Honda CB 1000R 2011 Preview

Honda CB 1000R 2011

The high-quality persons at Honda Canada brought along a not-available-in-Canada CB1000R to our March Press ride in Georgia, where us Canadian hacks got to ride most of the new-for-2010 Honda models.

Any signature from Honda that ends with an R is vault to be something special, and the CB1000R is just that. This litre bike has been accessible in Europe for several years now, where it goes up against other recital roadsters such as the Yamaha FZ1, Kawasaki Z1000, Buell 1125CR, Ducati Monster 1100 and Streetfighter, Triumph Speed Triple, KTM Super Duke, and the extremely seductive MV Agusta Brutale 1090 RR. Obscure air indeed, but the CB1000R is fine instinctive, and has every time scored in the Top 3 in class comparos over there.

Honda Canada was evaluating the option of adding a new model this bad-ass R for 2011, rather than just bringing an enormously agreeable toy for the journalists to thrash about. Most of all testers liked the bike better than the cheaper and milder.

Chassis and Suspensions

Like in the F1000 sibling, the R is built up around a “Monobackbone” chassis, a smart solution and provides a essential stiffness, as well as light weight, low cost and simplicity of manufacture. The 43mm inverted fork features modifiable pre-load, compression and rebound. At the back, the mono shock only offers adjustable preload and rebound only. Chassis rake and track settings are categorically oriented towards agility and openness, close to the RR level but a little more constant nonetheless, with a little wheelbase to add to quickness in town as well as in corners.