Even when stifled by stock...
Even when stifled by stock exhaust it pulls hard off the light thanks to copious torque off idle.
The 2002-03 CBR954RR existed in Honda’s line-up for only a sliver of time but was the perfect farewell to an era begun by the 1993 CBR900RR. Some called it a 600 with the balls of a 1000. On release, it’s deceivingly lightweight build and receptiveness to upgrade was overshadowed by the wicked Gixxer 1000 but nonetheless it packed a versatility celebrated by track rats to road warriors. Even stunters saw its charm and exploited the short wheelbase and low-end hit that made wheelies easy. As a jack-of-all-trades it offered street riders a user-friendliness missing from many modern literbikes. Today, it is near impossible to find one that hasn’t been abused.
Road Less Traveled
SSB has often turned our garage into a shelter for battered project bikes. Rehab wasn’t necessary this time. When an overpriced gem appeared on Craigslist 150 miles away we took a chance and drove south. Sparkling in stock trim (albeit swingarm spools and an aftermarket screen), a 2002 954RR with 2,200 miles appeared from behind a garage door. Once pulled off a Battery Tender, the motor turned over a beautifully clean purr. Not a single mechanical flaw or grain of grime existed anywhere. The magic of finding a motorized unicorn was hard to contain. It’d sat in the back of a car collector’s garage for most its life before a second owner purchased it for nostalgic reasons. The seller needed cash, but had priced it high, half-hoping no one would show up to buy it. After rounds of negotiating and convincing the owner to continue with the sale, a like-new project bike was loaded into the SSB transport van for $6,500.
Why pay so much for a bike that in standard shape can be easily had for thousands less? A lot of unforeseen costs come with a bike ridden hard for a decade. This 954 was showroom mint, which meant we could forgo all the time and money normally set aside for repair and focus it into designing a featherweight commuter packed with performance parts.
The Plan
Back at HQ we decided to pause and enjoy what we had. Months of riding the 954 around town with a stock mudflap, blinkers and bazooka stock exhaust earned smiles from CBR fans and reaffirmed our plan of attack. The midrange is rich with thrust, the riding position comfortably upright (similar to the 929), and the flip-up trunk large enough to fit a lunchbox. The handling is light into corners and we found it easy to knife through traffic, stop quickly and trek miles through the urban jungle without throwing our wrists and back out of whack. The 954 came out of the box as an exciting everyday choice but we plan to inject the SSB touch and transform it into a true commuting weapon.
Wet Weight (fully-fueled): 445 lbs.
Peak Power: 124 HP and 64.7 lb-ft of torque
Fuel Consumption (commuting): 29-34.5 MPG
Quarter Mile: 10.665 @ 134.24 MPH*
1/8th Mile: 7.044 @ 108.45*
*Drag times performed by Gaige Herrera of Herrera Racing.
It looked like the chain had...
It looked like the chain had never spun prior to purchase.
It looked like the chain had...
It looked like the chain had never spun prior to purchase.