Duel YZF-R1 / CBR1000RR C-ABS: Sensations or safety, two schools clash !
In a category where performance matters, Site subjected the Yamaha R1 to the famous Cross Plane rigging and the CBR1000RR equipped with the efficient road-proof electronic ABS.. Verdict of this (hyper) sporting duel !
Technology at the service of passion
The pinnacle of motorcycle production, the Hypersport category is undergoing an exciting turning point. Each year, in fact, these surface-to-surface missiles encounter a little more difficulty in legitimizing their commercial necessity: ultra-efficient, the R1, CBR, ZX-10R and other GSX-R attract the wrath of a society that has become civilized. and uncompromising…
Aware of the threat, Japanese manufacturers are now showing a subtlety imprinted with caution: rather than insisting on maximum power – constantly increasing of course! -, the Japanese put forward the driving sensations, the operability and even the on-board safety (traction control, ABS …) of their latest model.
However, beyond facade marketing speeches, Hypersports are really exploring unexpected segments and bending over backwards to hide their monstrous efficiency behind unsuspected good manners – or even not really desired – a few years earlier. !
Ironically, this "revolution" owes its rise to competition: after the praise of power, top-level pilots unanimously demanded more control and smoothness to go fast! However, in this little game, two Japanese women stand out: the Yamaha YZF-R1 and its engine Cross Plane (read) and the Honda CBR1000RR and its electronic ABS C-ABS (read)..
Accelerate early or brake hard ?
Icon of the brand with three tuning forks, the 2009 YZF-R1 is undoubtedly "The" most striking Japanese sports car of the year. Barded with high technology (electronic accelerator, programmable injection mapping on the handlebars, variable-length intake horns), the factory in blue fantasies is distinguished above all by its original engine timing (read).
Specifically, the Hypersport’s crankshaft is set at 90 ° and its crankpins are positioned to produce an ignition timing of 270º – 180º – 90º – 180º. Therefore, while a conventional four-cylinder sees its pistons move in pairs (the two outer pistons, then the two inner pistons), in the case of the Cross Plane, each piston and connecting rod assembly has its own distinct movement.
The result: the torque curve is both steeper down and smoother across the entire rev range. In addition, the inertia of the moving masses inside the engine is reduced and to avoid spoiling anything, the R1 gains a cavernous sound, close to that delivered by a four-cylinder V !
The 2009 R1 therefore plays the card of sensations and relies on its affiliation with Valentino Rossi’s M1 to seduce. A successful bet since for its first year, this new generation R1 combines commercial (best selling in its category in France) and sporting (champion in World Endurance, World Superbike and French, English and German Superbike!).
More pragmatic, the Honda CBR1000RR suffers from an overtly safer philosophical and technological orientation. Faced with the impressive sophistication of the R1, the Fireblade seems almost outdated with its conventional four-cylinder, its "full by cable" throttle and its unique injection mapping !
However, if the Yam ‘plays it "factory machine", the Honda is trying to put the brakes on it – literally and figuratively! – with its sophisticated electronic ABS. Developed for the sports range, the Honda C-ABS is responsible for avoiding wheel locks, but also for regulating mass transfers while giving the driver the feeling of controlling everything, while an electronic control unit quickly takes over and manages the pressures sent to the front as well as to the rear !
Obviously the bet is daring and this braking assistance does not necessarily provoke the enthusiasm of the most athletic. Especially since unlike the R1, the CBR equipped with ABS is hardly talked about in competition: yet, for performance aficionados, everything that does not shine in the race is not gold…
But if the 2009 R1 seems set to reign on the circuit, what about the French version on open roads, where probably 90% of its future buyers will use it exclusively? This is what Site wanted to determine by comparing these two sporting jewels in a comparison placed under the sign of sport and technology in the Troyes region. !
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