Two Wheel Fix - 09 R1 vs my 2004 CBR 1000 Comparison

Here's my impression of the 09 R1 and comparison to my CBR 1000RR based upon things the average street rider might be concerned about.

Cool factor: R1 no surprises there. Crossplane crank, engine mode selector, newer model etc….

Looks: Sorry I’m taking the looks of my CBR over the new R1 but we all know beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Gas Mileage: Again the CBR wins in this category by a fair margin The fuel light is usually lit on the R1 around 120 miles, on the CBR it is more like 144 This can be attributed to the fact that typically the R1 engine is operating at usually a lower gear and higher rpm than the CBR for given speeds I’m sure.

Windscreen: CBR seems to have a bit more than the R1 but I could tolerate either

Instrumentation: I have yet to ride the R1 at night so I can’t comment on that, I will give the nod to the Yamaha in this category solely based on the gear indicator.

Underseat storage: neither bike has much so it does not even matter

Overall comfort: The R1 has more cockpit room for taller riders, is slimmer around the tank, but the heat from the exhaust had me wanting off this thing ASAP and back onto my bike.

Operating temp: Yamaha runs WAY hotter than the CBR, fans on and running on the yammy when the CBR is not even close to kicking on the fans in traffic. I’ve never seen 220 on my CBR where it’s above that anytime I’m in traffic on the R1.

Mirrors: I had no problems with seeing out of the mirrors on either bike.

Engine sound/exhaust noise: My CBR has a scorpion slip on, it’s louder than stock but not obnoxious. The R1 had a yosh carbon fiber full exhaust system, it sounds WICKED!!!!!!!!! But it’s loud as hell and over the course of our run at street legal speeds it grew old upon me really fast, especially given I did not have ear plugs this day. But the growl from that R1 is pure sex and soul stirring and while most may want to live with it, I will pass on it for the more subtle nature of my Honda. The R1 is rowdy and “vibratious”, a good analogy would be a 350 small block chevy thumping in comparison to honda’s vtec sewing machine. R1 sounds like there should be some fucking pushrods in that engine somewhere.

In my opinion the R1 with the stock exhaust needs more guts in terms of sound, but the yosh system was too much for me. Something that could be a compromise and provide a happy medium between the two would suit my tastes much better.

Street drivability: The powerbands between both are very different. The R1 likes to be in the lowest gear possible and will lurch at lower rpms if in too high a gear, I found this annoying because if you are doing less than 50 1st gear is where it felt best. The powerband seemed better for the track, it also made throttle application needs more precise and require more work in my opinion going in or throttling out of curves. It would be interesting to see how it would feel geared a bit lower. Throttle response is instant but abrupt, the engine is not happy at anything below 4500 rpm. Of course keep in mind this is coming from an inline four guy.

I give street driveability to my 04 CBR, it pulls nicely off the bottom of the tach and is geared in such a manner that the first three gears can be used at low speeds with no fuss under 55 mph or so around town, no lurching etc…

In back to back rides with the 09 R1 and another friends 07 R1, 2nd gear is where I seem to notice a vast difference between the two, otherwise there’s not enough there to justify an 07 owner moving up to an 09 just based upon the new crank design unless it’s for conversational purposes at the local bike night or gas station.

Drivetrain/transmission: Both were solid, the Yammy had a more positive feel when shifting than the CBR but the Yammy had more drivetrain lash.

Handling: Disclaimer: I don’t have the credentials or potential to really judge handling of these bikes, I can’t ride either to their potential. Both handle equal well for my aggressive riding in the mountains, the R1 tipped in a bit faster and had a taller 190/55/17 tire profile on the rear. I know it’s because I am more used to the CBR but I was faster on the CBR plus I don’t like pushing it on someone else’s bike. But the herky-jerky nature and abruptness of the R1 robbed me of confidence that I would have on the CBR on the tight decreasing radius turns. This may also be subjective and subtle, but the nature of the R1 made it harder to obtain feedback from the chassis and tires in my opinion. The crossplane firing order, exhaust note, and engine harmonics just seemed to take away either my focus on the contact patch of the tire and what I could feel or perhaps it’s just that my Honda is so smooth the only feedback you feel is from the tires and suspension.

Braking: Once again insert my disclaimer here (I’m not Haga or Spies) but either were sufficient for my usage and taste.

Power:Hey they both are liter bikes, both overkill for the street yada-yada, we all know that the R1 puts down more power to the rear wheel and my 04 CBR is the least powerful of all the CBR 1000rrs so what more needs to be said

Bottom line: I’ll keep my Honda even if it’s older but thats just me as I tend to favor the older models. I can say the 09 R1 is not on my wish list after spending a significant time riding it over the past few months since my friend bought it. It’s funny that he usually offers to trade when we go riding so I need to ask his opinion if this is the bike for him or if he’s missing his GSXR 750 now

Well I'm no expert rider or writer but I hope something within this is of value.