Janet Rides Honda's 2008 Litre Bikes

Honda is offering two very different new 1000 cc bikes in 2008, the latest iteration of the Fireblade and an aggressively styled super-naked—the CB1000R—based on a retuned version of the 2007 Fireblade motor (there is some confusion over whether the CB1000R is, strictly speaking, a 2008 or a 2009 model, but it was released in the UK on the 4th of July 2008). It wouldn't be like me to pass up the opportunity to try new models out, so here are my thoughts on Honda's latest 1000 cc offerings.

The Fireblade

Inevitably any comparison I make will be with my 2006 R1. For me (5'6") the 'Blade isn't as ergonomically suited as the R1. The bars, while no lower, appear to be a longer reach from the seat. And the footpegs are higher than on the R1, and a little too far forwards for my taste. I found that I had to rotate my hips quite forcibly to get my feet onto the pegs when I pulled away, and I was getting some discomfort in the backs of my knees by the end of the 40 miles I did.

Handling, steering and suspension wise there didn't seem to be much to choose between the 'Blade and the R1, at least not on the roads I was riding on. It might be different at full tilt on a track ... but I'm exclusively a road rider, so it wouldn't be a factor either way for me between these two bikes. The brakes, while they certainly hauled me up quickly enough, had a somewhat “soft” feeling about them, which I wasn't keen on. I much prefer the fierce initial bite on my R1's brakes.

The injection is pretty good, the best I've encountered on a Honda, but it's not a match for the excellent injection on my R1, making town work rather harder work than it might have been. It was particularly abrupt coming off the throttle in lowish revs in the lower gears, which is what you tend to be using in town. The power increases in a very linear manner—there's almost certainly a little bit more mid-range than on my R1, but less of an exciting rush at higher revs. Somehow it made it feel less exciting, even if very fast, to ride.

The exhaust note is strange. There's nothing at all until about 4000 RPM, then all of a sudden there's a sound almost like a diesel van, from nothing to quite loud within about 50 RPM difference, and emanating from your right foot ... most peculiar! It settles into a more even note at higher revs again, but I prefer the howl on my R1.

I was wearing demin jeans and found the seat to be a very real issue. I have never ridden a bike with a more slippery seat! The first time I really opened it up hard I found myself clinging on to the handlebar grips with fierce (and slightly desperate) determination, as my backside slid backwards along the seat until it reached the back-stop. It wasn't much better when leaned over on a bumpy bend, when I started to slide sideways.

It is, undoubtedly, a very good bike, and I enjoyed having the opportunity to ride it. If I didn't have my R1 to compare with, I might even have considered buying one. But for the aspects of a bike that matter most to me, it simply wasn't as good as my R1, so no reason to even think of making the change. I should point out that, while this is actually my third R1, I've had a few Hondas, and I'm not at all brand loyal—I buy what I like at the time.

And, I'm keeping this to last, as it is entirely subjective. It doesn't look much better “in the flesh” than in the press photos. Unless it blew my bike away performance wise, why would I exchange this:

For this:

The CB1000R

Earlier this year I decided that I wanted another naked bike to run alongside my R1, for commuting, touring and general utility use, though I still wanted it to be fun to ride, as that's what biking's all about for me. I did wonder about waiting for the CB1000R, but ultimately settled for the Hornet 600 instead. There were a number of reasons for this choice, but the main ones were: I thought a 600 would add more variety to my stable than another, albeit very different, 1000; a 600 would be lighter and easier to manage for commuting and touring, particularly in unfamiliar car parks; the CB1000R didn't look to have any secure provision for strapping luggage to the bike, with no grab rail/handles and a sportsbike type pillion seat; and finally, from the pre-launch pictures I had seen, I didn't like the looks of the CB1000R. However, as you can imagine, it was with some trepidation that I rode the 1000, hoping that I'd be reassured that I'd done the right thing.

The riding position on the new CB is somewhat more aggressive than on my 600 Hornet (and certainly more aggressive than on the Hornet 900 I had before). You feel rather more perched on top of the bike than is usual on a “standard”. Perhaps Honda were trying for more of a streetfighter feel. In practice it felt part way towards a motocrosser, with a feeling of being right over the tank, but with fairly wide bars. Fortunately though it isn't as tall as a motocrosser—although I do have slightly less foot on the ground than with either of my two bikes, it is certainly enough for me (5'6") to feel in control, even though it is also about 20 kilos heavier than either of my bikes.

In typical Honda fashion, the weight disappeared very quickly once on the move, and it was a very easy bike for me to manage. The steering was light and precise, and the handling was good and unflappable. It seemed to be particularly good for carving past cars on roundabouts—very useful for a bike that you would expect to spend a fair bit of time in the urban environment! The brakes (the version I rode had linked ABS brakes) were well up to the job. They're very similar to the ones on my Hornet 600, so I wasn't expecting any drama from them. Once on the move though, I found the seat to feel slightly oddly-shaped. I couldn't put my finger on what it was I didn't like, but I wasn't confident that it would remain comfortable over longer distances.

The injection is well sorted and wasn't really noticeable, as it just got on with doing its job, without any obvious glitches. When you open the bike up on the open road there is an absolute “wall of torque”, very impressive indeed. However, while it just kept building, there were no obvious power-steps, and it didn't excite me in the way I'd hoped it would. I also found the gear ratios a bit odd—too closely spaced between first and third, which didn't seem to take full advantage of the torque and power available.

I did find a few specific “issues” with the bike, which might make it a little less rewarding to live with/own than you might hope for. Firstly—I don't know why, though I suspect the small cowl round the clocks—I found wind-blast to be particularly bad at speed (I've ridden plenty of naked bikes, so it wasn't just that). Secondly, the mirrors were not up to the standard I'd expect on a naked bike. They are closer to the rider than is normal, and not as close to the ends of the bars. This meant that they were little better than sportsbike mirrors, with a lot of elbow-tucking required to get a clear view. However, they also vibed quite a lot in certain rev ranges, further compromising the view. And then there was the clock unit! Opinion is definitely divided as to whether LCD rev counters are as easy to use as analogue ones, and I'm afraid I'm a naysayer! Perhaps it's something you'd get used to in time, but I didn't feel that I was getting as good a picture of the percentage of the revs I was using at a quick glance as I would with a more normal analogue gauge. Also, we had some sunshine while I was riding the bike, and I found the whole clock unit quite hard to read in those conditions.

All in all it was a fun bike to ride, and I'm very glad to have had the opportunity to try it out. But at the end of the day it is both taller and heavier (and feels that way) than either of my bikes. It lacks the in-your-face, over-the-top power and excitement levels of my R1, but doesn't feel as “pesky” as my Hornet 6 which, now I've had it for a while, I'm absolutely delighted with. And, each to their own, but I do care what my bikes look like, as well as how they are to ride, and the CB1000R simply doesn't do it for me, appearing very “overstyled”. So, I'm more than happy that I decided not to wait for the CB1000R, and got my Hornet 600 instead, but it's undoubtedly a great bike and, in some ways, the best naked that Honda have made to date.

 

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