Japanese motorbike manufacturer, Honda has recently filed a patent for a mirror winglet design for its CBR1000RR Fireblade. The mirror winglet could be seen on the next updated model of the brand’s flagship Superbike.
Since the past couple of years, the aerodynamic winglet technology has been in action in the racing world like MotoGp and WSBK, to improve downforce at high speeds. However, it was only in 2018 that WSBK started allowing winglets on their competition bikes, only if companies agreed to feature them on their homologated road-going production models. The Ducati Panigale V4 and Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory are such examples. Both these bikes sport aerodynamic winglets. And now looking at the patent, Honda may be joining them next with their CBR1000RR Fireblade.
The winglets on the MotoGp bike are attached to the front fairing and generate a lot of downforce/weight. The body winglets on the Ducati Panigale V4 generate a claimed 30 kgs at 270 kmph. The ones on the Honda CBR1000RR look tiny and may generate less force, because then the mirror stems will be subjected to massive weight on them from transferring downforce at high speeds and we think it may be designed to move the air more freely around the rider.
The Honda CBR1000RR is powered by a 999cc, liquid-cooled, 16-valve, DOHC, inline-4 engine that produces 189 HP of power @ 13,000 RPM and 114 Nm of torque @ 11,000 RPM connected to a 6-speed gearbox with a slipper assist clutch. The chassis is a diamond type aluminium composite twin-spar and rides on 43mm inverted telescopic front fork and a Unit Pro-Link gas-charged adjustable rear shock. The kerb weight of the bike is 196 kg.
The new updated Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade is expected to be introduced by 2021 and may feature these mirror winglets. The Honda CBR1000RR is available for sale in India and is priced at INR 16,84,370 ex-Showroom, Mumbai while the CBR1000RR SP edition is priced at 19,69,235 ex-Showroom, Mumbai.