Honda’s 2017 Fireblade SP2 version is limited to 500 - a race homolgation special for teams, racers and collectors only but you can bet there’ll be a few at the first sunny Brands Hatch trackday next year, being tazzed round by Essex scaffolders.
Yes – the SP2 Fireblade is that rare beast – a race special. Built in limited numbers, these fancy versions are made so that race teams can use an unusual technical setup in production-based race series. Back in the good old days, firms would put titanium conrods, close-ratio gearboxes, dry clutches and magnesium wheels into SP versions of their superbikes, making the posh parts legit in racing. The rules are much tighter nowadays though, and superbike racing still outlaws plenty of kit, whether it’s on the road bike or not.
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So what does the SP2 have that’s so fancy? Well on the outside, not much. There are some forged Marchesini wheels, which are lighter and tougher than cast rims. And there’s some posh paint. But that’s all that marks it out from the SP1 version.
The big mods are on the inside though. There are bigger valves in the head – 1mm larger intakes and 1.5mm larger exhaust valves, and the valve included angles are different: the intake goes from 10° to 12°, and the exhaust changes from 11° to 12°. The valves are also ready for higher-lift HRC racekit cams to be slotted into place, and total weight of the valve train has been reduced.
That change matches a different combustion chamber shape and valve port design. The compression remains at 13:1, but there’s an unspecified change in chamber shape, plus a new water-cooling gallery wrapped around the chamber, for better cooling at high revs and peak output. Honda’s even had to fit special longer spark plugs to suit this change.
Why the all-new head? The cylinder head is at the heart of an engine’s power production, and changes here can make big differences to what a motor can do. By preparing the head for high-rpm, high-power operation, Honda gives race teams a road-legal setup, which with some small mods – higher lift cams, more aggressive valve timing, violent ignition timing – will give the high peak power outputs needed in a racebike. And details like improved combustion chamber cooling will help it all hold together.
Away from the head, the pistons are new, with a high-tech heat treatment, and a lighter, smaller gudgeon pin design.
On the electronic front, the SP1 brains are supplemented with more track-bias toys: a pitlane speed limiter and a programmable launch control setup. You also get five levels of power control instead of three.
The SP2’s ready to have a host of racekit parts bolted on to make the most of it – and Honda’s listed some of the parts. The full beans HRC kit includes more than 80 parts, including a Race ECU, titanium exhaust system, uprated cylinder parts, HRC swingarm, WSB-spec brakes, and a race wiring harness. You’ll need to have Tadao Baba on your Facebook friend list to even be considered for one of these golden kits we imagine.
What mere mortals might have a chance at sourcing is the “SP2 Sport” race kit. It comes with a full exhaust, race ECU, HRC cams and valve springs. Not for road use, but if you get one, let us know and we’ll come round and take it for a wazz up the local bypass to see how she goes.
