Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade

Which Fireblade is sold in France, and for how much?

Honda France lists the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade at €22,749 and the Fireblade SP at €26,749, a €4,000 gap. Both come only in Grand Prix Red (R-380), the red, blue and white tricolour scheme with the logo of HRC, Honda’s racing division. With 160 kW as standard, it needs a full A licence and cannot be restricted for A2.

Honda France does not state a model year. The last update came with the 2024 model, and the European owner’s manual covers the 2024, 2025 and 2026 model years alike, so the 2026 Fireblade is technically identical to the 2024 bike. In the United States, the Fireblade SP lists at $28,999, unchanged from the 2025 to the 2027 model year.

What changed in 2024?

Honda calls it an update, but the list is long. Inside the engine, compression rises from 13.4 to 13.6:1, the intake valves are lighter, the crankshaft sheds 450 g of rotating mass and the titanium conrods 20 g. Every gear ratio, plus the primary drive, is shorter for stronger drive out of corners. The titanium Akrapovič silencer gains a litre of volume and is 5 dB quieter.

The aluminium frame loses 960 g and is deliberately more flexible, with 17% less lateral and 15% less torsional stiffness, to give more feel for grip. New winglets on the fairing sides keep the downforce while cutting yaw moment in corners by 10%, making fast turns easier. The tank grows to 16.5 litres, the bars are 19 mm higher and 23 mm closer, and the footpegs sit 16 mm lower.

How good is the engine?

The 1,000 cc inline four shares its bore and stroke with the RC213V MotoGP bike (81 x 48.5 mm). It makes 217 hp (160 kW) at 14,000 rpm and 113 Nm at 12,000 rpm: the same peaks as before, but 500 rpm lower, because Honda focused on the midrange.

The headline feature is a twin-motor ride-by-wire throttle, a first for Honda: one motor drives the butterflies of cylinders 1 and 2, the other those of cylinders 3 and 4. At small openings only cylinders 1 and 2 open, making pick-up smoother and easier to meter; off the throttle, cylinders 3 and 4 stay open to manage engine braking. MCN and Visordown were struck by the race-bike gurgle this produces, and Visordown calls the system beautifully set up. MCN and Bennetts BikeSocial praise gear ratios that finally make sense: the 2020 bike had a tall first gear and little power below 6,000 rpm, MCN recalls. Le Repaire des Motards describes an engine that is less aggressive than before, yet just as powerful.

How does it handle?

The aluminium twin-spar frame carries pure superbike geometry: a 1,450 mm wheelbase, 23°56’ of rake and 101 mm of trail, with a 200 kg kerb weight and 53% of it over the front. The standard bike uses a 43 mm Showa BPF upside-down fork and a Showa BFRC-Lite shock, both fully adjustable by hand, plus radial Nissin four-piston calipers on twin 330 mm discs. A three-level electronic steering damper completes the package.

The tests we consulted are of the SP. MCN reports race-bike steering precision with huge feel, Visordown a balanced, silky chassis, and Le Repaire des Motards a more progressive turn-in than before. The brakes split opinion more: strong, but MCN still finds the feel slightly spongy next to its European rivals, and Motorcycle.com criticises rubber brake lines, unusual in this class.

Fireblade or Fireblade SP?

For €4,000 more, the SP adds third-generation Öhlins semi-active suspension (43 mm NPX fork and TTX36 shock), which adjusts damping on the move and includes a preload guide based on rider weight. It also gets Brembo Stylema R calipers and a standard two-way quickshifter, for clutchless up and down shifts. It weighs 201 kg. On the standard bike, the quickshifter is an accessory, sold alone or in the Racing Pack. In 2024 Honda also offered an SP Carbon Edition limited to 300 units.

What electronics?

A Bosch six-axis IMU (a sensor that constantly measures the bike’s lean and movement) feeds every rider aid. Three riding modes combine four settings: power (5 levels), HSTC torque control (9 levels, can be switched off), wheelie control (3 levels) and engine braking (3 levels). Cornering ABS has three modes, including a Race mode that switches off the rear ABS. There is also a launch mode (Start Mode), a 5-inch colour TFT screen, keyless ignition and an emergency stop signal. To protect the engine, the redline stays at 8,000 rpm while the coolant is cold.

There is no cruise control and no heated grips, Bennetts BikeSocial notes. Motorcycle.com regrets that wheelie control cannot be switched off without also disabling torque control.

Who is it for?

The Fireblade is aimed at the track first: Bennetts BikeSocial warns that its race-driven updates may not be felt much on the road. The riding position is still pure superbike, even if reviewers find it much roomier than before. This is a bike for experienced riders who do track days, not a first big bike.

Fuel, maintenance and recalls

Honda quotes 6.7 L/100 km (155 g/km of CO2), giving a calculated range of about 246 km from the 16.5-litre tank. We found no fuel consumption measured in a test. The European manual calls for an oil change every 12,000 km or every year and a valve clearance check every 24,000 km. Honda’s warranty runs for 2 years and can be extended up to 6 years with dealer servicing. The recalls listed in Europe concern the 2020 to 2022 model years; none covers the 2024 and later models so far.

Where does the Fireblade come from?

The line began in 1992 with the 893 cc CBR900RR, weighing 185 kg dry and built first and foremost around light weight and the power-to-weight ratio. It gained fuel injection in 2000, grew to 998 cc in 2004 as the CBR1000RR, then got ride-by-wire and rider aids in 2017. The 2020 CBR1000RR-R then turned away from the road focus of earlier Fireblades to target the track, with an engine developed from Honda’s MotoGP programme.