Honda CBF 1000

Look behind the half fairing and you'll indeed find the same basic rectangular steel backbone tube frame of the 599/919.

Honda didn't try to re-cycle too many parts in creating the CBF1000 (the seat unit looks too familiar though); it's more as if the bodywork of the CBF600 was simply scaled up by 10% by the 3D CAD software. Compared to its smaller brother, the main differences that stick out are the strange, arc-shaped, silver-painted side panels and the use of nothing less than the latest version of the CBR1000RR mill to propel the thing.

The engine choice is a bit bizarre to say the least. From the 174 claimed hp in the RR, the unit has been detuned to... 96 hp in the CBF1000.

That means a good 78 HP have been chopped for "better midrange response". I can't think of a reason as to why Honda would decide to use this engine when they already had good torque producers in the shape of the previous 954 Fireblade mill or the 1100 motor of the Super Blackbird. Why they used a power unit with a relatively extreme bore and stroke ratio is beyond me. Maybe this is paving the road for the new 1000 version of the 919, a bike that will surely come pretty soon.

Till that one arrives, it's the CBF1000 that we are dealing with. By the sound of it you might be tempted to see it as a contender to the new half-faired FZ-1 tested in MO's 2006 naked comparo, but in reality the two are aimed at very different folks. The FZ-1 is all about sharp angles, tight lines and complex syntax while the CBF offers smooth classic lines, soft curves and a plain-Jane composition of its components. The final result is indeed a close cousin to the groovy and well-proportioned CBF600, just not as well groomed in my opinion. I think that the most offending element in the CBF1000's design is that odd, arc-shaped side panel that's stuck smack in the middle of the bike, a rather boring focal point.

Closer examination of the CBF1000 helps to clarify Honda's intentions even more. There's a standard fork with no adjustments, a pair of simple two-piston brake calipers of the floating type, a rear 160-section tire (even the 599 has a 180), and an all-analog instrument panel with no LCD in sight. Hello? Honda? It's the year 2006, remember?

The finishing and detailing level doesn't impress either. So then, we have a sort of budget 1000cc tool which means that in Europe, it's priced a good 15% cheaper than the half faired FZ-1 and that's not small change. OK, the picture is becoming clearer now, yet in my humble opinion, with exactly the same budget, a much more captivating design could have been achieved. A Honda technician catches me casting dubious looks at the CBF1000 before leaving and voluntarily adds: "What do you expect? It's been styled in Honda's German studio." Aha! That would explain.

The aesthetics complaint chapter ends a few minutes into the ride. De-tuned the engine might be, a puppy dog, a pussycat, call it as you like but I've yet to experience such an elastic response and so much user friendliness from a liter tool. With an extreme starting point such as the CBR1000RR mill, textbooks say it shouldn't be so, but smaller throttle bodies and a host of other mods have turned the fire-breathing Fireblade powerplant into a refined unit that purrs happily from what feels like zero RPM.

A close look at the CBF's torque curve published by one of the local mags shows that from a silly 3,000 RPM and up the power unit supplies 61.4 foot pounds of torque and never dips under this figure till 8,000 RPM, climbing to a 68.7 foot-pound peak at 6,500 RPM. And that curve doesn't lie. It's kind of usual to attach the expression "pulls from any revs" to big twins, but this four-cylinder mill could teach some big twins the meaning of "low-down pull".

When I took the bike from Honda, one mechanic suggested I try starting from standstill in sixth gear. "Do it gently and you'll see it manages". Well, I didn't go that far; I didn't feel like being left stranded with a fried clutch in case it didn't work as planned. But I did try the trick in fourth gear and, by golly, it does pull away! I also let the revs drop to 1,500 in sixth and the CBF gathered itself together without any of the shaking power pulsing and drama that you'd find in, say, a Ducati 1000 at such revs. So then, it turns out that leaving aside the new FJR 1300, this CBF1000 is the closest thing to riding an automatic bike that I've ever tried. On secondary roads that are free of dead-slow hairpins, you can pretty much leave the thing in sixth and forget about shifting.

The relaxed attitude is also displayed in the pilot's environment. It's not as plush as that of a Gold Wing to be sure, yet it's still very comfy. There's an ultra-soft seat, a very natural bend in the handlebars, a total lack of vibes and the fairing protects well till 80-85 mph (though not beyond). Considering the budget nature of the CBF1000 there is also a surprising feature in the form of seat height adjustability (with an Allen key) but I didn't have the chance to try that.

So this CBF isn't really a tourer or sport tourer but rather a standard comfy roadster with a half fairing. OK then, doesn't that mean that it should also be a good back road scratcher? Isn't that part of the charm of these high-bar, simple-to-ride tools?

When the road gets kinky, the wonderfully grunty motor remains a big source of satisfaction and pull, but the rest of the package doesn't leave a clear impression. Yep, there's plenty of oomph to drive you out of turns and thankfully, the highish handlebars do help while throwing the CBF around with abandon but there are limits to the idyll too.

The extra leverage is really needed as Honda engineers put more attention to stability rather than flickability on this one.

Up to 80-90 percent on the speed scale, the CBF1000 does behave itself, supplying a semi-sporty experience, but don't get too serious about getting your adrenaline fix with this one. Pile on the coals and the 160-section rear tire starts to move around.

Slam on the brakes with authority and the fork consumes its entire available stroke in one big gulp without a hint of guilt or remorse.