Aware
Well-known member
Well, I've had the CB1000R for about 10 days, and I have completed around 700 miles.
I ordered a bunch of Honda accessories with my CB1000R, because Honda USA is not importing a plus model. In no particular order:
I got them all installed on Tuesday (dealer had not installed when I collected the bike and I wasn't going to let them keep it a few extra days!).
I noticed last week that this model does not come with any type of radiator guard, so I dug around and found a lovely one from Evotech. It looks much nicer than the Plus model radiator guard, IMHO!
Also got the preliminary 600 mile service done on Tuesday, so now that it has been checked over, I can start to open her up a bit.
So far, it has been a joy to ride. Speaking as a former owner of a 2014 CB1000R (the bike was written off a month ago), on which I completed 27k miles commuting, canyon riding and on the track, and also as a current owner of a 2012 CBR1000RR, I think I can judge the character of this bike in the lower revs. I have not yet opened it up beyond 7k...
I posted here a while ago that the CBR feels gutless at low revs (below 6k) compared to the 2014 CB1000R. This new 2018 CB also feels similarly gutless. That's not to say that the CBR or the '18 CB1000R are slow under 6k, it's just that the 2014 CB has 50 ft-pound of torque from just over 2k, and it takes the other two bikes about 6k before they make that much torque. i am hoping I can find a way to fix that on the CB, since part of the joy of the older model was the ability to ride that low-down torque in the twisties and have good pace in almost any gear.
I find the rear a bit soft, and have told everyone that. But let's not forget that I weight 250 pounds - around 115 Kg or 18 stone or thereabouts. That said, I have no chicken strip on the rear tyre, so it's not like the bike doesn't handle well. I dropped the '18 off at Evolution this morning to see if Rob can fit my Ohlins from the '14 model onto the '18 - watch this space.
Incidentally I have been up Mount Hamilton 3 times and visited Alice's a couple of times, still very much taking my time ... and still have no chicken strips. I do need the shock upgrade, but no one who weighs under 200 pounds is going to think this is a terrible handling bike. Sportier riders will always want an update to the suspension, so no change there ;-)
The quick shifter that was installed on Tuesday was a bit of a disappointment initially. I do clutchless shifts up 99% of the time, and down 60-70%. Upshifts had a significant pause. Much more than I am used to. I remembered I set the bike to custom 'User' mode, where I selected max engine braking and max power (I like engine braking, thank you very much!). I switched to Sport, which is configured for minimal engine braking. Upshifts became smoother. Still not as smooth as handling them myself though. I wonder if it is tuneable? I also wonder if there is some sort of finesse that I need to perfect to get the best out of the QS.
The Honda tailpack is huge and expandable. I already know it will be awesome for an emergency curry-and-beer run, but I'm not quite sure if I will be able to use it for my work laptop, which is pretty large.
The radiator side panels are held on partially with velcro. Huh.
All-in-all I think this is definitely an upgrade from the '14 model that I have - and visually more people seem to like it. Not that I really care about that. The previous bike was seriously underrated and I am sure that the general populace will find a way to believe that it is 'just a boring Honda'.
I ordered a bunch of Honda accessories with my CB1000R, because Honda USA is not importing a plus model. In no particular order:
- screen
- front mudguard aluminium inserts
- accessory power socket (only 1 amp!!!!!!!!!)
- tailpack (huge!)
- quickshifter
I got them all installed on Tuesday (dealer had not installed when I collected the bike and I wasn't going to let them keep it a few extra days!).
I noticed last week that this model does not come with any type of radiator guard, so I dug around and found a lovely one from Evotech. It looks much nicer than the Plus model radiator guard, IMHO!
Also got the preliminary 600 mile service done on Tuesday, so now that it has been checked over, I can start to open her up a bit.
So far, it has been a joy to ride. Speaking as a former owner of a 2014 CB1000R (the bike was written off a month ago), on which I completed 27k miles commuting, canyon riding and on the track, and also as a current owner of a 2012 CBR1000RR, I think I can judge the character of this bike in the lower revs. I have not yet opened it up beyond 7k...
I posted here a while ago that the CBR feels gutless at low revs (below 6k) compared to the 2014 CB1000R. This new 2018 CB also feels similarly gutless. That's not to say that the CBR or the '18 CB1000R are slow under 6k, it's just that the 2014 CB has 50 ft-pound of torque from just over 2k, and it takes the other two bikes about 6k before they make that much torque. i am hoping I can find a way to fix that on the CB, since part of the joy of the older model was the ability to ride that low-down torque in the twisties and have good pace in almost any gear.
I find the rear a bit soft, and have told everyone that. But let's not forget that I weight 250 pounds - around 115 Kg or 18 stone or thereabouts. That said, I have no chicken strip on the rear tyre, so it's not like the bike doesn't handle well. I dropped the '18 off at Evolution this morning to see if Rob can fit my Ohlins from the '14 model onto the '18 - watch this space.
Incidentally I have been up Mount Hamilton 3 times and visited Alice's a couple of times, still very much taking my time ... and still have no chicken strips. I do need the shock upgrade, but no one who weighs under 200 pounds is going to think this is a terrible handling bike. Sportier riders will always want an update to the suspension, so no change there ;-)
The quick shifter that was installed on Tuesday was a bit of a disappointment initially. I do clutchless shifts up 99% of the time, and down 60-70%. Upshifts had a significant pause. Much more than I am used to. I remembered I set the bike to custom 'User' mode, where I selected max engine braking and max power (I like engine braking, thank you very much!). I switched to Sport, which is configured for minimal engine braking. Upshifts became smoother. Still not as smooth as handling them myself though. I wonder if it is tuneable? I also wonder if there is some sort of finesse that I need to perfect to get the best out of the QS.
The Honda tailpack is huge and expandable. I already know it will be awesome for an emergency curry-and-beer run, but I'm not quite sure if I will be able to use it for my work laptop, which is pretty large.
The radiator side panels are held on partially with velcro. Huh.
All-in-all I think this is definitely an upgrade from the '14 model that I have - and visually more people seem to like it. Not that I really care about that. The previous bike was seriously underrated and I am sure that the general populace will find a way to believe that it is 'just a boring Honda'.
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