Photos Leaked! The 2012 CBR1000RR is revealed!

Could it be? The 2012 CBR1000RR deliberately leaked for our personal feasting? According to motorcycle-usa.com, Honda posted these pictures on their Hong Kong facebook page, so of course we're all going to share! Looks like plenty of awesome upgrades are being made to Honda's new fireblade to mark it's 20th Anniversary edition. Here's the article from MotorcycleUSA:


"Although details are scarce at this time there is a new 2012 Honda CBR1000RR and these are some of the first images and video of that motorcycle. 2012 is the 20th aniversary of the CBR so the timing will be perfect for Honda to unleash its new and improved flagship sportbike.

Even though official specifications have not been released at this time we can tell quite a bit from the images here. First of all, the bike is not a ground up redesign, instead this is the evolution of the popular CBR1000RR platform. Obvious changes are as follows:

Bodywork: The new Fireblade bodywork as its seen here is much more aggressive in appearance with the dual reflector beam head lamps similar in shape but more sinister than the last generation. The cowling is also more wild with its lightning-bolt shaped air intakes the most conspicuous change. It seems Honda has made an effort to make the CBR frontal area less-stubby and more angular (Something that has worked well for Suzuki and now BMW) in recent years. After that the body kit appears to have received only slight modifications, including poweder coated black frame and swing-arm.

Dash: A new information system features a large, LCD-style dashboard with digital tach running horizontally across the top, large speedo in the center, lap-timer, gear position indicator, engine temp, clock, trip meters and a series of shift-indicator lights across the upper edge of the dash frame.

Suspension/Brakes: The huge fork caps visible at the top of the triple-clamp appear to be Showa Big Piston Fork technology. This makes sense as Kawasaki and Suzuki have gone this route on their sportbikes the last two years. Honda has used the Unit Pro-Link layout for the rear suspension and this appears to be a variation on that same design. Radial-mount 4-piston Tokico calipers and maybe larger rotors round out this area.

Wheels: Twelve-spoke GP-style wheels replace the old three-spoke hoops found on the 2011 CBR1000RR. Honda has made it a point to offer ultra-light wheels on the CBR line-up the past few years so we expect the new wheels to possibly be even lighter.

Not so obvious changes: We expect Honda to maintain its mid-pack position in terms of outright power. It’s unlikely that we will see the 2012 CBR1000RR challenge the class horsepower leading S1000RR and ZX-10R. The Honda way seems to be to build bikes with gobs of usable low-end and mid-range power surrounded by an excellent chassis. Odds are that’s what we will get here too.

Electronics: Rumor has it that there will be a fully-loaded 2012 CBR1000RR with ABS and an engine management system that would surely include traction control and variable mapping. But we cannot confirm this info at this time."

What do you think about MotoGP's changes for 2012 bikes?

Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa gave Honda's prototype for next year's class of 1000cc bikes another test on Monday. Here's the article from motogp.com:
"It was a positive day of testing with both riders giving valuable feedback, which will allow the HRC engineers to continue the development of the new machine. As scheduled, the test began at 09h00 under dry conditions and finished at 18h00 with one hour lunch break. Fortunately, the rain that was expected did not arrive until the final 30 minutes of the day, when the Repsol Honda Team had already finished their programme.

Czech Republic GP winner Casey Stoner, who already tested the RC213V in the Jerez test, was the fastest rider on track with a lap time of 1’56.168. Completing a total of 57 laps, he and his team took some important steps forward in the development of the 2012 machine.

Dani Pedrosa made his debut on the new machine as he missed the first test session held at Jerez on May 17th and 18th due to injury. Dani made the most of the dry track to study the new bike and give important feedback to the HRC engineers. In total he completed 37 laps with a top time of 1'57.264, the fourth fastest of the day.

HRC engineers will now take time to evaluate this data from both riders and decide how to proceed with the development of the new machine.

Casey Stoner: 1st - Time: 1'56.168
"Today was another good shakedown, but we still have some work to do. We found a few positive things and confirmed certain directions to take and move forward. We had a few small problems with chatter, but it's something that shouldn't be too difficult to sort out through engine braking and engine management systems, which are areas we can definitely improve in, along with the chassis. The engine for me is fantastic, to ride the 1000 with more grunt and more power it's a lot of fun, it has incredible acceleration, most of the time too much! We tested a couple of the new tyres and had some issues, the traction didn't feel that great and they seemed to create a lot more chatter so we went back to the standard tyres and the chatter seemingly disappeared. From the data we have from the first test and this test, we can go away and come back with the next step and take it from there."

Dani Pedrosa: 4th - Time: 1'57.264
"First of all, I'm very happy to have tested the 1000cc because rain was expected, but it didn't arrive until the end of the day. My first impression in the morning was that the feelings were quite similar to those I had when I first came into MotoGP, you can feel the difference in torque and power. Perhaps I was still riding it with an 800cc style and I need a little more understanding again and try to ride it differently, but the bike seems to work quite well. We will make many modifications, so the final version will be very different to today's bike, but this is normal and the first impression is quite good. Compared to the 990cc I rode in 2006 it's very similar on the power side, but a little lighter in weight and behaviour. I tried one run with the prototype Casey tested in Jerez, and also the other one with some modifications and it was a bit better. With a new bike, electronics, engine, chassis, everything is not the best, but from my experience in the past with new bikes, the starting point is not so bad. We have to be very careful with the chassis because perhaps the tyres next year are a little different in construction which will affect the chassis.""

All HONDA Podium at Brno, way to go Stoner!

Did everyone catch Sunday's action at Brno? MotoGP's 11th race of it's 18-race series championship was an incredible showing for Honda, resulting in the first 1-2-3 Honda podium since the 2006 Laguna Seca GP.  Casey Stoner increases his lead in the championship points with the win, while teammate Andrea Dovizioso takes second and San Carlo Honda Gresini's Marco Simoncelli stepped onto the podium for the first time in the premier class.

Here's an article from motogp.com with all the awesome details:
"The all Honda podium was also the first of the 800cc era. Unfortunately, only the crash of Dani Pedrosa, on the third lap has marred what has been one of the best Sunday's for the Japanese manufacturer.

Under similar circumstances to Laguna Seca three weeks ago, Casey Stoner has managed to turn a difficult weekend into a win without opposition in a race that he led from the third lap, when Dani Pedrosa, after taking the lead, lost the front and crashed. With the absence of Pedrosa who has been the fastest man throughout the weekend, Stoner had no rival and set a steady pace to increase the gap step by step and cross the finish line 6.5 seconds ahead of his teammate Andrea Dovizioso.

In another consistent race, Andrea had a fantastic start climbing from seventh position on the grid and resisting attacks from Lorenzo and Simoncelli to take his fifth podium of the year. Casey Stoner's victory at Brno, combined with the fourth position of his closest rival in the Championship, Jorge Lorenzo, gives the Australian a 32 point lead in the MotoGP World Championship. Dovizioso continues to hold third position and Pedrosa is now fifth, behind Valentino Rossi.

Tomorrow the Repsol Honda Team will be back at the Brno circuit testing their 1000cc 2012 machine. Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner will ride the bike in the one day test.

Casey Stoner:
"We knew we could make a strong podium challenge today, but we didn't really expect the race win. As soon as the race got underway I was having a good battle with Andrea, but this cost me a little time and I was afraid that Jorge and Dani would stretch away from me. But when I got past I found I had plenty of speed to catch up and the bike felt great. I passed Jorge and then Dani sadly crashed out, so I pushed to see if I could pull a gap and I was able to do so quite quickly. I'm very sorry for Dani, he would have been hard to beat today. After such a hard weekend it's fantastic to come out with a comfortable win, a big thanks to my team who never give up. Tomorrow we'll be back on the 1000 for another day of testing, so I hope the weather stays dry for us!"

Andrea Dovizioso: 
“I’m really happy to be back on the podium, it’s a good result after a difficult weekend and second position is so important for the Championship. I made a very good start from seventh position and in the first laps I was riding cautiously to save the tyres. When Dani crashed I tried to stay with Casey, but I made a mistake at turn 13 and I almost went off the track. I’m happy of how I managed the race first with Lorenzo and then with Simoncelli to maintain second position. In the final five laps I pushed harder to maintain the margin from Marco. I didn’t want to fight with him in the last corners. I want to thank Honda and the team for the good work, we have demonstrated again that in the race we are there and I'm really looking forward to Indy in two weeks time.”

Dani Pedrosa:
"It was a shame. I lost the front and I crashed, that was it! I was not even pushing so hard, I just took the lead and, well I may have tilted the bike too much, maybe the tyre was not warm enough, still I don't know. The problem is that I've wasted an important race that we had prepared for very well. I have to thank the team for the bike they gave me this weekend, it worked really well, and I will tell them I'm sorry for the mistake. It hurts because we were well prepared and finally the race was quite slow compared to the pace we did in practice sessions, but we can not do anything, just try to get back on top. Let's hope tomorrow we can have at least some hours in the dry to test the 1000cc. I've been looking forward to see how the new machine is after missing the Jerez test."

New cooling vests are in!

Stay safe while riding in the heat, try out a cooling vest! We just got a new load of them in, and they are ready to help make your summer ride more comfortable and safe.
A water management system is created from the layers of uniquely designed material which absorbs, stores and releases water over time through evaporation, providing an extended cooling effect.
Always remember to stay hydrated while riding in hot weather, make frequent stops and don't over-extend yourself. Stay safe and enjoy the ride everyone!

Justin Barcia to race 450 class for American Honda

Welcome to the team, Barcia!! Honda recently announced that 250cc rider Justin Barcia will race the remaining AMA Motocross Championship rounds on a factory Honda CRF450R.

Here's the article from ultimatemotorcycling.com:

"2011 AMA Motocross

For the remaining four rounds of the 2011 AMA Motorcross Championship, 250cc rider Justin Barcia will be competing in the main 450 class.

Starting this weekend at Unadilla Motocross, Barcia will pilot a factory Honda-prepped CRF450R; the Supercross Lites East Champion will only be competing in the 450 class from now to the end of the season.

Justin Barcia (Honda Motocross) says: "I'm so grateful to have this opportunity to ride the Honda CRF450R in the 450 class. I can't thank GEICO Honda team owners Rick Zielfelder and Jeff Majkrzak enough for allowing me to take advantage of this opportunity.

"I raced the CRF450R to the overall win at the Bercy Supercross last year and I felt great competing on the bike, so I'm excited to now get the chance to race several rounds in the Motocross series on it.

"I'm also really looking forward to working with the factory Honda team. I feel I've grown a lot as a professional racer over the past three years and this whole experience is only going to help me develop my skills even more."

Erik Kehoe (American Honda Racing Team Motocross Manager) says: "Justin has been a part of the Honda family for many years now, having entered the professional ranks through Honda's amateur support program.

"Barcia has a lot of experience racing Honda motorcycles and he's earned a lot of success in both his amateur and professional careers. Trey Canard showcased his talents aboard the factory-prepared Honda CRF450R last year when he filled in for six Supercross rounds, and obviously that was a significant career opportunity for him, while Cole Seely enjoyed racing several Supercross' with the team this year.

"We are pleased to work with Honda-supported teams and give the younger Honda riders like Barcia the chance to gain valuable experience riding for the factory team when opportunities arise.""

RIDE HONDA!