TEST: 1997 Honda CBR1100XX

PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

The organizers will not be able to intervene if you are arrested for traffic offenses." That was the sobering warning printed in the information booklet handed out to the world's motorcycle press at the launch of Honda's much-touted CBR1100XX.

With a speed limit through French towns of 30 mph, and a maximum on the rural roads of only 55 mph, it was unlikely that the XX would even get off the idle stop. And let's face it, when you get a bunch of motojournalists together the chance of the rules being adhered to is minimal - especially when the bike in question is being openly marketed as the world's most powerful and fastest production motorcycle.

Luckily for us, Honda had also booked the famous Paul Ricard Circuit near le Castellet in the south of France so any frustrations caused by the weekend's crowded French roads could be overcome on the mile-and-a-quarter-long Mistral Straight.

Speaking of which, have you any idea how difficult it is to breathe when your nose is being spread from one ear lobe to the other? Or how difficult it is to focus when your cheeks are being forced upward into your eyebrows and your head feels like it's about to be violently wrenched from your neck?

Welcome to life behind the bars of a CBR1100. That was the situation I found myself in as the speedometer nudged ever closer to 180 mph, and the terrifyingly fast Courbe de Signes at the end of Mistral Straight approached faster than my confused brain could register.

Pause for a moment and contemplate that speed. One hundred and eighty miles per hour meant that I was skimming across Paul Ricard's grippy pavement at over 260 feet per second. Still not impressed? Let's put that in perspective. For every third of a second that I hesitated about the approaching corner, another 100 feet was passing under the XX's fat Bridgestone radials. Not only was there no room for error, there wasn't even time to sneeze.

Cosseted behind the XX's svelte aerodynamic fairing, the windblast wasn't a concern, but as soon as I stuck my nose nervously over the rim of the rakish tinted screen, all hell broke loose. That's when the helmet visor got forced back into my face, my neck seemingly grew by four inches and the simple act of just breathing became a major undertaking.

Am I exaggerating? Try this simple exercise. Next time you're cruising along the freeway at a steady 65 mph in your mom's Chevy Chevette, try sticking your hand (or head) out the window.

Surprised by the windblast? Imagine that multiplied by three, with your survival dependent on being able to move your whole torso against those forces so as to control the projectile you're astride. Get my drift?

That's why my head was poking nervously over the screen, trying to pinpoint the braking marker so I could flick right at nearly 150 mph. Remember, a moment's hesitation at those speeds and I'd be 250 feet off the track and digging drainage ditches in the spectator mounds with my proboscis.

This sort of carry-on isn't something that would normally be expected of a sport tourer. Thus it's a credit to Honda that it had enough faith in its road-going motorcycle to launch it at a race track which, by its nature, imposes stresses on a motorcycle not normally encountered on public roads.

WHERE IT SITS

It's worth spending a few minutes here positioning the CBR1100XX in the market. Forget Honda's marketing hype about it being a Supersport - that's the niche filled by bikes like the sibling CBR900, Kawasaki ZX7R and Suzuki GSXR750T. No, the CBR1100XX is more sport tourer, and as the accompanying sidebar story on the XX's chassis shows, it sits smack bang between Yamaha's YZF1000 and Kawasaki's ZX11 in chassis geometry.

The figures suggest the Honda should be nimbler and lighter than the ZX11, but less razor sharp and heavier than the Yamaha. We'll have to wait for a full comparison of the three before passing final judgment on that score (as well as top speed), but initial impressions suggest that while the XX is indeed nimbler and more responsive than the Kawasaki, it doesn't possess the ZX11's legendary rock-solid stability.

That's not to say that the XX couldn't cope with flat-out high-speed runs. Far from it. Along the slightly uphill Mistral Straight with a strong wind hitting the XX three-quarter front-on, the bike tracked as straight as an arrow.

There wasn't a single twitch or weave, and I saw over 175 mph indicated on the dial lap after lap. I've no doubt that, given another 500 yards, the magical 185 mph would have been indicated. That's seriously fast.

No, where the XX got a bit squirrelly was under brakes and when changing direction in the esses, although to be fair, there was nothing too disconcerting.

At the speeds the XX was hitting, it would have benefited from a firmer suspension setup for the track too, especially to limit the front-end diving under heavy braking.

It was only in hindsight that I realized I'd been doing things to a sportstourer that none of its peers could have coped with. There is no way a ZX11 could get around the turns as quickly, and there is no way a ZX9R can match the lowdown grunt of the big Honda.

TRUTH IN STATISTICS

The power and torque figures are proof of that, although we'll have to put the XX on the dyno to get the real truth.

With a claimed 162 horsepower, the Honda has a marked power advantage over its opposition, but it's in the torque department where the Honda comes up a winner for everyday use.

Whereas the ZX11 and YZF1000R have and 81 and 79.6 foot-pounds, respectively, both at 8500 rpm, the CBR1100 has 91.9 foot-pounds at only 7250 rpm. That's quite an advantage, which probably explains why the Honda was quite happy to putt along in top gear (sixth) at only 2000 rpm, which equates to 37 mph. Redline, incidentally, is at 10,500 rpm (a theoretical top speed of 195.3 mph).

I have to admit to being impressed by the seamless spread of power of the XX's engine. Not only will it commute "timidly" at the aforementioned 2000 rpm, but it'll spin effortlessly through to the 11,500 rpm rev limiter - something I found quite often around the 3.59-mile track. There's no shortage of breath up top on the Honda, even if the backroom boys have decided against ram-air (at least for now).

ON TRACK

For a comfortable, user-friendly, sport-touring road bike, the XX's ability around Paul Ricard was impressive.

That "twitchiness" which I mentioned earlier could be put down to two areas. Firstly, at 490.6 pounds, it's still a big bike to throw around at racing speeds - the Yamaha is 55 pounds lighter, and the CBR900RR is nearly 84 pounds less porky. Riding around at breakneck speeds on compliant suspension tuned for the road didn't do the XX any favors when it was getting flung into corners at riciculous velocities.

That the bike is so forgiving and tolerant of fools is a huge feather in its cap. I remember one particular "moment" when I barreled into the S de la Verrerie along the shorter front straight and dug the left footpeg into the bitumen. The XX didn't even twitch, although as the BT57s were "unloaded," the whole bike drifted across the circuit. At that point, the XX was doing around 115 mph.

The 500cc GP bikes don't even use that part of the circuit, peeling right before then to utilize the "short" circuit, which cuts out a third of the Mistral Straight as well. Wimps...

EN GARDE DEUX CHEVAUX

It was on the public-road loop through the surrounding hills that the Honda really impressed, however. Lap after lap of redline speeds on the track had masked the XX's midrange punch, but twisting the throttle on public roads soon put the bike's performance in perspective. Want to overtake that Citroen 2CV blocking your lane? Don't bother changing gears if you've got at least 2000 rpm on the tacho - just hang on tight.

For the record, the gearbox isn't as smooth shifting as I've come to expect of Hondas of late, although the slight clunkiness didn't lead to any missed shifts or false neutrals. As long as I was positive with my foot movement, then the gearbox was likewise.

The seating position is excellent, with no strain on the wrists and good projection from the fairing. And I should know about the latter, as it rained les chats and les chiens for the second half of my battle with errant Pugs and R5s.

In fact, the hazardous conditions really allowed the XX to shine - like the diesel-stained roads. It was the first rain in southern France for over two weeks, so the blacktop was somewhat slimy.

I'll admit up front that I had my doubts about the linked brake system at the race track. Just using the front lever caused no ill effects, but dabbing the rear as well at warp velocities when braking hard into the apex would unsettle the bike.

That is where the second part of the XX's "twitchiness" comes in (mentioned about six paragraphs ago), with the repertoire on "normal" brake setups. To be fair, braking hard in a straight line at the track using the front lever with minimal rear pedal had the bike shedding velocity impressively, and with good stability. It was only when braking hard into a turn or into the esses halfway along the shorter front straight that the combined system raised doubts in my mind as to its effectiveness on what Honda calls a "SuperSport" motorcycle.

Why don't Michael Doohan, Aaron Slight and Carl Fogarty use DCBS, and why don't the RC45 and CBR900RR come with DCBS? The answer, probably, lies in the skill of operators, and let's be honest, not everyone who'll buy a CBR1100XX will have those skills.

DCBS is a road system to improve braking performance for the majority of riders and, after sampling the XX's upgraded second generation DCBS in marginal conditions on public roads, I'll give it the thumbs up. It has plenty of power, plenty of feel and plenty of progressiveness and predictability. However, I'm not as convinced of its merits for ten-tenths riders who know what they're doing (if such a creature exists).

Let's put the DCBS inclusion on the CBR1100 down to Honda's contribution toward the safety lobby.

GRANDMA'S CHOICE

While most of the hype surrounding the new Honda will focus on its whopping 162 horsepower and 186-mph top speed, let's hope that the dynamic safety of the bike isn't overlooked. I can't emphasize enough what a user-friendly motorcycle the XX is - your grandma could hop aboard and tootle off the the local store without feeling intimidated. The steering is light, yet positive, the suspension comfortable, yet sporting, the seating position user-friendly and fatigue-free, and the fairing distinctive, yet effective.

And there are plenty of nice touches. The passenger grabrail is a "comfortable" nylon design, the bungee cord takeoff points look classy while being sturdy, and there's even a centerstand to make chain oiling a one-person operation.

The CBR1100XX is a very impressive motorcycle, and when it arrives in dealerships it will join a number of other impressive motorcycles on the market - Kawasaki's ZX9R and ZX11, Yamaha's YZF1000 and Suzuki's RF900R and GSXR1100.

In building the CBR1100XX, the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer has shown what it can do when it decides to get serious. And I can guarantee that when you're blasting along Mistral Straight with the speedo needle edging toward 180 mph, and you know you're going slightly uphill into a headwind, you just sense that what you're riding is a very, very serious contender for the world's fastest mass-produced motorcycle. The fact that it's also very, very competent in everyday usage is just an added bonus.

Copyright © 2001- 2005 Marcel's XX files
Email: marcelcbrxx@lycos.nl