HONDA CB1000R
THIS MONTH I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN… “Braving the cold.”
Finally with a significant break in the weather, the CB1000R and I have managed some proper mileage this month. Now in the same vein as Joe Pasquale speaks highly about everyone and everything, I can be criticised for doing the very same thing about every bike I ride. I am in the fortunate position to be given the opportunity to ride a lot of quality machines. With the CB10000R, however, there is something special going on with the range of delivery that this bike possesses.
Jump on a Fireblade and you know what it’s designed to be capable of and can tailor your critique toward whether it does that well. The same can be said for an Africa Twin, Enduro bike or whatever. When you are not sure what to expect within what can be argued a new genre being introduced by Honda, it is more difficult to categorise.
So, with this being a sports bike magazine I need to take that angle, but its worth knowing that I could sit on this bike for hours. The seating position is high up, comfortable and for those long rides, the five-stage heated grips (as standard on the plus model) are remarkably effective.
The dash provides all of the information you need clearly, with speed, fuel, gear indicator and the added illuminations of a different coloured LED for each gear change you make. The Dash is not TFT, it’s back lit, but does everything you need it to and it is simple to flick through the three given modes, Rain, Standard and Sport, each giving a noted change to power, dependant on the conditions.
I am yet to have the opportunity to play with the user mode, getting the bike set specifically for me with the option to turn off the traction control. This is only part of the set up capabilities of this CB with its fully adjustable Showa BPF – Separate Function Forks.
What I am getting to is that yes, the road manners are impeccable, but with the high seated position, excellent ground clearance, and over 140bhp to play with, the track capabilities are an exciting prospect. You can tell from being on the road just how nimble this ‘muscle-bound naked’ can be, which means I have got to get it out on track before the big red telephone tells me my time is up!
If any more evidence was needed that this was a very capable sports machine, then knowing that Ron Haslam has taken delivery of a few for his instructors at the Race School is no bad testament.
Ok, those instructors can ride a bit, but then so can us students, especially on the 650Rs and Blades.
A very pleasing addition to the bike this month has been the fitting of an all-new Scorpion, Red Power Silencer. Scorpion provide the Haslam’s school too, so there is a nice link. They have done a lovely job with this, available in both black ceramic or as I had fitted, a brushed stainless silencer.
Performance aside, you have to be careful not to mess with the styling of the CB1000R, and delightfully this end can does the job perfectly. Power gains are minimal as it is only a slip-on after all (thus a single pony to be exact), but with the change in soundtrack giving the bike a deep, throaty grumble, it certainly sounds as powerful as it is. Heads turn to look at the bike quicker than they turn away, that is for sure.
So that’s my plan... more touringbased miles and a track day, because I want to see if the CB1000R is made of the right ingredients to have my cake and eat it. Rubbish pun, great bike.