Honda CB1000R

x roadies - Mossy Rides

Mossy's back, and this time he's aboard Honda's 'not-quite-a-streetfighter' CB1000R in Italy.

Italy is legendary for style and chic and home to some world-famous brands such as Ducati, Ferrari, D&G and Gucci to name just a few. Taking full advantage of the Latin nation’s flair for design, Honda has cleverly involved the Italians with the new CB1000R street-bike. Being built at its Atessa plant near Rome, Honda is proudly championing the bike’s non-Japanese influence further by saying the CB is modelled and created by Europeans for Europeans. Although it’s also admitting it will sell the bikes worldwide if there’s enough demand for them.

It’s not the first time Honda has allowed ‘outsiders’ to play a part with the development of one of its bikes, and the effect is proving successful. That’s definitely the case with the style of the new CB1000R. It’s one of the best-looking Hondas made, and ever since being unveiled at the Milan show last year the CB has been hailed as a real success – aesthetically at least. The fashionable street-bike should have performance to match given the high spec it has. And thanks to many parts borrowed from the ‘07 and ‘08 Fireblades, the CB1000R ought to be a fantastic bike to ride.

I say ought to, because thanks to poor weather I can’t admit to being anything more than just very impressed by the bike. The launch of the Honda was largely blighted by rain, which restricted a full and proper test of the bike. And even though I did eventually get the chance of thrashing it for an hour on dry roads in the sun, that didn’t happen on the sort of routes I needed to form a full and final verdict.

I’m very confident that when I ride the CB again in ideal conditions, you won’t be able to me get off it as there’s plenty to praise the bike for. As I said, it’s a real head-turner. The sharp, inclined lines of its bodywork, even in the sombre olive-green hue all the test bikes were painted in, really do deserve attention. OK, it’s no Triumph Speed Triple or Aprilia Tuono, but that still can’t stop you admiring its sleek and sexy shape. The Honda is perhaps a bit too polished to be labelled as a street-fighter, but there’s still a hint of aggression about it.

The black finished engine, chassis and wheels help to create a moody and sophisticated air, and the single-sided swingarm is especially classy. It’s got quite a squat stance to aid the brutishness. Only the projector-beam inset in the triangular-shaped headlight was questionable in my book. But as I was to discover, a detail like that can’t dent your enthusiasm for the Honda.

As luck would have it, the day started as a dry one for the trip through the streets of Italy’s style and fashion capital, Milan. There the usual Honda qualities of poise and balance were obvious, and though Saturday morning traffic was hardly at gridlock level, it never presented much of a challenge for the 1000. The sit up and beg riding position lets you dominate the bike and boss it around with only the slightest persuasion. Combined with a good view of what’s ahead and what’s likely to be dealt with, traffic-busting is certainly a forte of the Honda. Plush suspension and friendly brakes also help with the feeling of security in the urban zone. Getting onto the arterial road complex heightened the need for anticipation thanks to the unpredictability of Milan’s drivers who were now out in greater number, but the CB just got on with the job of avoiding them more than competently. And then the rain came.

The moisture wasn’t exactly the end of the world, and did in fact help me to make a finer judgement on some of the Honda’s abilities. But it also restricted me from giving a view on how well it dealt with being pushed hard. The motor, based on the one fitted to the ’07 Fireblade was a great ally in these conditions. Even with reduced road grip, you can still use the in-line four without fear thanks to its user-friendly manners. Tuned more for torque than outright power, the motor is very tractable, with each tug on the throttle bringing a really linear build up of extra strength. The prompt and positive response makes increasing speed less daunting than it might be in these conditions. It will even pull from just 2000rpm readily and cleanly in top gear, and underlines the care and attention to detail that’s gone into the way it makes its power. Even wheelies are incredibly simple and straightforward because of the civility of the delivery. Friendly isn’t a word good enough to describe the manners of this engine.