by Dimitris Diatsidis
Photo: Nassos Triantafyllou, Kyriakos Antoniou
Safety equipment: Shoei XSP-Pro helmet, Alpinestars Air Tech overalls, Alpinestars gloves; Alpinestars boots
"Track Days", or Track Days as they have come to be called, are one of the pleasures of every sports driving fan. All he needs to do is to book a place with the organiser of the track day he chooses, arrange for his motorcycle to be transported there, either by trailer or in a van, or by a transport company, if the motorcycle cannot be driven to the track by public roads, which is often done for the Megara track by motorcyclists from Athens and the surrounding areas, and less often when it comes to the Serres track. Of course, one must make sure to carry the necessary safety equipment, which includes for the track, in addition to a helmet, gloves and boots, a full body suit, preferably not divided.
In our case, we booked our place at the organizer Extreme Track Days, who had made sure that everything was ready at the Serres track for the last Track Day of the year and we were lucky enough to have an invitation from MouratisGP to ride the new Honda CBR1000RR-R and so the transport was done by the promoters and we just carried the safety equipment.
Nikos Mouratis had made sure that the new Honda flagship was equipped with all the best features to make it a perfect motorcycle for track riding.
And what was not on the bike that since last year when it was presented in the world market, is the dream of all Honda fans and is of course one of the two bikes with which Marc Marquez has been training on asphalt tracks until now when he ends his contract with the world's biggest motorcycle sales company.
First of all, we have to say that in terms of the engine, which delivers 217 hp in its normal form, the only intervention was to change the exhaust system with a full-body Akrapovic that, combined with a DNA filter, makes the engine breathe even better. In the electric sector, an HRC Superstock-spec harness-brain was put in, meaning there's the best possible performance with the rest of the engine remaining completely normal.
The full-body Akrapovic combined with DNA filter and HRC Superstock braid-head braid
SP Motorsports of the well-known engineer Spyros Papageorgiou based in Serres, took care and carefully adjusted all the parameters, so that there is a very smooth performance. Over 10 horsepower gain from exhaust and electrics. For gear changes without the use of a clutch Gordona's Quickshifter was preferred. For final drive the gears are Gandini and the chain is DID.
At the same time we also started to improve the bike in terms of all those peripherals that make it even better for track days.
The rear subframe and the Ram-Air instrument panels came from Motoholders. GB Racing guards, mushrooms and engine covers went in,
The brake pump and the brake pump and the cuffed brake base are by Accossato.
The rear subframe came from Motoholders
The suspension has been improved at the front with Ohlins cartridges, while at the rear the Swedish Ohlins shock absorber is a good guarantee of quality for its consistent performance.
The clips and sills are from Spider and the tank cap is from the same company.
The "suit" of the bike and all the plastics are Sebimoto, while the fairing comes from France and Ermax.
The Dunlop slicks have been worn on lighter OZ wheels and so the bike took the form we were lucky enough to ride it in the 16 turns of the Serres circuit.
To begin with, the smoothness and torque of the four-cylinder in-line engine of a thousand cubic centimetres is impressive, as is its agility, with 14,500 rpm coming incredibly quickly, where the quickshifter makes the shift to the next gear with absolute precision and of course without touching the clutch. The Accossato pump brakes perform wonderfully and feel very, very good. During braking, and also on corner entry, Honda's aerodynamic aids help with stability and make line selection easier. Into the corner and on exit the Ohlins shocks make the job easier and the Dunlop slicks give the grip to get a good exit.
The engine covers are from GB Racing
The use of all these components mentioned above also significantly reduces the initial weight of 201 kg, with the bike filled with 3.8 litres of oil and 16 litres of petrol. This makes directional changes light and easy in both the 6-7-8 esky and the faster 13-14-15. In the last 16th corner of the track you can enjoy the 217+ horsepower and feel the intense acceleration, quickly reaching - after 636 m - the brakes for turn 1.
The brake pump and the cuff are Accossato
Overall a great experience, probably one of the best track day bikes we have ridden in our journalistic life on tracks around the world.
The passion of Nikos Mouratis, the ability of Spyros Papageorgiou in the composition of the beautiful puzzle of all these excellent pieces, brings the desired result. What else can one ask for but good lap times, but above all, beyond the times, the feeling of sports driving on a special level.
The cuff of the Accossato guarantee
Gordona's Quickshifter, Spider's Marsupial
Ohlins cartridges for the bustle
From left: Nikos Muratis, Spyros Papageorgiou, Dimitris Diatsidis
