My new toy, 1996 CBR900rr

[Agemax]

I would like to introduce Stanley, the newest member of the family.

Just picked this up the other day, i was looking out for a cheap runabout and a friend of mine offered me it for a price i couldnt turn down.

Its clean and well looked after, few niggly issues that need addressing and the carbs need a good clean and set up but apart from that its a half decent 24 year old bike.

 

[6boys]

Sweet! How many miles?

 

[Guest]

Looks rapid! Nice score.

 

[Agemax]

Sweet! How many miles?

60k on the clock but almost complete service history, still not a lot for a 24 year old bike.

 

[Rijko]

Sweet ... loved them from the moment they were introduced.
That was with the 16 inch front wheel which i believe was
abandoned after the first model.

Great addition !!

 

[Agemax]

Sweet ... loved them from the moment they were introduced.
That was with the 16 inch front wheel which i believe was
abandoned after the first model.

Great addition !!

This one has been "upgraded" to a 17" front wheel, borrowed from a VFR750 i believe. It also has GSXR1000 6 pot calipers

 

[Rijko]

Yeah, that 16" wheel was too good ... caused a lot of crashes.
Love those brakes btw, though the original brakes were quite good these look better.
Buddy of mine races one of these Fireblades.
Though not as powerful, the handling and driveability is so good he can still compete against modern bikes. He loves it.

 

[salty_monk]

Nice! Congrats!

 

[steve murdoch]

Cool ride, Max.
I like the stealthier paint scheme. A lot of the stock ones for a couple years were too gaudy.
Jealous of the big brakes.

 

[RichDesmond]

This one has been "upgraded" to a 17" front wheel, borrowed from a VFR750 i believe. It also has GSXR1000 6 pot calipers

Take the quotes off of “upgrade”, the 17” front is much better.

 

[Buffalo Bill]

Fantastic classic superbike! Not a runabout however, too powerful.

 

[Rijko]

Take the quotes off of “upgrade”, the 17” front is much better.

Maybe the 17" VFR wheel. idk.

The original 16" was better ie allowed quicker steering and less moving mass, unsprung weight, etc.
But it was so stiff it did not give any warnings when you reached the end of the sidewall.
One moment there's grip, the next moment you're down.

This was the reason Suzuki went to a 17" wheel - this gave earlier warnings.
Exactly why that was, i do not know, but the number of accidents reduced greatly.

 

[GalDemSuga]

Always loved these 900RRs

 

[GS1150Pilot]

Love that bike. I personally have enjoyed 16" front wheel bikes, most particularly my VF1000R, but I do think they were a time piece.

 

[Buffalo Bill]

I had a 93 Kawasaki EX500 with 16" wheels. Not that I could tell the difference because that was my 1st bike.
16" tire selection is very limited now, I don't think there's any performance tire available.
My bike had Bridgestone Exedra tires, they were not very sticky. I was doing a sharp slow speed turn once and the front slipped, caught the fall with a foot down.
Don't wanna be on a sport bike with tires that bad.

 

[GS1150Pilot]

Well, you can still get the Pirelli Sport Demon in it, and of course, the old Lasertec is still available.

 

[RichDesmond]

Well, you can still get the Pirelli Sport Demon in it, and of course, the old Lasertec is still available.

Which, unfortunately, are nothing like modern sport tires. I started racing back in '98 on an EX500, and even then the 16" tires available were woefully antiquated compared to what was available in 17". 20+ years later the gap is much bigger.

 

[GS1150Pilot]

Oh, I hear ya, but they worked well back in the day for the street. I had Metzelers on my VF1000R.

 

[dorkburger]

What?! Honda pics?!.... oh wait.. wrong site. Seriously thought, congrats and enjoy.

 

[Agemax]

I have had a few good rides out on it and after i sorted out some issues with it i have started to like it.
When i bought it there was a jack up kit on the back, which made the riding position and handling awful, who knows why people want to jack up the rear??
Also my legs were almost bent double to get my feet on the footrests but luckily the Harris rear sets have plenty of adjustment to alter the footrest height, so i now have it at a really nice comfortable riding position.
The engine is strong, with plenty of power, even with 60k miles on the clock it still runs really nice with the K&N filter and full Yoshi exhaust.
I have laid it up for the winter now and there is a list of "big" issues that need addressing...
1. new rear tyre
2. rear brake is useless, caliper needs stripping, cleaning and probably new seals and pistons.
3. front forks need stripping and servicing, there is not much damping action and none of the adjustments work, mainly because they are stuck/siezed. will fully strip and service the entire forks and fit new seals, bushes and probably replace the tired springs.
4. carbs need stripping and servicing. the bike runs really rich low down. Until i get them apart i dont know what state they are inside but i have noticed the float bowls are fitted to the wrong carbs.
5. electrics. everything works ok, charging is good ( it has the uprated reg/rec fitted) but i just want to go through all the connectors and make sure they are good and clean.

After all that i will be looking forward to riding it again next summer