for Phoenix for a week, then back here for a few days, then headed back to his deployment.
Enter the Dragon.
Well, what we have that works for us, anyway! Of course, he's keeping the bike here and it's our job (mine, really) to keep it ridden until he comes back to get it. In six months?
I've said it many times before, I hate riding other people's bikes. I'm always paranoid I'll do something stupid and dump it. There have been a couple times in the last few months when I've ridden a bike for someone because they needed it done but it freaks me out for some reason.
So, last weekend, I bit the bullet and took the CBR out to our local mountain and gave it a run for its money. It's very similar to the Gixxer 1000 in most respects. I could tell right away, though, that it needs to have the suspension adjusted for my size.
Most notable difference was this HESD logo on the top of the triple tree. I never really questioned what that meant, just figured I'd find out if it ever mattered. Trust me, it mattered.
As I rode through the canyons, I couldn't help but notice how entirely stable the steering is. Very tight, very controlled and very controllable. Almost like it's doing 3/4 of the work for you. When we stopped at the top of the mountain, one of my buddies was looking over the bike and called it, "the Honda Electronic Steering Damper." Ahhhh. So THAT's what that was! I was diggin' it! Had to relearn how to steer a little bit, that's all!
Similar to the Gix, it runs at about 1,500 to 2,000 rpm higher than the Busa. Usually, on the Busa, I keep it at an easy 5,000 to 6,500 rpm, depending on the turn. The CBR needed about 7-9,000 to do the same work.
I noticed that the perception of speed is higher on the CBR. I think that's probably because I have a double-bubble on the Busa keeping the wind out of my face. Still, on a wide sweeper that I usually do at 100 on the Busa, I thought I was doing about 120 on the CBR but when I looked at the speedo, it only showed 90. Very different. Next time I get out there, I'll have to relearn how to ride so I can really pump it up like it needs.
One thing I like better about this bike than the Gixxer: There are cutouts in the gas tank of the CBR where your hands can go when you're doing a tight low-speed (parking lot speed) turn. My hands don't run up against the tank like they do on the Gixxer.
What I don't like is that the undertail exhaust WILl heat up your butt! Swamp a$$ supreme by the end of the ride. Also, the "gas tank" is under a plastic "false tank" so you can't use a magnetic tank bag.
Nice stable mate to the Busa if you're thinking about one! I understand Rich's love for the CBR now!
--Wag--
