CBR900-RR

Honda CBR900-RR.

The March 2012 issue of my Cycle World magazine has a feature about the watershed importance of the 1993 Honda CBR900-RR (above), allegedly the first crotch-rocket motorcycle.
Light and small, despite incredible power, about the size of a 600 cubic-centimeter motorcycle, yet 900 cubic-centimeters of engine displacement.
The engine was only slightly larger than a 600, yet it had 900 cubic-centimeters of displacement.
I don’t remember the 900-RR; I’m not even sure it was sold here in the states.

CBR929-RR.

An FZR400 similar to mine, an ’89.

But I do remember the CBR929 that succeeded it (at left), even lighter, and it was sold here.
The magazines said the 929 was wonderful, so I considered buying one myself.
At that time I was riding a Yamaha FZR400 (also at left), which I really liked, because it was so much easier to ride than what I had previously.
The FZR400 was a crotch-rocket, but it had one minor problem.
With its tiny motor, only 400 cubic-centimeters of engine displacement, you had to rev it to the moon.
For example, 8,000 rpm at 60 mph. —I kept feeling I needed to upshift.
So I tried a 929, just sat on it at a Honda dealer.
Despite the magazines all crowing how wonderfully light and small a 929 was, it felt big.
Like it was sized for a six-footer, which I’m not.
I’m only five-feet 8&1/2 inches.
No sale! —Anyway, what am I gonna do with all that power?
My FZR could be a rocket. I dared not goose it in any gear, especially first. (I think it was six speeds.)
The smaller the better. My FZR was the right size, and when I traded it, it was for a 1996 Kawasaki ZX6R (600 cubic-centimeters displacement).

Photo by BobbaLew.

This is MY motorcycle, the ZX6R.

Photo by BobbaLew.

My last motorcycle, a 2003 Honda CBR600-RR.

Except the ZX6R felt a little bit big, like it was sized for someone five-foot 10.
When I finally traded it, after over 7,000 trouble-free miles, the most I had ever ridden a motorcycle, it was for a 2003 Honda CBR600-RR, high in the seat, but otherwise the right size.
And big enough in engine-displacement to not be 8,000 rpm at 60. (About 6,000, same as the ZX6R.)
It too is red-lined at 14,000 rpm, which I’ll never see.
Motorcycles have gotten lighter and smaller yet, but I decided this 2003 CBR600-RR is my last motorcycle.
I have little incentive to ride it; I’m 68 and retired.
About all I did with motorcycles before retirement was ride to work (although the ZX6R had some cross-country trips, as did the FZR).
Just getting it on-the-road takes 5-10 minutes: helmet, gloves, roll-out, startup, etc.
A car is about 30 seconds.
Cycle World is the only remaining general-interest motorcycle magazine; that is, not biased toward Harley-Davidsons or choppers.
My niece’s husband has a chop. On-and-on he regals me about pistons the size of paint-buckets, and 152 thundering horsepower.
(Same guy who carved a Thanksgiving turkey with a chain-saw.)
Well okay, but that chop set him back over 50,000 smackaroos.
Plus it’s so long you can’t U-turn it on a highway.
And I can’t see revving such a large motor over 6,000 rpm, lest it hurl itself apart.
Years ago there were three general-interest motorcycle magazines: Cycle Guide, Cycle, and Cycle World.
I originally subscribed to Cycle-Guide, since it seemed most akin to my interests.
But it went defunct, so my subscription was extended to Cycle.
But then that folded too, so my subscription was rolled into Cycle World.
As a general-interest motorcycle magazine, Cycle World has to cover well beyond my interests; for example, dirt motorcycles, and Harley-Davidsons and H-D wannabees.
But apparently the CBR900-RR was a landmark motorcycle, developed out of the efforts of a racing engineer.
But I didn’t buy one (its successor, the 929), no matter how good the authorities thought it was.
It was too large.