In a move that surely is causing some consternation back at Honda HQ in Japan, a Hong Kong distributor posted a couple of videos and a good number of photos on Facebook of the 2012 Honda CBR1000RR. The bike appears to be mildly changed for the most part, with a minor facelift, lighter-appearing wheels, Showa BPF (Big Piston Fork), a newer-design Showa rear shock, and LCD dash heading the list of visible changes. Considering the lack of wheel speed sensors and the LCD display in the video, there does not appear to be any traction control system on the new CBR. The fact that the exhaust doesn’t show any external changes, coupled with the usual protocol of minor upgrades in order to help move inventory in preparation for a more revised or all-new model down the pipeline, points to minimal—if any—changes to the engine as well.
Not a whole lot of external...
Not a whole lot of external styling changes to the 2012 CBR1000RR, as visible from the rear.
Big change up front is obviously...
Big change up front is obviously the Showa BPF, as well as the LCD dash, which disappoints us. Yes, they look like MotoGP, but the bar graph tach is basically useless, especially in daylight.
Showa rear shock uses adjustment...
Showa rear shock uses adjustment setup similar to BPF, but whether the internals are changed (and for the better) remains to be seen.
Lighter-looking wheels look...
Lighter-looking wheels look similar to the units found on the BMW S 1000 RR.
No wheel speed sensors means...
No wheel speed sensors means no traction control system. Spring preload on the Showa BPF is adjusted from the bottom adjuster shown here.
Slight facelift, with larger...
Slight facelift, with larger ducts for the ram-air intake on each side of the headlights.