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2000 Honda Blackbird 1100XX

Thursday, 24 August 2000

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Honda CBR1100XX, The Blackbird What's Fast Enough?

Photos by Blake Conner

We actually tested the '99 version of Honda's high-speed flagship before we tested the new Suzuki Hayabusa, but the report about the second of those two bikes was completed and published first. This might lead one to think it's now going to be difficult to say much in the way of praise about the CBR1100XX, but that's not so. Yes, the Hayabusa is now the king of top speed but the XX still has goods that should interest many riders.

Honda made a number of significant changes to the '99 CBR1100XX that were intended to improve the motorcycle's overall streetability, but not to necessarily improve the machine's top speed. I never rode an earlier version of the CBR1100XX so I can't compare notes with that version of the bike but, after reading about all of the bike's improvements, it was remarkable to see how every one of those items are now beyond reproach. Honda says that the changes to the new Double X were to improve its powerband, its freeway comfort, its handling, and its linked braking system. And they're right.

The Changes

The two ports on the nose of the XX that looked like ram air intakes, but weren't, now are. Originally the openings directed cool air to the bike's oil cooler but now they are linked to a couple of snorkels that feed high pressure air into the XX's giant 9 liter airbox, providing for a boost of power at high speeds. The shape of the openings is the same as before but now, just inside them where there used to be screening, there are vertical louvers that are designed to prohibit birds from entering the combustion chambers while also allowing for an unimpeded flow of air.

The snorkels themselves have the same sort of popular growths that are found on the intake tubes of Honda's 600 F4. The funky things are hidden from view but don't be embarrassed by them because they are an indication of the bike's performance abilities. If the intake tubes had just been straight-line snorkels, then at low speeds when the throttle is snapped open all of the air would be sucked out of the tubes and the poor thing would lose its breath. The extra volume is necessary because ram air only works when the air is ramming.

The CBR1100XX now has efi with new three-D mapping for throttle position, ignition timing, and intake pressure that adds to the machine's mid-range power. The bike shares the injectors designed for the latest version of the Honda VFR Interceptor that flow 30% more fuel than the earlier design yet produce a claimed improvement in fuel consumption. The XX sports giant 42 mm throttle bodies with plastic velocity stacks tuned for improved flow with the inside ones protruding a full 10 mm further than the outer stacks. The addition of efi also allowed more room under the tank so the airbox was moved forward and the tank capacity was increased by two liters.

Best of all, Honda went all the way with the efi system and there's no stupid lever for cold starting. This was partially accomplished by use of Honda's Automatic Bypass Starter system that provides an additional shot of air at intake temperatures below 104 degrees Fahrenheit. That sounds a little warm to us but it's the temperature that Honda claims and we're not about to second-guess those guys.

The cold start bypass system works by little pistons in each throttle body that open an auxiliary air passage. At cold starting, when the air passages are open, an extra shot of air increases the engine idling speed. It's the same as on the Interceptor VFR 800 with the exception that an actuator moves the pistons automatically rather than your left thumb doing the work. The actuator is… uh, actuated by one of the weirdest combinations of low and high tech: the expansion and contraction of heated and cooled wax does the deed.

To get the most out of high performance engines, compromises need to be made in the ignition timing that sometimes results in knocking at lower rpms. The new XX never needs to wonder who's knocking because it has a knock sensor that precisely adjusts the spark advance whenever it detects a pre-ignition condition. If knocking is detected, the spark is retarded by 2 degree increments until the knocking goes away and then, as the engine's rev increases, the ignition is advanced at 0.35 degree increments to maximize performance while maintaining knock-free acceleration.

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