“Thrush” is a motorcycle that does not at all look like this small bird. On the contrary, this powerful beast until 1999 was considered the fastest in the world. This nickname stuck to him thanks to the English name Super Blackbird, which literally translates as "black bird." The official name of the motorcycle is Honda CBR1100XX.
The fight for the championship
The model was produced from 1996 to 2007. Honda created it as opposed to the creation of one of its main competitors. Before the appearance of the “Thrush”, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11 was recognized as the fastest among serial motorcycles. The ambitious plans of the developers implied the creation of a bike that would surpass the "Ninju" in speed.
This dream has come true. "Black Ptah" really could sweep along the highway at a speed of almost 290 km / h. However, in 1999, this record was broken by another Japanese - the legendary Hayabusa. Its maximum speed was 312 km / h. Later a new hero appeared, supplanting Hayabusa. In 2005, it was surpassed by the Kawasaki ZZR 1400, which today holds the palm. But at present, Drozd is a motorcycle that is still on the list of the fastest.
Pages of history
The Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird was launched in 1996. She immediately won many fans. In 1998, the company made a small upgrade by changing the thermostat housing. A year later, the Drozd motorcycle underwent its first major upgrade. Instead of carburetors, the model received PGM-FI electronic fuel injection. The system of inertial boost allowed to increase the maximum engine power to 164 liters. from.
The new retuned combined brake system is responsible for the perfect distribution of forces between the rear and front circuits. The tank capacity also increased - from 22 to 24 liters. The radiator became more massive, and instead of seven clutch discs, the bike received 9. The Drozd motorcycles of this and subsequent years of production have a capacity of 164 liters. from.
In 2001, designers equipped the bike with an electronic dashboard. The shape of the windshield was modernized, which ensured comfort at high speeds. The next year, 2002, was marked by a reconfiguration of the injection system, which began to comply with the new environmental emission standards. The motorcycle "Honda Drozd" from that time began to issue 152 liters. from. power at 119 Nm of torque. Soon, the company began to phase out the release. In 2003, it ceased to be supplied to the US markets, and in 2007 the release was completely discontinued.
Appearance
If you briefly look at the “Drozd”, the motorcycle will seem like a typical representative of the sports class. However, the manufacturer positions it as a “sport-tourist” model. It can not only drive on the highway, but also go on a long journey. A comfortable pilot's landing, excellent wind protection, the ability to install wardrobe trunks - all this has the potential for long trips. Many owners of Drozd are more inclined to single races. It can be difficult to cruise in a convoy for such a frisky unit for a long time.
The target audience
Drozd is a motorcycle that fits perfectly into the pace of a large modern city. It was designed for those who like to drive along the deserted night streets. Even a long ride at extreme speeds is perfectly acceptable for this bike. The manufacturer honestly warns about the frisky character of Drozd, even its name refers us to flights and conquered peaks. If you like just that style of driving, perhaps this is your option. He will also like those who have to not only drive along the highway, but also maneuver around the city, bypassing its traffic jams, slowing down and again tearing ahead at traffic lights, wandering along narrow curved streets.
At the same time, do not forget the following: like most large compact cars, the Drozd will require considerable skill. He is heavy, but agile. You can’t call him sloppy. With good handling and stability, which manifests itself even in turns, a motorcycle requires a certain level of skill from the pilot. Any transport with an engine of such a volume rarely becomes the first, according to experienced bikers, you need to grow up to the "litrukh". “Thrush” is more often chosen by those who have already managed to break in the “six hundred” and “eight hundred”.
Behavior features
As one would expect from such an apparatus, it quickly picks up speed, shows considerable stability. At the start, the thrush easily bypasses not only most sports bikes, but also many cars of the same class. Not for nothing that he was so long considered the fastest in the world. An important moment, many owners consider the brakes to work. In front of him there are 2 discs, behind - one. A heavy bike slows down pretty quickly. If you wish, of course, you can install ABS on this bike.
Technical features
"Drozd" - a motorcycle, the characteristics of which are given in the table, has a number of features.
Engine | In-line, 4 cylinders |
Frame | Spatial, aluminum |
Engine displacement (working), cm 3 | 1137 |
Cooling | Liquid |
Base mm | 1490 |
Saddle mm | 809 |
Curb Weight | 254 |
Acceleration to hundreds, sec. | 2,8 |
It looks like a motorcycle is a heavy truck. In fact, its dry weight is 223 kg. Some after the purchase start tuning, trying to reduce weight. By the way, this idea, apparently, came to the manufacturer himself. Indeed, on the basis of "Drozd" for quite a while, Naked, differing exclusively in skin (and weight, respectively) was produced.
Noteworthy is such a moment as fuel consumption. It is quite small for a motorcycle of this class. Get ready that on the highway "Drozd" will absorb an average of 5.9 liters. for a hundred. Of course, in many respects this indicator depends on the speed at which you will move. When cruising at 180 km / h, the appetite of the motorcycle will increase to 7-8 liters.
Tuning Opportunities
An irresistible desire to improve even the best sometimes visits every biker. The most common alterations that Drozd most often undergo are as follows:
- Heated handles.
- Xenon in optics.
- Sheath modernization, “neukedization”.
- ABS installation.
- Removing glass.
- Painting.
- Dismantling the passenger seat.
Competitors
As it was originally, the main competitors of Drozd remain the bikes of the same class, claiming to be the fastest among the production ones: Kawasaki ZZ-R 1100, ZZ-R 1200 and ZX-12R, Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa.
Prices
If you plan to purchase a bike of this model, most likely, you will not be able to find a new one in view of the fact that its release is completely discontinued. But the secondary market is saturated with completely viable aggregates. Blackbird is a motorcycle that was produced for the United States of America and European countries. Therefore, it gets to our secondary from there. The lack of pokatushek on the roads of our country will add a lot to the price, however, the technical condition of the bike in this case will be better. The price also depends on the year of manufacture: the younger the motorcycle, the larger the figure. Experts say that you can buy a technically sound motorcycle "Drozd", whose price is about 3.5-4 thousand dollars.