Hi, Are You the 2017 Honda CBR1000RR?

If you were hoping that the 2017 Honda CBR1000RR would be a completely new machine for sport bike enthusiasts, the following might disappoint you.

This is because photos published on Twitter seem to suggest that the 2017 Honda Fireblade will get mostly cosmetic changes for the upcoming model year.

As you can see after the jump, what looks like the new CBR1000RR was caught lapping for what appears to be a PR video spot for the Japanese OEM.

While it is clear from these shots that the pictured Honda CBR1000RR has a radically new fairing design, a closer comparison to the chassis (see above) suggests that the machine is simply the current generation machine, with new clothing.

Though the quality of the images is poor, the frame and swingarm appear to be of the same design. More damning, the engine case covers appear to be very similar to the current model Honda CBR1000RR.

In the top image, we’ve highlighted items that appear to carry-over from the 2016 to the 2017 design. Looking at the bolt patterns and swingarm pivot position, the pictured Honda CBR1000RR appears to confirm the machine in question is a gussied up 2016 model.

The rearsets look to be exactly the same, and are mounted in an identical position. Similarly the engine mounting bolt at the bend of the frame is in an identical spot (suggesting that the two machines share engine casings), as is the mounting point for the rear subframe.

The clutch casings also look very similar, with the axis points identical to the 2016 Honda CBR1000RR.

Most interesting though. and perhaps the best smoking gun to this theory, is the cover/patch that can be seen on the frame, near the front, of the 2017 Honda CBR1000RR.

This is would exactly cover a hole that is found on the 2016 chassis, where hoses from the radiator typical route through, back to the engine.

Not only does such an add-on suggest that Honda is reusing the previous generation’s chassis design, but it also suggests the lack of changes the Japanese manufacturer is bringing to its superbike for 2017, as a whole.

Focusing on what’s new, aside from the updated look to the fairings, the only thing we can see is a revised subframe, tail assembly, and exhaust can – the latter likely to help with Euro4 regulations.

Of course, these photos tell us nothing about what is beneath the fairings of the new CBR1000RR, so perhaps Honda has made some interesting technical changes to its liter-class inline-four engine.

We can almost surely expect a full electronics suite on the 2017 Honda CBR1000RR, with traction control and other rider aids finally installed on this iconic machine.

Hopefully, rumors of a higher-end V4 superbike will surface to be true. Such a machine could be a homologation special for Honda, being made in limited numbers with a much high price tag, while the machine here serves to be the more affordable superbike solution for the masses. Time will tell on that, though.

Source: @srubinic (Twitter)

Thanks for the tip Jesse!