out in the ground clearance department.
Road going CB1100R
Japanese factories where out there, chasing
GP glory with a bevy of brutal 500cc two-
strokes, while Honda stayed at home.
Honda did, however, enjoy considerable
success in the heat of European endurance
racing and it was the machines used for this
sport, the advanced 24-hour racing RCB
fours, that gave much of the inspiration
behind the CB project of 1979. Using a similar
engine design to the CBX1000, the new 750
and 900cc bikes, the European-only F series,
marked a change of direction for the mighty
H, and at last it was taking on the rest in the
sports bike stakes with the CB750 and, of
course, the distinctive twin cam shaft layout.
Although the CB900F engine differed in
many ways from the endurance racer, the
basic layout was immediately identifiable
with a chain primary drive replacing the gear
drive. The main changes were a necessity
of transforming a prototype racer into a
viable road-going machine. Looking around
the RCB race machine shows the hand built
nature of the beast with most modifications
being a result of in the field tests and not
the produce of a proper development
cycle expected of an end user machine.
Even stood still, the CB900F looks to be
going some. The lines are cleverly swept
back with bodywork and decals matching
the angles of the pipes, and other metalwork
complementing each other superbly. The
overall styling, indeed many of the mechanical
features, echo those found on the six-
cylinder CBX while the beefy looking four
cylinder engine sits high in the frame to help
The CB is without doubt a big machine,
with an all up weight of 233kg and a lengthy
wheelbase too, but it carries its weight and
bulk well, the rider sits deep in the plush seat
with the tank up in front of their chest. The
big, wide bars end just where your arms do and
give a great command over the bike’s progress
while the seating and footrest position are
also bang on for both comfort and control.
The DOHC engine is tuned for a big
midrange performance with shoulder tugging
acceleration from around 4000rpm all the way
to the redline just a shade short of 9500rpm.
There is some considerable vibration as
the engine passes through the midrange,
a byproduct of the long-stroke motor, and
something that was addressed with the
F-C model when the rear of the engine was
rubber mounted and a set of swing tie rods
allowed the front of the engine to move and
dampen out the impact upon the chassis.
On the earlier machine, the vibes add to
the urgency of the ride and definitely add a
hint of excitement to what really is a much
steadier ride than first impressions create.
From low down in the rev range, around
2000rpm in top gear, the engine is responsive
and willing to go, carburetting smoothly
and cleanly all the way to its redline. There
is a definite drop in power around 8500rpm
however, and the engine doesn’t increase
its output once above this figure despite
revving quite freely to get there so little
except heavy fuel consumption is to be had
by taking the needle to that part of the dial.
Maximum torque is had around 7500rpm
so the best performance and fun is to be
had by sticking around those two figures.
At speed the CB900F demonstrates itself to be
the very best handling Honda had thus made,
leaving the old single over camshaft CB750
dead in its tracks. The combination of the
big engine, wrapped up in what is effectively
the 750 chassis, is devastatingly good.
For the period, the CB900, with 95bhp and