Motorcycle racing junkie from Florida

:mask:Welcome to VR46 central:spin:

Racerdell said:

Hello, All
I am a motorcycle racing fan, long distance rider, from Florida.
Riding to COTA in April and hopefully Laguna for World Superbike.
I also plan to attend one race overseas this year. Trying to find the right fit.
Can Honda give some support and help Nicky And Bradl win this year?

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My personal opinion is Honda will struggle, why you ask?. Well of all the Japanese manufacturers Honda is the one lagging behind the most. The new "17 CBR" is only 'new' in terms of the way its marketed. EXACTLY the same frame an exactly the same engine. Slightly thinner wall thickness on the frame and swingarm, only done to reduce weight rather than improve chassis performance (2kg lighter frame from what i read but identical to the 16 model).

So its now a 10 year old frame and engine ... sporting new styling and electronics as its biggest changes. The engine is identical to the 16 model but with compression up from 12.3:1 to 13:1 also a new cam profile to bump up power a bit to at least attempt to compete with the other Jap manufacturers who have more up to date technology in terms of frames and engines. Biggest changes are all the electronics and styling really, neither of which play a huge part in WSBK racing given the modifications that most teams do anyway etc.

The CBR has always been a stable solid base for superbike racing .... but now it is very much lagging behind the more modern Yamaha, Kawasaki and new Suzuki. They have released special SP2 models with race kits to exploit homologation rule changes but so have all the other manufacturers so I don't think that alone will give them any huge advantage against their competition. Have read more and more lately about the V4 superbike they are planning to build ... makes sense to not spend huge amounts on re-devlopping their CBR which already sells well and has a loyal fanbase, especially if they plan on building a more purpose built superbike in the near future.