The Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird was the world's fastest production motorcycle when launched in the summer of 1996, ripping the title away from the legendary Kawasaki ZX-11. Two years later the title had passed to the Suzuki Hayabusa. Nonetheless the Blackbird has earned a solid reputation as a powerful, fast, smooth and very reliable sport-touring motorcycle. As an example of its reliability, Dale Wilson rode over 1500 miles a day on a Blackbird for seven consecutive days in late spring of 2007, setting a motorcycle endurance record. The Blackbird name is an obvious nod to the Lockheed SR-71 aircraft. CBR1100XX Blackbird Fairings

Production of the Blackbird began in 1996 and halted in late 2007. The Blackbird was last imported to North America in 2003. Major changes to the Blackbird were introduced in 1999, when Honda switched from carburetion to PGM fuel injection. Many other modifications were also made in 1999. The 2001 Blackbird received an LCD instrument cluster. Since then, only the color schemes have changed.

The Blackbird was a founding bike in the hyper sport touring niche market, along with the Kawasaki ZX-11. This market has since expanded to include the Suzuki Hayabusa and Kawasaki ZZR1400/ZX-14. In the US the CBR1100XX never sold as well as the Suzuki Hayabusa, although it is appreciated for its elegant lines and dual counter balancer shafts which give the Blackbird its exceptional smoothness. motorcycle fairings

Some of the 1999-2000 models have had their wiring looms replaced by Honda under warranty, this was due to corrosion around an unused "block connector". This connector is only used once to test the bike's electronics after manufacture and then simply taped up. Corrosion of this connector caused short circuits and a failure to run.