IN
THE
WIND
P32
HAYDEN WORRIED OVER CBR1000RR DELAYS
N
icky Hayden's Christmas present of a new CBR1000RR for the 2017 FIM
World Superbike Championship will have to wait until late January. Delays
in getting the bikes to Ten Kate Honda in Holland mean he will not sit on his
new steed until the preseason test at Phillip Island, just before round one.
Speaking to British publication MCN, Hayden said, "If I told you it
wouldn't have been nice to have the bike for these tests, I'd be lying to
you, but the reality is it isn't ready for us. For sure, it's a concern as our
championship starts in February. I was hoping we'd be able to get out on it
before Christmas to give the team a chance to see the data and any prob-
lems we might encounter before working through it over Christmas. That
wasn't possible and it is what it is."
Should the new bike be up to standard, Hayden will surely be a favorite
for the championship. If he does indeed clinch the WorldSBK crown, he'll be the
first rider ever to take the MotoGP/WorldSBK double. CN
Hayden's clearly stoked
about having to wait for
his new bike.
HONDA UNVIELS THE CB1100 EX
T
he classically styled Honda
CB1100 EX has just been un-
veiled by Honda U.S., four years
after it first landed in 2013. The
old-school air-cooled four-cylin-
der remains the same as before,
as do most of the running
components including the clas-
sic tubular steel chassis, 41mm
Showa Dual Bending Valve fork
(SDBV) and twin Showa shocks,
but the headlight is now an LED
unit and the 18-inch wheels are
also new with stainless steel
spokes.
"As with past CBs, we under-
stand the timeless pleasure that
our customers get from owning
and riding an air-cooled inline
four-cylinder motorcycle," said
Mr. Mitsunobu Imada, Large
Project Leader for the 2017
CB1100 EX. "Building on the
CB1100's desirability and joy of
ownership, while adding func-
tionality and quality to deepen
the sense of fulfillment, were
very important elements for us
to consider. With the CB1100
EX, we hope many riders get
to appreciate and understand
a very traditional motorcycle
structure." CN
Classic, not retro. The CB still
retains the heritage look we've
come to love, but gets new wheels
and an LED headlight for 2017.
