Honda CBR1000+
Accusations of low Honda build quality thrown out of court
I N Bike’s OCTOBER issue, the CB1000R+ lost out to Triumph’s Speed Triple RS in a closely fought scrap. One of the road testers’ niggles was the CB’S sprinkling of low grade components that marred the polished feel – cheapo clutch lever, rubber brake lines and dull wheels were all singled out. And fair enough, those brake lines in particular do jar. But after 2000 miles with the bike they’ve become invisible to me, whereas the overall quality still impresses after every wash. Take the brushed aluminium details for example. These are everywhere – headlight surround, clock shield, fork leg protectors, radiator shrouds, injector covers, pillion seat cover and even on the sides of the rear hugger. They do a lovely job of tying the look of the CB together, not just because they stand out from the black of the engine and plastics, but because although they’re all different shapes and sizes, the corner radii are all the same and the curves are similar, so you end up with a cohesive look that the Speed Triple RS, for example, can only dream of. My fear was that 2000 miles of rain and crud would turn them from the icing on the stylistic cake to stained, inconsistently coloured turds on the used bike pavement. But so far a wash is all it takes to get them like new. And it’s the same elsewhere, from the clocks to the swingarm casting that matches all those aluminium panels – the CB oozes build quality. Braided brake lines are on order…