MARTY HONDA CB1000R
Running in a bike is sometimes the worst part of owning a litre beast like the CB1000R. You’re told to take it easy and not labour the engine, but all you really want to do is blast down those A-roads as if you were a GP rider on his day off.
Even so, there is an upside to taking it easy on a new bike, which is that you can really get a feel for it at lower revs and speeds. For example, the CB is a bit jerky on the throttle at lower speeds due to the closed loop euro 4 exhaust, and you have to be smoother in slow moving traffic to avoid what I have dubbed ‘nodding chicken head’ syndrome – hopefully a new exhaust will help next month.
Oh, and on a side note, when I first picked up the bike I was having issues with the auto blipper feeling clunky or jerky when I changed gear. Once back at HQ Beej jumped on the CB and took her for a quick spin. He pointed out that if you aren’t quick and forceful enough with your foot, changing gear will cause the bike to be slightly jerky. Armed with this top tip, my subsequent quick shifts have been as smooth as butter. With this in mind, using a work trip was the perfect way to rack up the running-in miles, as I headed to the Peak District and made the most of some lovely winding roads on which the CB handled like a champ, even when I got a bit too over-eager and forgot about taking it easy.
The only real gripe I had was the uncomfortable seat (that I mentioned in last month’s issue), which I’m currently looking to fix. It wasn’t all riding though, as a quick pit stop at Speedycom meant I was away with some shiny new Pazzo levers in a gun metal hue, which have reduced the clutch and brake slack – not that I use the clutch lever that much due to the quick shifter being smooth as butter now. The Pazzos add a certain aftermarket class and will actually perform unlike the cheapo knock-offs that don’t even look good, let alone perform well.
After another quick stop I dropped my bags at my accommodation and headed out in search of Southport and some dinner. Now, if you’re like me and live inland, when you go to the seaside you have fish and chips – it’s an unwritten law. So when I stumbled upon a chip shop place that doubles as a (sort of) seafront bike meet stop, I felt like I’d hit the jackpot. Now we’re not a food magazine so I won’t critique the chips, but the company was great and spending most of the night with two fellow CB1000 owners gave me a good chance to compare new and old, current mods and the mods we want, as well as convincing one chap to visit his local dealer and take a test ride on the new model CB.
I think that’s the power of motorcycling and the core audience it now has in the UK. We’ve had some hard times in the last decade, but those of us that still love biking see something we want and we go get it, even if we should’ve asked the wife first!