The year 1993 was very memorable for me. I had just graduated from high school and while most of my colleagues were leaving for college, I was leaving for my local banking institution to put myself in debt by making my first adult purchase, a glistening new CBR900RR. I was prepared to do whatever needed to be done to own this bike which of course led me to a steady diet of Ramen noodles and 7-11 hot dogs that summer. I guess I should also mention I grew up in Canada so owning a motorcycle as my only means of transportation probably wasn't the wisest decision considering it snows 6 months out of the year. It's surprising just how long you can stretch your summer if you are willing to take some chances to ride the bike you love. There were many days of riding that CBR900RR out of a snowy farm yard just to reach some thawed-out pavement. I could ride as long as the sun was out and keeping the streets melted but as the sun started to set I would get a few grisly slides letting me know the streets were starting to freeze over once again and it was time to park it. The sacrifice would be worth it as I had just purchased one of the most revolutionary sportbikes in history with power-to-weight ratios previously unheard of. Being in my late teens this meant only one thing to me, the boys back home were going to have some trouble keeping up that summer.
When I arrived at Laguna Seca for the 2008 CBR1000RR intro these memories of my youth were quickly brought back to mind. Honda had put together a small presentation video that was playing footage of the original CBR900. The video showed the procession of the CBR over the years from 1993 to present and it got me thinking. While the CBR1000RR has been a great bike near or at the top of the literbike class over the last few years it was no longer the wild child of the class that it used to be. Looking at the 2008 CBR1000RR with it's all new motor, lighter weight and compact styling I couldn't help but wonder if this was the year "Wild Thing" returned.
A quick look over Honda's new creation and you see a host of changes over the previous model. The bodywork has a more compact aerodynamic design with a very compact front and tail cowl. The undertail exhaust had been replaced with a new low-mount exhaust system positioned almost entirely under the engine to follow the concept of mass centralization. The frame is also all new and 5.5 pounds lighter thanks to fewer, slimmer and lighter parts with less welds. The new frame is also stronger with lateral rigidity increased by 13 percent and torsional rigidity up 40 percent and vertical rigidity up 30 percent. To provide clearance for the new exhaust system the swingarm was also redesigned with a gull-wing shape and is now 12mm longer. The end result is a bike weighing 435 pounds fully wet. This is almost 20 pounds lighter than the 2006 version.
