Can it reach 300 km/h? was the main concern of riders and the media.
In July 1996, a test ride of the CBR1100XX was held at the Circuit Paul Ricard in southern France.
The circuit has a straight of about 1.8 km, and journalists from various countries challenged the maximum speed of the CBR1100XX, asking if it could reach 300 km/h. The meter reading of 300 km/h was verified. and challenged the maximum speed, verifying the meter reading of 300 km/h.
In addition, Spain's SOLOMOTO magazine brought the CBR1100XX to a test course and marked an actual speed of 289 km/h. Incidentally, the actual speed of the ZZ-R1100 by a British motorcycle was recorded at 277.5 km/h, proving to the world's media that the CBR1100XX has become the fastest motorcycle in the world.
In order to promote the CBR1100XX as the fastest, it was featured in catalogs and promotional videos alongside an aircraft modeled after the American supersonic reconnaissance aircraft SR-71A (nicknamed "Blackbird"). The XX's pet name, Super Blackbird, is of course a reference to this.
By dubbing the image of the SR-71A flying at the supersonic speed of Mach 3, Honda suggested that the CBR1100XX was the fastest machine. The composition of the video was reminiscent of the 1986 Top Gun, and it also counteracted Kawasaki's image of being the fastest in terms of impressions.
The film features a supersonic reconnaissance plane in the sky and a CBR1100XX Super Blackbird speeding down the runway, the fastest of the two. The film was edited by a special effects company in Los Angeles to look like a Hollywood movie.
For the production of the catalog and promotional video, a model was actually built to project the image of the XX. The hangar is the actual one pictured below, which was processed and composited in the catalog and video.
There were rumors of a CBR1200XX, but it ended in a mirage.
There were rumors that the CBR1100XX, which was discontinued for the 2007 model year, would have a new model that gained a 1200cc engine. This was because the XX's dominance had been shaken by the launch of the GSX1300R Hayabusa in 1999 and the ZX-12R in 2000, and there was also concrete information that it would adopt Hyper VTEC.
In the end, the CBR1200XX was never released, but this is probably due to the fact that the prototype equipped with a cylinder deactivation system that was actually being tested was scrapped. Although the system was expected to be a revolutionary mechanism, it reportedly did not lead to much improvement in fuel economy for a motorcycle that frequently uses high-revving engine revolutions.
The variable cylinder system = cylinder deactivation system was a system that applied Hyper VTEC technology to use two 2-valve cylinders ←→ four 4-valve cylinders for different combustion. This was tested on the CBR1100XX.
CBR1100XX engine with cylinder deactivation system. Various devices can be seen attached to the cylinder head. There is also a motor that looks like an electronic throttle, but the details are unknown.
1997 CBR1100XX Super Blackbird Major Specifications
Overall Length x Overall Width x Overall Height: 2160 x 720 x 1170mm
Wheelbase: 1490mm
Seat height: 810mm
Weight: 223 kg (dry)
Engine: Liquid-cooled 4-stroke, in-line 4-cylinder, DOHC 4-valve, 1137cc
Maximum output: 164 PS at 10000 rpm
Maximum torque: 12.7kg-m/72,500rpm
Fuel tank capacity: 22 liters
Transmission: 6-speed return
Brakes: F=W disc, R=disc
Tires: F=120/70ZR17, R=180/55ZR17
