Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1480014
Portimao in Portugal where, on the most wheelie-prone circuit I've ever ridden, the new superbike from Honda had its TC and wheelie control linked (like on this CB), but the lack of drive was even more pronounced than it is here. Thankfully, Honda looks like they have worked on the algorithm and made their com- bined system work better, but it's still not great. Remember how I said about the weight distri- bution is angled more to the rear than the front? You'll feel this once you really start pushing in cor- ners. The CB doesn't turn with quite the speed of the Euro contingent in this class—it's not lazy in its steering, just more fluid than snappy. This is not entirely a bad thing because it promotes a less hurried riding style. Rather than bury the chassis under brakes, you plan your corners out more on the CB and let the chassis flow from corner to corner, just as God intended. The suspension is up to the quality of the rest of the bike. Showa's Single Function Fork Big Piston (SFF-BP) is a great middle-of-the- road fork that soaks up the majority of what gets thrown at it but is still a little on the plush side for my 190-plus-pound weight. This is a fully adjustable fork, so you can dial in the set- ting you want (within reason) and everything is done old-school with no electronics. The Showa shock gets rebound and preload adjustment, not compression, so even though the specs are mismatched front to back, the ride quality is still not much to complain about. Neither is the fact it has a quickshifter with three different levels of sensitivity, plus an un- derseat USB port, and turn-by-turn navigation on the dash that can be Bluetooth-ed to your helmet. About the only thing I'd have wanted is heated grips and cruise control. The Honda CB1000R Black Edition doesn't make some bogus claim about being the be-all and end-all of 1000cc naked bikes. Honda is not dumb enough to say anything of the sort. What the CB is good for is powerful naked biking but on the more sedate side. Forget your 180 horsepower naked bikes, the CB's combina- tion of performance from a motor that can trace its heritage back nearly 20 years, a comfortable and nimble chassis with good suspension and brakes that, admittedly, could be better, and a good array electronics make a sound argument for the price. That, and it looks bitchin' in all black. Something I never thought I'd ever say. CN RIDE REVIEW I 2022 HONDA CB1000R BLACK EDITION P120 SPECIFICATIONS 2022 HONDA CB1000R BLACK EDITION ($12,999) ENGINE Four-stroke, inline, 4-cylinder VALVETRAIN DOHC COOLING SYSTEM Liquid DISPLACEMENT 998cc BORE X STROKE 75 x 56.5mm COMPRESSION RATIO 11.6:1 FUEL SYSTEM EFI, 4 x 44mm throttle bodies EXHAUST 4-2-1 TRANSMISSION 6-speed CHASSIS Steel backbone FRONT SUSPENSION 43mm Showa SFF-BP, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION Showa monoshock, adjustable rebound damping and preload FRONT BRAKE Dual radial-mounted four-piston calipers with full-floating 310mm discs; ABS REAR BRAKE Single caliper 256mm disc; ABS FRONT TIRE 120/70 ZR17 in. REAR TIRE 190/55 ZR17 in. WHEELBASE 57.3 in. SEAT HEIGHT 32.7 in. FUEL CAPACITY 4.3 gal. WEIGHT (CURB, CLAIMED) 467 lbs COLOR Black