2017 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade launched in India at Rs 17.61 lakh

The 2017 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade has been launched in India. The litre-class superbike is available in two versions, the standard ‘Blade costs Rs 17.61 lakh while the track-focussed CBR1000RR Fireblade SP retails at Rs 21.70 lakh (both ex-showroom, Delhi). 

The most technologically laden Fireblade till date, the 2017 CBR1000RR gets a slew of mechanical and electronic upgrades to finally bring it on par with the new generation litre-class superbikes. It gets all-LED headlamps and an adaptive TFT instrument console, which automatically adjusts brightness according to ambient light. While the standard bike gets Showa forks and monoshock, the SP benefits from Ohlins units.

The 999cc inline-four engine now develops 190 horsepower, 11 horsepower more than the outgoing model. Honda even managed to make the new CBR 1000RR 15kg lighter than before. With a 14 per cent higher power-to-weight ratio, the new bike should offer better handling and performance than the outgoing model. 

The new CBR1000RR Fireblade gets a five-axis IMU, nine-level adjustable traction control, a Bosch ABS system, rear lift control and wheelie control. The throttle-by-wire system also helps with the three riding modes – Track, Winding and Street, which adjust the traction control, power and engine braking.

The CBR1000RR Fireblade competes with other superbikes like the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, Suzuki GSX-R1000, BMW S1000RR, Yamaha YZF-R1 and the Aprilia RSV4 RR. The Fireblade SP on the other hand, goes up against homologation specials like the YZ-R1M, Ninja ZX-10RR and the RSV4-RF.