Honda CB 900F Bol D'or

Honda's CB900 lends credibility to the well-worn axiom that racing improves the breed. It is the road-going end product of Honda's blanket success in the demanding world of endurance racing during the late 1970s. And it was such an exacting pedigree which catapulted it to popularity.

The awesomely quick six-cylinder CBX may physically give the biker more machine for his money. It may also be ultimately quicker on acceleration and top speed, yet the CB900 rapidly emerged as one of the better combinations of performance and handling in contemporary motor cycling.

There would not be any excuse for this machine being anything less than the convincing motor cycle it is. With its ancestors dominating endurance racing reliability is naturally enough one of the CB900's strong points.

The robust double-overhead camshaft motor with four valves per cylinder is also a loose derivative of the machine with which Ron Haslam took the 1979 British Formula One championship.

Not surprisingly then the machine has a racey edge to the way it delivers its performance. It is very smooth, yet spin the motor to around 4,500 rpm and you'll detect the keen, anxious side of its character. Here the CB900 is definitely less smooth (one cannot call it harsh) than several other big capacity multis.

The motor is relatively mildly tuned with a compression ratio of 8-8 to 1 and, unusually for present Hondas, is undersquare with a bore of 64-5 mm and a stroke of 69 mm. On paper, maximum torque being produced at a high 8,000 rpm would seem to indicate a peaky engine but nothing could be further from the truth.

One of the most welcome aspects of a large multi is usually engine flexibility and the CB900 is no exception. You can drift down to less than 2,000 rpm in top gear without the chain snatching in protest. And acceleration from such low rpm in higher gears is smooth, rapid and constant. It remains stimulating and quick but predictable, too.

This means that there is little need to manipulate the five-speed gearbox on long major-road journeys punctuated by the occasional roundabout. You can shut down at 90 mph and slow to 30 mph without footing the gear lever, and then curve through traffic with the rapid precision of a surgeon's scalpel.

But in this respect the Honda is no different to many other similar multis, which says much about the state of Japanese motor cycle engineering in the early 1980s.

So styling and more important factors of chassis development and improving suspension have deservedly received more attention in the past few years as manufacturers tried desperately to escape four-cylinder mediocrity. Thus, the Honda is a potent and co-ordinated package.

Several machines of similar capacity are plagued by poor riding positions which effectively prevent high speed cruising for long periods. The wind shattering tiredness a rider suffers from trying to do so can set in when exceeding 70 mph.

First impression of the CB900 is that the rider controls it from within rather than precariously directing operations from above. The flowing lines of the Eurostyle tank, seat and side panels, slope down neatly from each end of the machine to blend on the low point of the rider's seating position.

The footrests feel almost like rear-set conversions and the rider finds himself naturally leaning forward onto the clip-on style handlebars, gripping each fork leg above the top yoke. Seat height is high at 32 in but actually feels lower.

At speed arm and shoulder strain are minimised since the rider leans forward onto a cushion of air. All of which makes 100 mph cruising arrogantly easy and 80-90 mph cruising even more comfortable. Even in gusty and stormy weather I could peel off a journey in excess of 100 miles yet still feel fresh enough to tackle another lengthy ride.

The effortless power delivery and torquey nature of the motor are quick to make themselves felt. Using only half the available revs you'll easy outpace most other forms of transport. The British 70 mph limit ambles in at 5,500 rpm in top gear and a further 2,000 rpm increases this top gear speed by 30 mph. The motor always feels unstrained and responsive.

When called upon the CB900 will rocket up to 110 mph as easily as it rips up to 70 mph. Some of its rivals may be quicker but you'll not suffer from an inferiority complex by owning this Honda. Not even the most frenzied of speed freaks can fail to be impressed by the way it uses its claimed 95 bhp.

For the record, the CB900F-A proved quicker than the previous FZ model when tested in directly comparable weather conditions at MIRA, despite the fact that differences between the two models are minute.

The FA's best one-way effort was more than 3 mph up on the FZ's, mean speed was up 2 mph and acceleration over the quarter improved by more than a third of a second.

Possessing power is one thing but making sure it is not dissipated in a frightening display of uncontrollable frame twisting is another. And the single most important aspect which makes the CB900 so usable is its handling.

In accordance with latest trends the CB900 features air forks enabling variable spring preload adjustment at the front end. And the multi-adjustable rear suspension, spring preload, compression and rebound damping can be changed, allowing a staggering combination of 40 ways of setting up the rear units. This goes some way of allowing an individual to offset the inevitable compromises of a mass produced machine.

With the machine weighing 535 lb, the CB900 suspension and handling do not disguise its bulk, but they do make it eminently manageable. And the model's successful competition in production racing is certainly a pointer to the machine's competent level of handling.

Don't kid yourself that the CB can be thrown around like a wispy 125, but at speed it is very more stable than many lighter machines.

Handling is always the most difficult aspect to describe on any machine. If you are an accomplished high speed rider with natural ability and maybe even some racing experience shortcomings in handling can be overcome by rider skill. Lesser riders may complain bitterly the second a machine shakes momentarily when passing over poor surfaces. The rider of a CB900 will not feel like a competitor in a rodeo meeting, but may feel cause for complaint. It tends to flop into low speed corners, although this can be minimised by judicious use of the throttle.

The Honda's rhythm was most disturbed by bumps in long, fast motorway-type curves. It would occasionally snake when hitting a poorly surfaced stretch at over 80 mph and when pushed the CB900 does not achieve the cultured handling of, say, Suzuki's GS1000. But the Honda is a great improvement over the hideous instability of the CB750KZ, and on balance the sturdy full loop CB900 frame is a step in the right direction.

But ride the machine as its performance and handling encourage and first complaint on your list will be fuel consumption. On only two occasions did it creep onto the respectable side of 40 mpg, yielded on constant moderate speed motorway trips. More often, it was difficult to wring 35 miles from a gallon with this Honda.

Shortcomings like that in no way detract from the bike's incredible good looks, of course. The tucked-in exhaust system with those upswept megaphone silencers, aluminium footrest support plates and black Comstar wheels with reversed spokes, all grab the attention.

Ancillary parts are also to a very high standard. Control switches are sensibly large and therefore easy to locate and operate and the handlebar-mounted choke lever is also easily accessible. Background lighting on the attractive speedo and rev-counter is also the correct intensity. H4 quartz headlights are now common standard equipment and the CB900's is excellent. At night it is like riding in your own spacious tunnel of sunlight.

The CB900 is not a perfect motor cycle, yet it is difficult to aim more than a few detailed criticisms at it. No wonder it proved to be one of Honda's greatest hits.