2011 Honda CB1000R Test and Video

Besides the inability to relate to top 40 songs, getting old often means getting sore, at least if you're into riding sport bikes. There's just no way around it. The typical sport bike is about as comfortable as a mechanical bull and the feeling you get when you're done riding them is roughly the same.

That's a problem for big-name companies like Honda. As much as it would like to sell thousands of CBR superbikes to limber 20-somethings, it's the old guys who have the money to burn. So, much like pharmaceuticals hawked during the nightly news, Honda is now targeting older riders with a sport bike that's potent and powerful, with only a few lingering side effects.

It's called the 2011 Honda CB1000R and it's a classic mix of superbike horsepower and the ergonomics of something a little less super. It's a tricky combination to get right, but Honda isn't exactly new to this game.

Not New, Just New to Us
The CB1000R isn't really a new bike. It's been sold overseas since 2008, where high-powered naked bikes like the CB sell in bigger numbers. Honda decided to bring it Stateside for 2011 to test the waters with a limited run.

At the core of the 2011 Honda CB1000R is a real superbike engine, in this case, the engine used in the 2006-'07 CBR1000RR. It's a monster in terms of absolute power, but a little peaky for a bike like this. With that in mind, Honda tuned the 998cc inline four-cylinder for more low- and midrange power.

It's obvious the first time you pull away from a stop. There's barely any clutch slipping needed, as the CB takes with the smallest handful of throttle. From there on out you get nothing but an incredibly smooth wave of power with almost minimal peaks or valleys. If it weren't for the whine of the engine, you might think it was electric, it's really that smooth.

Real Sport Bike Parts
Surrounding that engine is a chassis and suspension with enough sport bike engineering left in it to make it a legitimate performance bike. There are fully adjustable, inverted 43mm forks up front and a single-sided swingarm with adjustable preload and rebound in back.

Left in the stock settings, the CB feels pleasantly soft on the highway. All the minor bumps and ripples you feel on a more aggressive sport bike are filtered out. You're left with nothing but the modest amount of wind shear in your chest that comes along with riding a bike with only the smallest of front fairings.

The CB prefers a more conventional sport bike riding style with your head down and your body hanging a bit off.

It's not that hard to deal with given that you're comfortably seated in an upright standard-bike position. The typical sport bike will have your knees begging for mercy within an hour or two, but the CB1000R unfolds your legs and places your hands farther apart on dirt-bike-style handlebars. It doesn't sound like a huge difference, but after a couple hours in the saddle you feel far less wound up and stiff.

Side Effects Can Include...
Of course, that standard rider position has its drawbacks. If you're accustomed to having foot pegs right under your butt, getting your bearings takes a little time on the CB. The dirt bike bars and upright seating initially make you feel as if the CB1000R might respond well to a supermoto riding style. It doesn't. Instead, it prefers a more conventional sport bike style with your head down and your body hanging a bit off. There's not much for your knee to grab, however, so a good tank pad would be needed if the CB1000R was your only canyon carver.

There may not be much room for your knee, but there's plenty for your rear end. You can scoot forward or back to find that perfect balance or to combat saddle soreness. Though reasonably padded, the seat is fairly flat and can cause discomfort for those with less generous posteriors.

Given the cushy ride on the highway, we were surprised that the CB wasn't sloppier in the canyons. There's some nosedive on hard braking, but it doesn't flop around much when you try to get aggressive with it. With a proper suspension tune, the CB would deliver more than enough performance for the average weekend rider. Same goes for the brakes. They don't have much initial feel to them, but the more you work them the better they bite.

Another Prescription?
If there's anything missing from the 2011 Honda CB1000R, it's the desirability factor. It does everything well, but it doesn't inspire much passion in the process. It's not a bucking bronco to break, nor is it likely to produce tales to tell the grandkids.

A few easy upgrades would make a huge difference, though, so there's potential there. The lifeless exhaust note could be easily improved with an aftermarket pipe that would no doubt look better, too. A quick tail chop and some bar-end mirrors would clean up the profile even more. At that point you would have a supremely capable all-around street bike that looked a little bit different from your average standard.

Then again, there are already a few bikes of this type available. The Kawasaki Z1000 and Yamaha FZ8 also deliver similar degrees of performance in comfortable packages. They don't have a trick single-sided swingarm in back, though, and only the Kawasaki can match the CB's straight-line performance.

Of course, there's always the Ducati Monster, which provides all the style you could ever want in a similar package. Would you trust it over a Honda? No reason not to, really, but as with so many late-night infomercials, you can't help wonder if going the safer, more conventional, route isn't the better choice. With the CB1000R, Honda just made the safe choice a little more interesting.

The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.