Honda CB1100RS & EX
Euro-4 1140cc air-cooled inline four Showa shocks and 17in wheels LED tail light and bigger tank
THOUGH THE CB1100 is barely four years old, it manages to look older – a classic inline four roadster that still looks fresh or at least timeless, in the face of changing fashions and evolving emissions regs. For 2017 it’s available in two forms: the updated CB1100EX (see panel) and this new RS model, the sportier sibling.
Both versions share the same air-cooled, 1140cc inline four. Capacity is unchanged from the 2016 bike but revised intakes and exhaust not only get it past the Euro 4 standard but also give 4bhp more. Trickling through Barcelona’s morning rush hour, what stands out is the smoothness and accuracy of the throttle response.
Peak power is a relatively modest 66bhp but with 67lb.ft of torque there’s no shortage of shunt, especially in the three lower gears. There’s also a pleasantly edgy, off-beat character to the engine, as the timing for cylinders one and two is fractionally different to that of cylinders three and four. At high rpm, that produces a great noise from the (70mm shorter, 2.4kg lighter) twin exhausts.
Cutting a course through the twisty roads above the city, the CB engine dominates the riding experience. There’s plenty of creamy drive and enough engine braking to roll through most corners, though the new slipper clutch smoothes things out when I go down one gear too many. Really, the sensitive but powerful radial brakes are better for scrubbing speed – especially as the ABS system doesn’t intervene unnecessarily.
The RS has 43mm Showa forks and twin Showa shocks with remote reservoirs, all with adjustable preload but no damping adjustment (though the updated forks use a new “Dual Bending Valve” for better damping control). The ride quality is good but, even though the forks are 1° steeper than on the EX, the steering’s a little heavy for what’s supposed to be a café-racer – probably because the RS has 17in wheels with 120 front and 180 rear tyres.
I do enjoy riding the
RS and it’s well-made, beautifully detailed machine – from the twin clocks and LED headlight inside the period-perfect round nacel to the 16.8L tank and the comfortable 795mm seat. At £11,139, it’s only £374 more expensive than the EX but doesn’t gain the ability to adjust the damping on the suspension to really refine the ride and enhance its sporty side. The RS does feels like a more modern version of the CB1100 and, with cast wheels and less chrome to polish, it’ll be easier to live with – but it’s not a better bike than the EX model, just a subtly different one.