As far as I recall the only difference between the R and CR other than cosmetics, is that the gearing is shorter, thus offering more acceleration and less useless top end, since it's a more naked bike than the R.
It makes for a crazy, absolutely manic formula, and I think my girlfriend might never want to get on a bike ever again.
The bike has a number of on/off switches, you either brake or you don't, you either accelerate or you don't, you stop or you go....very fast. Okay maybe I'm lying a little about the acceleration, and it had everything to do with my complete lack of self-control, and just wanting to whack the throttle open. On the very first stretch of open road the nose already came up just a little, and I can't wheelie if I tried so that says it all.
The brakes however know only one thing...STOP. There is no progressive easing into a stop here, it simply bites and bolts down on the ground and you stop dead...no questions asked, except from the person on the back trying not to roll over your head.
Apparently the pillion seat is very hard, but I figured that had more to do with clenching butt cheeks than anything else,and possibly a minor fear of death just to round things off. For a sportsbike, where pillions are usually an afterthought I felt quite comfortable as a rider carrying a passenger, with none of the usual issues racking my brain. The passenger in question didn't like it at all however, and would much prefer riding it herself.
Initially I thought it would be a horribly uncomfortable experience when first sitting on the thing, but the moment we got going the anime-inspired Akira-esque riding position was strangely comfortable. You literally sit with your head on top of the headlight, sort of hanging into the bars. The mirrors dictate your tucked in riding position, as you see bugger all in them when sitting upright, and I couldn't adjust them at all, which leads me to believe that's just the way it is.
Cornering speeds are crazy. I just couldn't acclimatize to the dramatic increase in speed, and the ease with which the bike cuts through corners. When you are comfortable enough to look down at the clocks while going through a corner at warp-speed, it says a whole lot about the abilities of the bike.
I honestly don't think I could ever ride this bike at full tilt, unless I quit my day job and only rode bikes all day long to equalise my skills to the abilities of the bike. Coming into corners my brain would say you are going much too fast, while the bike wasn't even really trying yet, and I noted about a 30-40km/h cornering speed increase, this on a bike that I had just gotten onto. If I had to own it, or ride it for an extended period of time I could push up those speeds significantly, and probably kill myself in the process or just get into a whole lot of trouble.
Sadly, at the end of the day I feel that, just like the 1125R this simply isn't a Buell. Sure it does almost everything brilliantly well, lots of power and torque, superb braking ability, and astonishing handling with massive cornering speeds, but it simply has no soul, unlike my vibrating Harley-engined quirky Lightning does.
It is almost too purposeful, almost too clinical...almost like everything else.
