The legendary Fireblade has been around for a full three decades but the strong heritage isn’t the only thing we love about it. The current generation is one of the most advanced sports bikes on the road, with the design that shares almost everything with the RC213V racebike, the same one that competes in the Moto GP championship. It is the ultimate Honda, which delivers everything you could imagine on a bike. It is a track-ready bike that is street-legal at the same time.
Despite that the current generation has been around for a pretty long time, it won’t get change in the near future. Simply, the current model is still fresh and competitive in every aspect, which clearly indicates that the 2023 Honda CBR1000RR-R is about to carry on in the same way, without more important upgrades. Therefore, we expect it will hit the market sometime in the last quarter of 2022.
2023 Honda CBR1000RR-R Engine
Of course, the core of this bike is Honda’s well-known 999 cc inline-four engine, which comes with an all-new bore and stroke (81mm x 48.5mm), which are the same as in the Moto GP winning model. The engine also comes with a unique cooling system. It has a built-in bottom bypass cooling system that sends cooling water differently around the top and the bottom of the cylinder.
Another interesting piece of engineering is a super-narrow intake valve angle, which increases the max output even more. Also, there is a larger throttle bore diameter, which reduces the possibility of the air-pressure drop. Speaking of the throttle, the 2023 Honda CBR1000RR-R will continue with Honda’s well-known throttle-by-wire system, which provides excellent throttle response and makes everything even smoother.
The engine comes in pair with a six-speed transmission, which comes with a quick shifter. The company’s well-known Selectable Torque Control is also on the list of standard equipment.
2023 Honda CBR1000RR-R Design
Other than the recognizable styling, the first thing that you’ll notice about this bike is its pretty compact design. With just 57.3 inches in wheelbase, this is one of the smaller bikes in the class. Such a compact design provides excellent handling. The rake angle is 24 degrees, with 101.2mm of trail. This Fireblade also comes with a unique Titanium muffler, which was developed jointly with Akrapovic.
This isn’t the only part that reduces weight. The Fireblade also features a lightweight aluminum frame with 2mm thick wall sections. Vertical and torsional rigidity has increased by 18% and 9% respectively, and horizontal rigidity decreased by 11%. All this has a huge impact on the overall performance.
The swingarm has been extended by 30.5 mm for improved traction, while there are also winglets, which act as a great downforce generator.
Suspension and Brakes
Of course, it’s hard to imagine such an amazing bike without a proper suspension setup. In the case of the 2023 Honda CBR1000RR-R, things will remain pretty much the same as in the current model. So, the front end will feature a 43 mm Öhlins NPX Smart-EC Front Fork. This unit comes with electronically-controlled preload, compression and rebound adjustments. On the other end, there is a ProLink single shock.
When it comes to brakes, the Fireblade is equipped with 330 mm discs, as well as with Brembo Stylema front calipers. The rear wheel comes packed with a single-caliper 220 mm disc.
2023 Honda CBR1000RR-R Release Date and Price
As we already mentioned, we expect that the 2023 Honda CBR1000RR-R will hit the market sometime in the last quarter of 2022. When it comes to the price, the current model starts at around $28.500, plus a $450 destination fee, and we don’t expect to see a bigger increase in the future.
Honda is Working on a New V4 Engine and Platform
From what we can find in the latest reports, the Japanese manufacturer is working on a new V4 platform. We are about to see a completely new V4 engine in the 1000 cc class. However, this won’t be a replacement for the current Fireblade. The legendary supersport bike will carry on with the well-known inline-four, while the new V4 will be used for something different.
The new engine will be less powerful and designed for a new touring machine. From what we can hear, the VFR800 will be retired soon, mainly because of the new emission standards. So, we may presume that the new engine will power the next-generation VFR, which would probably come with a “900” or “1000” suffix.
The new engine will be more advanced and it will meet the latest emission standards. However, the rest of the platform is still a mystery, so we presume that more precise details will be coming once we get closer to the launch date, which could happen already in the next year. Stay tuned for more details about the new V4 motorcycle.
i had the 2021 model & did a lot ov track days & heard that the new model was going to have more mid & low down power which i thought was good ,but it looks like its going to have less power which is disapointing as i was thinking about getting the new model , i got the 2021 model brand new from grantham honda & was happy with the service they gave me .