The Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird was a Honda motorcycle made from 1996 to 2007. The bike was developed to challenge the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11 as the world's fastest production motorcycle, and Honda succeeded with a top speed of 178.5 mph. Two years later the title passed to the Suzuki Hayabusa, which reached 194 mph. The Blackbird is named after the Lockheed SR-71, also a speed record holder.
In the mid 1990s, Honda was determined to produce the world's fastest production motorcycle and to take over the associated bragging rights and marketing impact, at the time held by Kawasaki's Ninja ZX11. This led to the creation of the CBR1100XX Super Blackbird. The Blackbird name is a nod to the Lockheed SR-71 aircraft, the world's fastest aircraft.
In the February 1997 issue of Sport Rider magazine, the CBR1100XX was tested at a top speed of 178.5 mph, compared with 175 mph for the ZX-11. Its supremacy over the ZX-11 was confirmed in April 2007 by Motorcycle Consumer News, although the speeds achieved were slightly lower and the margin was narrower.
In 1999 the Suzuki Hayabusa GSX1300R overtook the CBR1100XX. It was listed in the 2000 Millennium Edition of Guinness World Records as the world's fastest production bike with a top speed of 194 mph.
Production of the Blackbird began in 1996 and halted in 2007. Imports to North America ended in 2003 but sales continued in Europe until 2007. Major changes to the Blackbird were introduced in 1999, when Honda switched from carburetors to PGM fuel injection. The 2001 Blackbird received an LCD instrument cluster. Since then, mostly the color schemes have changed but changes to the exhaust and fuelling systems have been made to meet emission standards and maintain or improve fuel efficiency.
Specific variations to the initial model are:
Modification to the thermostat housing. The other changes are minor.
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