Fire-breathing feline
The CB1000R+ proves to be much more than ‘just’ a naked
One minute I’m counting the days until the CB1000R★’s arrival; next I’m helping push it up a ramp into the back of a van and it’s gone. But even though it feels like the last seven months have flown by, there have been some great moments to savour.
Getting to grips with it
My first outings were somewhat disappointing but this wasn’t due to the bike but to me. I hadn’t read the handbook. A few mode-setting tweaks later and I’d the firebreathing pussy cat I was hoping for.
Favourite bits
It’s a stunning bike (bar the number plate mount, but I’ll come back to that). Small, compact and faaassst! I have to join the A1 at least twice a day but the CB1000R makes it joyous: gap established, full beans dialled-in and a prod of the quickshifter into second and I’m flowing with the traffic in a blink of an eye. The power of this engine is stunning.
Not-so favourite bits
I can’t stand those numberplate swingarm hangers that are now all the rage. I understand why manufacturers have to do it, but boy are they ugly. An R&G tail tidy (£124.99) sorted it. Next up, the fuelling at a steady speed in Sport mode leaves something to be desired. If I was keeping the bike I might have looked into a fix.
Add-ons
Most of the mods I did were a marked improvement, especially things like the Akrapovic titanium slip-on race silencer (£657). The MRA Sport screen (£89) took away some of the wind pressure when riding at speed while Honda’s own aftermarket Alcantara seat (£330), while being extremely comfortable, unfortunately also turned into a sponge if the bike got caught out in the rain, which is not nice if you’re wearing jeans.
Missing you already
Overall my impression of the CB1000R★ has been of a wellmannered, fun bike that’s packed full of power and good looks. It’s a real stunner. It put a smile on my face on every ride, whether pootling around or giving it some welly. Every corner has been a joy, but the sheer arm-wrenching power has been my favourite thing of all. This is a bike that will take some replacing.