Honda has officially unveiled its revised CBR1000RR Fireblade for 2012 – a model which celebrates 20 years of this iconic sports bike following its debut as a CBR900RR in 1992.
The new machine was revealed simultaneously at two world class racing events – the Le Mans 24 hours round of the Endurance World Championship in France, and the eleventh round of the World Superbike Championship in Imola, Italy, to great praise from attending race-goers.
The revised Fireblade sports a new styling package with a more angular front end, layered main fairing and revised tail section, with new front and rear suspension providing a key new feature. Introduced for the first time on a production motorcycle, an advanced new rear shock uses a double-tube design to ensure smoother and more accurate response, superior damping and improved traction. The front features inverted 43mm telescopic front forks with Showa’s Big Piston technology, offering improved damping, increased front tyre grip and better stability under braking. The two combined provide for unrivalled traction without the need for electronic aids in this area.
New fuel injection settings for the 999cc inline-4 engine will make throttle response even smoother and easier to use, particularly at smaller throttle openings, while the stylish 12-spoke cast aluminium wheels provide more consistent rigidity around the whole wheel to work with the new forks to deliver improved handling.
Final revisions to the Fireblade focus on its multi-function LCD instrument panel which now incorporates a lap timer, gear position indicator and tachometer with 4 modes of display, whilst the world first electronically controlled C-ABS braking system remains an optional extra.
On hand to unveil the new machine were John McGuinness, 17 times TT winner and racing at Le Mans for the Honda TT Legends Team,and Jonathan Rea, rider for the Castrol Honda Team in the World Superbike Championship.
John McGuinness commented, “I’ve got a real soft spot for the Fireblade. I’ve ridden it in many of its evolutions and different racing events over the years and had a lot of success with it. In fact, some of the most memorable moments of my career have been on the Fireblade – from TT wins to this year in the World Endurance Championship. Unveiling the new model here at Le Mans is pretty exciting and I’m honoured that I was chosen to do it. It’s great that all the thousands of racing and Fireblade fans around the world will now have the chance to see it for real.”
Jonathan Rea said, “I feel like I have grown up with the Fireblade. It’s such an iconic machine and it’s an unbelievable feeling being the man to actually reveal the latest version. It really looks fantastic and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.”
Hirofumi Fukunaga, the ‘Large Project Leader’ for the 2012 CBR1000RR Fireblade concluded, “This is a model allowing all sports bike lovers, including the most experienced, to savour the joy of owning the CBR1000RR Fireblade, while at the same time feeling more fun in sporty riding and more joy of riding than ever before, whether it be on winding open roads or at a circuit.”
The colour schemes for the 2012 Fireblade include Pearl Sunbeam White (tri-colour), Victory Red and Graphite Black and will be priced at £11,300 OTR for the standard version and £12,000 OTR for the ABS-equipped model. The ‘on sale’ date will be released closer to the end of the year but the new Fireblade will be sold alongside the current model, which is currently available with 0% APR finance as well as a superb value sports pack offer.
To test ride or find out more information about any models in Honda’s great range of motorcycles and scooters, ‘Genuine Honda’ parts and accessories and forthcoming events, visit your local Honda dealer, go to www.honda.co.uk or call 0845 200 8000.
