Honda CB1000R + 4000 MILE TEST

Despite numerous attempts Honda have struggled to successfully realise their naked Fireblade concept. But the decades of relative failure have finally come to fruition with their latest incarnation. But does it survive 4000 road and trackday miles?

By John Westlake

Honda have been trying to pull off the ‘naked Fireblade’ trick for decades. First came the Hornet 900 in 2001, which somehow managed to turn the all-conquering Blade into a worthy commuter with iffy build quality. Then came the original CB1000R in 2008. This was more like it – single-sided swingarm, Fireblade suspension and aggressive styling. It was good, but by detuning the engine Honda extracted too much fizz and left the bike feeling bland compared with rivals such as Triumph’s Speed Triple. Which brings us to this: the all-new CB1000R. Like the previous model, it uses the longer-stroke 2006 Fireblade engine – a great place to start for a road bike – but with dozens of changes to put that fizz back in. Power is up 12bhp to 141bhp, there’s…

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BIKE United Kingdom (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 2019

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