Honda CBR 1000 RR Fireblade SP2 2017 — Specifications

Five hundred units. That's the quota Honda set for itself to bring the Fireblade back to the top of World Superbike. The 2017 CBR 1000 RR SP2 is not a mere cosmetic variation of the SP. It's a homologation tool, a machine designed to receive race preparation, and incidentally Hamamatsu's answer to the Kawasaki ZX-10RR, Yamaha R1-M, and other Ducati Panigale R models monopolizing the podiums. At €29,999, you enter the territory of exceptional hypersports, where every gram and every degree of valve angle matters.

Visually, you need a keen eye. The bodywork remains nearly identical to the SP, which is a missed opportunity for such an exclusive series. You can spot a gold pinstripe beneath the Fireblade logo, a slightly more electric blue enhanced with carbon texture, and most notably wheels with a different design. These aren't just for show. Made by Marchesini, forged in aluminum, they reduce wheel inertia by nearly 19%. On lean, through fast chicanes, this added liveliness translates into an agility made all the more appreciable by the machine's 195 kg wet weight. Honda could have made a statement with a dedicated livery or a replica treatment. The manufacturer chose to focus its efforts elsewhere.

And that elsewhere is the 999.8 cc inline four-cylinder. On paper, the 192 horsepower at 13,000 rpm and 112.8 Nm of torque at 11,000 rpm are identical to the SP. The difference lies in the potential. The valves grow larger: 31.5 mm on the intake side, 25.5 mm on the exhaust, with an included intake/exhaust angle revised to 10/12 degrees versus 11/11 on the standard version. Translation for the rider: greater capacity to flow mixture at high revs, exactly what a tuner looks for when extracting the power needed in competition. The combustion chambers were reworked drawing direct inspiration from the RC213V MotoGP bike, the pistons modified, and cooling optimized. Even the cam followers were redesigned, wider and lighter, ready to accommodate more aggressive camshafts. The compression ratio climbs to 13:1 with a bore/stroke of 76 x 55.1 mm that betrays a character resolutely oriented toward revs. This engine is an invitation to be tuned.

On the electronics side, the SP2 inherits the SP's full arsenal and enriches it with five riding modes, launch control, and a pit lane limiter. The five-axis inertial measurement unit governs traction control, lean-sensitive ABS, and Öhlins S-EC semi-active suspension. The 43 mm NIX30 inverted fork offers 120 mm of travel, while the TTX36 rear shock provides 60 mm. Braking relies on Brembo monoblock calipers biting two 320 mm discs up front, complemented by a 220 mm disc at the rear. The bidirectional quickshifter and Pirelli Supercorsa tires in 120/70-17 and 190/50-17 firmly position this Honda on track territory rather than boulevard cruising.

That said, certain choices raise questions at this price point. Fitting high-end Brembo calipers and feeding them through standard rubber brake lines is a technical contradiction. The absence of a reach-adjustable clutch lever or a master cylinder worthy of the calipers leaves a sense of incompleteness. Honda offers two upgrade kits, Sport Race and Full Race, to address these shortcomings and push the machine toward its full competition potential. The CBR 1000 RR Fireblade SP2 is clearly aimed at riders competing in championships or demanding track day enthusiasts. It lays the foundations of a race weapon, leaving it to its owner to finish the job.