Hamamatsu Overkill
There are some machines to which the sporting rider owes a debt of gratitude. In recent times these are more obvious, the RC30, the Fireblade or 916 Ducati, bikes that come along and re-programme our brains thoughts and expectations.
Out of respect for CB1100R I did more than would usually be expected as research. The CB1100R is a direct development of the CB900F, which in turn, was created with lessons learned on the track, the basis for the 900 being the dominant RCB machines used in the intense heat of World Endurance racing. Just what did Honda feel was lacking in the 900, and exactly how did those modifications take shape and work? A few days before the testing the CB1100RC, I tracked down a pristine CB900F, just to get some fresh perspective of how good or bad the bigger bike was.
I was surprised just how good the donor machine was, the chassis being tight and well balanced, enabling high corner entry speeds and a nicely controlled ride. The 19in front wheel did feel vague at times, as did the front forks; this was only at silly speeds and lean angles, and little different to any similar machine of the period. Those quibbles apart the CB900F is a fine machine. Add a few extra horses, via a bore job, and remove the bolt-on frame section from the frame down tubes, sprinkle a liberal coating of exotic suspension parts and you have the CB1100R. Building on the great basis of the CB900FZ the larger machine loses nothing and gains much more.
The CB1100R is a big bike by anybody’s standards. Weighing in around 500lb, the four-cylinder race bike should take some humping around when anything other than a straight road is encountered. Thankfully the big Honda doesn’t ever let its size become an issue, the slightest of bar nudges has the bike dropping into corners with consummate ease. Changing line mid-corner, or any other sort of hamfisted manoeuvre, yields nothing but compliant, efficient and submissive behaviour. The big four just gets better the harder and faster you go with great feedback from the chassis and engine alike.
The ride is as delicate as would be expected from a machine many times smaller, with the suspension working well beneath you, keeping the rubber in contact with the Tarmac and holding the plot firmly in place. Only full lean and getting the engine casings down, (they are heavily chamfered just in case) will interrupt this process. There is a down side to this near perfect behaviour however; the mighty CB consumes tyres at an alarming rate. Something has to yield to the forces of a large and heavy machine going around corners like it was half the mass, and it is the poor old rubber that pays the price.