A case in point is this $12,999
Honda CB1000R Black Edition.
The CB is one of Honda's most
iconic names that dates back to
the granddaddy of them all—the
1969 Honda CB750—and in
2008, Honda brought the fa-
mous name back into circulation
with the first CB1000R.
That machine was such a
success it took Honda a full 10
years to update it, with the 2018
machine getting more power, a
new chassis, new rider aids and
a super funky larger rear-wheel
design.
Fast forward to 2022 (2021,
actually) and the machine still
hasn't been given a full make-
over. In fact, it's largely the
same. The same chassis and
now Euro-5 compliant engine
is present, there's a redesigned
headlight and radiator shrouds,
a new subframe and new (again)
wheels in the seven-spoke alu-
minum numbers.
As far as the styling goes, the
CB is about as black as you can
get from a major manufacturer—
hey, it's in the name. There are
classy machined-aluminum
pieces like the wheel spokes,
swingarm plates, engine covers,
the sides of the engine block
itself and handlebar clamps, but
everything else is black, from
the headlight surround, itty-bitty
wind screen, fork legs including
the stanchions, rear shock and
spring, brake calipers, radiator
shrouds, airbox covers (with an
anodized finish), seat unit, sub-
frame, and the exhaust header,
collector box and muffler.
Oh, and the tires. They're
black, too.
Far from being boring, the all-
black aesthetic adds a touch of
class to the ride. I never thought
I'd say that as I feel all black
bikes tend to look a little lazy and
not at all menacing, which I'm
sure is the angle the designers
are going for. With the select
machined-aluminum sections
of the CB, this is quite a visually
pleasing machine, something
that gets enhanced further once
you ride it.
RIDE REVIEW I 2022 HONDA CB1000R BLACK EDITION
P114
You can see what we mean about the
shape of the tank—not much room to move
around with your legs locked in like that.
