The Honda Motor Company Inc. wades back into the morass of the top-end superbike market with a new update on a proven model, the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. Even better still, it makes it across to our side of the pond for sale in the US market post its late 2023 reveal at the EICMA. This model has an impeccable pedigree that goes back over half a century to the 1959 CB92 Benly Super Sport. But more importantly, it has plenty of contemporary podium finishes, making it one of the best-performing street-legal yet track-ready stock machines out there.
Of course, calling it street legal is like calling an F-15 with blinkers and a taillight street legal, so you can't really get an idea of its capabilities if you simply take that phrase at face value. Honda's own experience within the MotoGP circuit drives the Fireblade's continued development with absolute cutting-edge features and a riding experience that few other liter-class bikes can deliver. The result is a powerful engine, top-tier ride-control electronics, and electronic Öhlins suspension, as well as the rest of the systems and underpinnings.
To give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Honda.
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10 Race-tastic Features For The Street
No Quarter Left Untouched
The 2025 Honda CBR1000RR-R is among the best street-legal/track-ready superbikes currently or soon to be on the world stage. It brings racetrack performance to the streets, and in doing so, it introduces a wider segment of the bike-riding society to the genuine, top-end performance normally reserved for the realm of professional race-bike pilots. The previous model, launched in the US market for MY2022, was a 30-year anniversary piece. MY2025 rolls with a host of improvements that leave virtually no area of the bike untouched to ready the Fireblade for the next few seasons, at least until the next update hits. This includes an updated engine with more torque on tap, upgraded underpinnings, and updated electronics to help keep it all under control.
Key Points In The Update
- Street-legal but track-ready
- Based on Honda's MotoGP racebike technology
- Freshly tuned engine
- Runs top-shelf electronic ride-control goodies
- Part of Honda's 2025 lineup in the US
9 Aerodynamic Updated Bodywork
Sleeker, More Streamlined Design With An Eye On Race Day
Form follows function in the bodywork of the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, as well as it should on such a machine. But the devil, as it were, is in the details. Overall, the streamlined fairing enjoys a class-leading drag coefficient for excellent penetration, reduced lift under hard acceleration, and stability under hard braking, especially at speed. The front fairing sports a concave section that helps to draw wind away from the front wheel and into a laminar flow for continued low-drag performance.
Plus, the lower fairing reinforces this effect at the rear wheel for good build synergy. This continues into the hugger that covers the rear wheel while a set of vents channel the air upwards to combat rear-wheel lift. Up top, the bubble screen, set at a 35-degree angle, allows minimal drag at that point, as well. The redesigned winglets provide greater downforce, and the mirrors, front blinkers, and rear mudguard are removable.
Important Bodywork Features
- Low drag coefficient / good penetration
- New bodywork also delivers improved handling
- Clever fluid dynamics combat lift at both ends
- Optimal windscreen angle for performance
8 Fully Customizable TFT Display In The co*ckpit Handles All the Metrics
There's a lot going on under the Fireblade's hood between the various ride-control electronics, suspension-control gadgetry, and indeed, even the mundane metrics. All of it feeds through the full-color five-inch TFT screen that is completely customizable, so you can set it up just how you like. A compact switchgear on the left side allows you to cycle through the selections and scroll through the pages in an intuitive fashion, all without removing your mitts from the grips. The Fireblade comes with Honda's Smart Key System, not only for its convenience but also to allow for the use of a racing-grade triple tree while leaving room for the ram-air port that feeds pressurized air directly into the intake tract.
Takeaways On co*ckpit Controls
- Seriously sweet electronics suite
- Intuitive controls
- Keyless ignition for convenience
- Simple system navigation
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7 Race-Worthy Electronics
The CBR1000 RR-R Fireblade SP rocks a race-worthy package of electronic ride-control systems, starting with a new function that protects the engine during warm-ups. It limits the redline to 8,000 RPM until the coolant gets up to temp, after which, the full 14,000 RPM is available. This function saves the engine from damage as a result of over-revving until the components are ready to take it. Ride-by-wire throttle control works with a dual-motor system that staggers the butterfly-valve opening for easy control at low RPM with no concurrent loss of control at the top end in a first for the factory.
Honda's Selectable Torque Control feature, newly reworked, delivers smoother traction protection and handles the engine's new power-delivery profile and tweaked gear ratios in the transmission. The Wheelie Control uses data from the Inertial Measurement Unit to keep the front end down, while the Engine Brake feature adds another layer of protection for the rear hoop. A trio of standard Riding Modes combines the data from these systems to varying degrees for quick personality changes.
Electronics Inclusions
- Track-ready electronics
- New cold-start protection
- IMU integration
- Dual-valve intake control
- Start Mode for race starts
6 The Retuned Frame Is Lighter And More Balanced
Improved Cornering And Narrower Waist
Aluminum is the material of choice for the diamond-style main-frame structure on the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. The spars, made from 2 mm aluminum, come tuned for racing. There are four main sections welded together with the engine serving as a stressed member to displace a large chunk of framing and complete the standing structure through no less than six motor mounts to make the crucial connections. The old internal ribbing hit the cutting-room floor to help the frame structure be 2.1 pounds lighter than its forebear.
Key Frame Improvements
- New tuned frame with a 53-percent/47-percent weight distribution
- Aluminum for lightweight strength
- Reduced lateral and torsional stiffness for improved cornering
- Tuned rigidity in the swingarm as well
- 445-pound curb weight
Thin-wall round aluminum tubing makes up the abbreviated subframe section that supports the seat, pillion pad, and passenger footpegs along with the read fender and lights. A top-mount system for the subframe allows for a narrower waist and a more aerodynamic seating position for the jockey. The aluminum swingarm is longer this year, at 24.5 inches, for a reduced tendency to pick the front end up under hard acceleration.
5 World Launch Of The Third-Generation Öhlins S-EC3.0 (SV) NPX In A Production Bike
Top-Shelf Öhlins Suspension Products Provide High-Speed Stability And Handling
Honda isolates the rear wheel from the headstock by mounting the Öhlins TTX36 S-EC3.0 monoshock directly to the engine block for high-speed stability and an improved feel for the rear-wheel traction. To further distinguish the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, it is the first production bike in the world to run the third-gen, 43 mm Öhlins S-EC3.0 (SV) NPX inverted front forks, released in Europe last year and brought to the US market for 2025. Forged aluminum triple trees clamp the forks with some wiggle room in the system so you can tweak the geometry for handling.
The Öhlins Objective Based Tuning interface controls the damping and preload with presets for quick suspension reconfigurations on the fly. Moving on, the anchors are four-bore Brembo Stylema R units that grab 330 mm discs for plenty of braking power, and as a bonus, the rear caliper is the very same as the one used on the RC213V-S racebike. Rear lift-control, corner-sensitive ABS supports the anchors.
Important Suspension Points
- Electronic Öhlins suspension
- Lean-sensitive ABS
- Tuned frame for flexion
- Cast-aluminum rims
- 120/70-17 and 200/55-17 hoops for minimized geometry change when switching street tires for track shoes
4 Engine Design Optimized For High-Revving Action
Peak Output: 214 Horsepower
The 1000 cc liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder engine in the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP benefits from knowledge garnered from Honda's own racing division. Up top, the valve train uses a semi-cam gear train system with high-RPM/high-lift cams turned by a shorter-than-usual drive chain for lowered inertia. Valve timing comes with revisions in both duration and lifts with finger-follower rocker arms to actuate the quartet of poppets over each cylinder. The 32.5 mm intake valves are lighter this year and their ports optimized for low-resistance flow, while the exhaust valves have a 28.5 mm diameter with a nine-degree valve angle on the intake side to reduce the overall surface area of the combustion chamber.
Key Engine Details
- Revised valve timing
- DLC protection throughout the mill
- Tuned combustion chamber shape
- Non-floating valve springs
- 214 horsepower / 83.3 pound-feet of torque
- 0.48 power-to-weight ratio
Additionally, the cams join many other engine parts in their DLC protection that delivers low-friction / low-wear performance with reduced mechanical losses. Three-stage elliptical progressive springs close the valves on both sides. This design mitigates harmonic valve float before it even gets a chance to develop, which is just the thing for a high-revving engine.
Bore and stroke in the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP mic out at 81 mm and 48.5 mm, respectively, which happens to be the same as the RC213V for yet another HRC connection. Due to the valve-timing tweak and combustion-chamber massage, the compression ratio went from 13.4-to-1 up to 13.6-to-1, which still means you'll be feeding the highest octane fuel you can get your hands on even without race considerations.
Titanium connecting rods provide lightweight strength with reduced inertia; this makes for a 50 percent reduction in weight over the previous chrome-molybdenum conrods. The small ends are C1720-HT shaved Beryllium copper, while the big ends are DLC treated, both for all-around durability that will take a beating. Additionally, the piston skirts come treated with a Teflon / Molybdenum base called an Ober coating. Multiple oil jets aid with piston-crown cooling and overall cylinder lubrication.
Significant Engine Bottom-End Characteristics
- Same bore and stroke as the factory racebike
- Light and strong Titanium conrods and caps
- DLC treatment for long service life and low mechanical losses
- Low-friction piston treatment
- Oil-cooled piston crowns
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2 Less-Restriction Akrapovič Silencer
Allows Better Tuning Across The Rev Range
The intake air on the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP begins its journey at the ram-air port at the front of the fairing. It takes advantage of the pressurized air at the leading edge of the fairing to deliver a superior volumetric efficiency to that of a plain natural aspiration. A ribbed turbulator on each side of the port introduces a vortex effect that maximizes the ram-air effect. Air flows around the headstock for a fairly straight shot into the airbox and through the 52 mm throttle bodies.
Key Air Flow And Exhaust Features
- Ram-air induction
- Vortex-fed intake maximizes air flow
- Oval-shaped tracts in both intake and exhaust for improved flow
- Low-resistance Akrapovič exhaust
- Secondary exhaust valves for a broad powerband
Both the intake and exhaust tracts run an oval cross-section for improved flow, while the intake sports more vortex generation for maximum flow all the way to the intake poppet. The muffler is none other than the gorgeous silencer (supplied by Akrapovic), which is both small and lightweight with an expanded volume (by one liter) for less restriction to the flow. A valve in the exhaust tract provides variable backpressure for better tuning across the entire rev range.
1 Track Day Fun Right Off The Showroom Floor
Honda's 2025 CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP stands ready for track-day fun right out of the box, which makes it an excellent springboard for prospective racers. And this year, it's better than ever. In addition to all the other yummy goodness, it sports a few more bits and bobs to complete its readiness to compete. The fuel tank boosted to 4.4 gallons allows more time between fuel stops. You have a cool launch control, which allows you to set the maximum revs for anything between 6,000 and 9,000 RPM. Just hold the throttle wide open without over-revving before takeoff. A quickshifter feature lets you quickly bang your way through the range with no clutch, and no hesitation; just the thing for a budding racer.
