2014 Honda CBR1000RR SP $16,699

                                     

It was a bit of surprise to see the CBR1000RR SP unveiled for 2014 and for a number of reasons. First, the SP isn’t really a homologation special; total production will number 5,000 units worldwide, far more than the mandated 1,500 minimum, and it doesn’t feature much of anything that will be of real use to professional race teams (especially a ride-by-wire throttle system, which luckily for the World Superbike PATA Honda team is allowed to be retro-fitted). And second, the SP features Öhlins suspension and Brembo brakes; this is a break from Honda tradition that has always been to use Showa suspension and Nissin brake exclusively (since those companies are owned by Honda).

The first thing you’ll notice when throwing a leg over the new CBR is the revised ergos. The footpegs are moved 10mm, and the clip-on bars are 34mm wider, spread out 5 degrees more,and angled 5 degrees lower for a more aggressive riding position. These might seem like small numbers, but they make a huge difference in how the latest Honda feels; the footpegs almost feel like accessory rearsets compared to the previous-generation model.

 The CBR SP just felt more at home on the track, with the more aggressive riding posture putting your body in a more natural position to make the forceful steering inputs required at that venue’s speeds.Honda claims the seat on the SP is firmer than the standard model for better feedback, but to tell you the truth, we didn’t notice that much of a difference. 

The windscreen on both 2014 CBRs is also slightly taller for marginally improved wind protection. Everything else in both CBR cockpits is the same as last year’s version, with the exception of the aluminum top triple clamp and Öhlins fork of the SP.

Unlike most other inline-fours, the CBR won’t fall flat on its face if you happen to let the revs drop to 5,000 rpm—it will happily pull through quickly and get into the meat of its powerband once past 7,000 rpm. Get it right, and the Honda simply digs in and drives hard enough to stay with most anything off the corners—despite a lack of traction control.

The bigger issue is that American Honda will be bringing only a small number of the CBR SPs into the States (judging by the Honda dealer talk around the US, we’re guessing only several hundred at most), and all of the units have already been snapped up by the dealers. If you’ve got $16,699 burning a hole in your pocket, you’d better get down to your local Honda dealer