Words and Static Photos by: Brad Puetz
Detail Photos by: Kevin Wing
Action Photos by: Rachel Galera

I've never really been much of a show-off. Never been the guy who always had to have the shiniest car on the block or the biggest house. Even though I've been fortunate enough to ride some of the quickest bikes on the market I've never flaunted them to my friends. Well that is until I parked the new 2008 CBR1000RR in my garage for two weeks. Riding Honda's newest liter-bike creation somehow transformed me into that guy I always swore I would never be. I barely had the bike unloaded off the truck before I was scrolling through my phone calling everybody on the west coast letting them know I had the new CBR1000RR sitting in my garage if they were up for a ride.

There is a feeling you get when you are riding the new Honda, a sort of high, knowing that you are riding possibly the most capable sportbike on the road. But just as the high of a drug comes with a side effect, the new CBR1000RR also came with a side effect. It was turning me into the arrogant, snobbish motorcycle rider I had always despised. Each time I was at a stop light I couldn't help but look over at the bike next to me and give a slight chuckle, knowing I was on a superior machine.

So what is it about this motorcycle that can turn normally humble, low-key riders into high-and-mighty, elitist riders you ask?

Well let's start with the chassis. While the previous generation Honda was a very stable, capable chassis it was a little on the heavy side and not the most flickable of the liter-bikes. The CBR1000RR now has an all-new chassis highlighted by a frame that's over 5 pounds lighter thanks to Honda's Hollow Fine Die-Cast manufacturing process that allows for a narrower wall thickness and less welds. The new frame is significantly stronger, lateral rigidity increased 13 percent, torsional rigidity up 40 percent and vertical rigidity up 30 percent.

Honda also made huge savings in unsprung weight with their hollow-section, triple-spoke, cast aluminum wheels. A total savings of 240g in the front and 310g in the rear helps with both overall ride and handling. Weight savings were also found in the radial-mount front disc brakes, calipers, brake lines and rotors both front and rear.

While the chassis may be the first thing we see on the new CBR, the motor is what makes most of us hunger for a liter-bike and the Honda does not disappoint. The CBR1000RR features a lighter and more compact powerplant than the previous CBR1000RR. There is a completely new cylinder head, lighter camshafts and new larger-diameter titanium intake valves. The new engine has a larger bore and shorter stroke to create a higher-revving power output and the pistons, although 1mm-larger diameter, retain the same weight as the pistons they replace. Compression increases from 12.2:1 to 12.3:1.

The 2008 CBR1000RR has a new low-mount exhaust system which replaces the previous under-tail exhaust. I have heard a fair share of negative comments on how the new Honda exhaust looks but I think it's a huge improvement over the 2007 CBR. Of the current crop of liter-bikes I think it's the cleanest and best design of the bunch.

The changes to the 2008 CBR1000RR are immediately felt on the road. The new CBR1000RR feels extremely light and compact. Although the Honda felt like a proper racebike on the track during the intro at Laguna a few months ago, it feels equally at home on the street and is actually quite comfortable. The new chassis lends to a very natural, upright riding position. The handlebars are slightly higher and farther forward and the footpegs do not leave the legs feeling cramped. Longer rides on the new CBR should not leave you sore and cranky.