Having been riding motorcycles for more years than I care to remember, I find myself less and less inclined towards the sports or supersports genre.
That world is all about top speed, 0-60 figures and number of horses.
Plus the idea of feeling almost obliged to don a one-piece track-day suit and adopt a circus-contortionist ride position to pop down to the local dealer to order another new chain just doesn’t hold the same appeal any more.
Maybe it’s an age thing, but I’m not alone.
Sports bike sales have been steadily declining for some years, replaced primarily by adventure bikes.
Nakeds and supernakeds, however, continue to hold their own – and with good reason.
They tend to have performance which almost matches sports bikes – although in a more manageable package – and they are easier and more comfortable to ride.
Honda’s CB1000R was first introduced in 2018, alongside the CB300R and CB125R, which made up what it called its “Neo Sports Cafe” range, with the CB650R added the following year.
Neo Cafe implied a new take on the cafe racers of old, while Sports indicated the performance based on the CBR-derived engines.
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For 2021, Honda has made a number of updates to create the CB1000R Black Edition which I am testing here, not least the looks.
And let’s start there, because it really is a stunner.
As the name suggests, it’s black – and really black.
Everything is black – including the (Euro-5 compliant) exhaust and that giant muffler.
The tank is a beautiful deep graphite black.
The only things that aren’t black are some gorgeous CNC machined metal parts such as the aluminium handlebar clamp, which is emblazoned with the CB logo.
It complements the lovely seven-spoke cast aluminium wheels.
Honda designer Valerio Aiello told Mirror Motorcycling: “We used ‘noble’ materials such as metal to enhance the technical elements with compact and essential shapes.
“I have always liked the technicality of watches and one of the key concepts used in the design was ‘mechanical art’ – the will to show the beauty of the various mechanical elements.”
The Black Edition certainly achieves that very well, with plenty of metal accents on show and only six plastic parts, it oozes quality.
A new and distinctive teardrop LED highlight, new subframe, new number-plate hanger, sharper radiator shrouds combine to give the bike a more aggressive, hunched forward demeanour, with a short, compact, minimalist rear end.
On board, the rise position is comfortably upright, with wide bars, fairly low seat height and low footpegs.
There’s an excellent new 5in colour TFT dash which shows all relevant info, including your choice of ride mode – Sport, Standard, Rain and User.
The control the amount of power, traction control and engine breaking.
Head off and the beauty of the as-standard up/down quickshifter immediately becomes apparent.
It works perfectly and is a real pleasure.
Likewise the engine, which is very well behaved around town but, of course, comes into its own on the open road.
That huge can actually sounds pretty good once you open it up and from being docile and obedient, as you hit around 5,500rpm it suddenly takes off like it’s been let off the leash.
With fully adjustable Showa forks and rear shock – adjustable for pre-load and rebound – and a new subframe, handling is sublime and confidence inspiring.
Braking is powerful and progressive via twin 320mm front discs and Nissan four-pot calipers.
Overall, this is a beauty of a naked road bike – in every sense.
It looks fantastic, rides superbly and is built and finished in the highest quality, even by Honda’s impressive standards.
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