News 11 Jan 2013

Tested: 2012 Team Honda Racing CBR1000RR

CycleOnline.com.au climbs aboard Honda’s Australian Superbike racer at the Island.

Testing the country’s top factory-supported Superbikes is one of the perks of the job when working in the motorcycle media, an opportunity that is limited only to a select few who are trusted with what is usually both a very expensive and finely prepared bike.

It was only natural then that when the chance arose the test Team Honda Racing’s Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) race-winning CBR1000RR Fireblade at Phillip Island toward the end of 2012, we jumped at it!

After watching Wayne Maxwell and Jamie Stauffer race to 13 of 18 national Superbike race wins last year, finishing second and third in the ASBK series behind Team Suzuki’s Josh Waters, there’s no doubt that Team Honda Racing has produced an absolute weapon.

Making things even more appealing is the fact that the team had Phillip Island dialled according to the outstanding results posted by the departed Maxwell and Stauffer of late, but I was more than aware from the outset that the bike would behave a lot different at ‘moto-journo’ pace than when in the hands of the country’s best.

Melbourne-based former racer turned business owner and renowned tuner Paul Free has long had a close association with Honda Australia, managing its factory race team before officially taking charge and running it via his own Motologic business at the end of 2007.

Since then, Free has competed with Honda’s CBR1000RR in the official ASBK championship in 2009, 2011 and 2012 (the team had a single season campaigning Ducatis in 2010), swiftly developing a highly capable race winner to the ASBK specification.

Alex Gobert tests the 2012 Team Honda Racing CBR1000RR for CycleOnline.com.au at Phillip Island. Image: SD Pics.

Motologic won the 2008 title with Glenn Allerton at the helm in what was the debut season for the current version of the CBR1000RR (it’s only had minor updates since), plus Free also has multiple titles to his credit as team manager back in 2004 with Adam Ferguson (Superbike and Supersport), 2005 with Josh Brookes (SBK and SS).

What Free has done incredibly well during this period, alongside his staff at Motologic and Team Honda Racing riders, is essentially develop a title contender that is largely using components built under the guidance of Motologic, using their ASBK experience to spearhead that development before transferring it onto potential customers.

“All work carried out to build the bike is done in house at Motologic, bar the CNC head porting – that’s the only bit that goes outside,” Free told CycleOnline.com.au.

“The cylinder head port design was created by Motologic, the port shapes are then digitised into the CNC machines computer, and now we can reproduce the same port shapes into all of our race team and customer’s cylinder heads. This technology is also available to our customers.”

“Our cam shafts are always a work in progress, and as we learn more about the engine and where we need to shift the power or make more power we create a new camshaft to test and see if it helps where we want it to.

“It’s not always as simple as that either, sometimes a cam design won’t show any gain until it is matched with a different length velocity stack or different cam timing. This technology is also available to our customers.”

Wayne Maxwell rode this very Fireblade to second in the 2012 ASBK series. Image: SD Pics.

Despite packing an approximate 205 horsepower and being littered with Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) parts (see specifications below for details), the enjoyable thing about the Maxwell CBR that Free let us loose on at the Island was that it retains that special user-friendly feel that the production Fireblade is known for. While blisteringly quick, the feedback it generates to the rider in the saddle was second to none.

Honda actually started us out on a stock ’Blade during the test, before we stepped up onto a Motologic-tuned model (more on that over the next couple of weeks!) and then finally onto the real deal for a few sessions. As always at the Island, it takes a while to get a feel for the high-speed nature of the circuit, so this was perfect for me to build up to the race weapon.

The broad spread of power and exhilarating torque of the Team Honda Racing engine has clearly been refined over the years, plus there’s the option to tame the way the power’s delivered via a kind of Traction Control that’s switchable via the left block of controls on the handlebar.

The throttle response is also on point, giving a great initial feel before working up through the power curve to its peak of around 12,000rpm. The digital Motec dash that displays the RPM, lap times and much more is easy to read, but takes a little time to figure out placement of the information displayed.

Realistically though, the harder you ride these top line Superbikes, the more aggressive they become. Compared to me (a long time since hanging up the racing boots and also dealing with the fear of facing Free if I cart-wheeled his bike), the regular racers maintain higher RPM, work the power much harder in the search for more and truly take the bike to its limit.

Magnifying that is the chassis, ultra rigid with DVS suspension and a firm foam seat, but still responsive enough for me to feel my way around the circuit without too many scares. As my lap times reduced in my limited seat time of 10 laps (eventually to around the mid-1:40 marker and over six seconds off race pace), the bike responded progressively better.

It may have over 205 horsepower, but respect it and it's surprising manageable. Image: SD Pics.

It’s stiff and loves to be ordered around the track, but combined with the Dunlop slick race rubber, it returns relatively good feedback as you gain experience and build on the rider/bike relationship. Treat it with respect and it will serve you well!

My pace sits the suspension a lot higher in the stroke than it would be if Maxwell were aboard it, but turn-in and mid-corner grip are still vastly impressive. It tends to run wide unless I really focus on keeping it tight or up the ante, but that’s a sign of my lack of speed compared to race times.

In fact, the only place the bike really dished out a nervous feel was on the exit of Siberia a few times, partly due to the suspension’s stiffness and also due to the bumpy nature that Phillip Island had right before its December resurface. As for the rest, it was spectacular to the point that I found myself searching for the edge of grip and beginning to slide in the slightest of ways off Turn 11 toward the end. Definitely not to the extent of Stauffer though!

The chassis is where Free’s Motologic business really shines, because instead of bolting on bits and pieces from established component companies, Motologic takes full advantage of the team’s racing efforts and in fact builds many of their own components – including the suspension used.

“We use and develop our own brand of suspension, DVS,” said Free. “The DVS product is a partnership that has been developed between Motologic and Krooztune. We first started working together in 2010 and created a fork cartridge kit for the Ohlins Ducati fork. It has since grown into fork internals and complete shocks to suit the Honda, BMW and Ducati, amongst other brand fitments.

“In 2012, Team Honda Racing has shown just how competitive the DVS brand is by winning 13 of the 18 race starts between Jamie and Wayne. The DVS product is as always a developing program and something we can offer to our Motologic customer base, direct development from the race track.”

DVS suspension has been developed right here in Australia by Motologic and Krooztune. Image: SD Pics.

SMART components have also been developed specifically by Motologic and they’re real quality. You find SMART products throughout the Team Honda Racing CBRs and it’s a brand that has been well tested on the race tracks of Australia through Motologic.

“SMART components are a brand of components that have been developed by Team Honda Racing and the Motologic team,” Free added. “These parts are mainly based around the Honda CBR1000RR and come in the form of carbon protection covers, rear sets, ranging lengths of suspension pull arms, rear stand pickups and rear footpeg drops.

“There’s also a fuel tank replacement cap which fits the CBR1000 and 600, clutch and brake levers also fit the 1000 and 600, race fairing mounting kit, captive wheel spacers, and even a steering damper conversion to turn the STD steering damper into a manually adjustable unit by the replacement of the top plate again for the 1000 and 600.”

And that’s what makes this team and their results so special. It’s an Australian-owned company taking on the best from around the world on a variety of levels when it comes to developing first class sportsbike suspension and parts. It’s only fitting then that we’ll see Stauffer line up as a wildcard at this year’s World Superbike opener next month at the Island.

Overall, Motologic’s investment in their own products through Team Honda Racing is really beginning to pay off, and as you’ll read in our review of the production-based Motologic ’Blade soon, all of it extends easily into their customer base.

For more on Motologic visit them on the web at www.motologic.com.au and remember to check out Team Honda Racing as they do battle for the 2013 ASBK title with Stauffer and Superbike rookie Josh Hook at www.teamhondaracing.com.au.

Stay tuned for a complete photo gallery of the Team Honda Racing CBR1000RR. Image: SD Pics.

2012 Team Honda Racing CBR1000RR Superbike Specifications

Engine Type: In-line four cylinder
Bore and Stroke: 76 x 55.1mm
Displacement: 999cm³
Compression Ratio: 13.5:1 approx.
Maximum Power: 205hp approx
Cylinder Head: CNC Ported to Motologic Spec
Valves: STD
Camshafts: Motologic Spec
Spark Plugs: NGK R0045Q-10
Pistons: STD – Relieved valve pockets to gain piston-to-valve clearance
Crankshaft: STD
Fuel Delivery System: STD Throttle Bodies
Battery: Motobatt
Air Filter: K&N Race
Exhaust: Akrapovic
Engine Management System: HRC
Starter: STD and in use
Velocity Stacks: HRC Kit
Clutch: STD
Transmission: STD
Lubrication: Oleon Oils RR5 10w/30
Engine Breather Case Set: HRC
Drive Chain: Tsubaki 520
Sprockets: Supersprox Stealth
Rear Sets: SMART
Carbon Protection Covers (engine and swingarm): SMART
Clutch and Brake Levers: SMART
Fuel Tank Filler Cap: SMART
Steering Damper Conversion: SMART
Bodywork: Zacs Fairings
Graphics: Andrew Price
Front Wheel: STD 3.5″
Rear Wheel: STD 6.0″
Front Tyre: Dunlop slick 120-70-17
Rear Tyre: Dunlop slick 195-65-17
Front Suspension: DVS Dual Valve System 25mm complete internal
Rear Suspension: DVS Dual Valve System replacement shock
Rear Suspension Linkage: 172mm SMART pull arm
Front Brakes: STD master Cylinder/STD Callipers/Goodridge Lines/SBS pads
Rear Brakes: STD master Cylinder/STD Callipers/SBS pads
Dry Weight: 168kg wet-no fuel
Data system: Motec, measuring, suspension position and velocity/air fuel ratio/water temp/oil temp/throttle position/gear position/front and rear wheel speeds/front brake pressure
Built By: Motologic

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