HondaCBF1000

The CBF1000 could be a great and un-intimidating step up the displacement ladder

By Yossef Schvetz, Oct. 16, 2006

You can juggle and play with the figures as long as you want but it ain't gonna help; Big Nakeds haven't been a big success so far and that's a fact. On paper, it should have worked better, at least in Europe where middleweight nakeds such as the Yamaha FZ-6 and Suzuki GSR600 rule the sales hit parade.

But somehow, regardless of their big jugs, the liter-sized strippers have failed to appeal and you'd better not try comparing Italian market sales figures for the 599 to those of the 919; it'll be downright embarrassing.

The big four have noticed this scandalous injustice a while ago and are trying to address the situation.

Yamaha has pushed the lovely FZ-1 towards the ragged edge this year with an aluminum frame, bizarre-ish design and extreme engine tuning, and Kawasaki is following the same route for 2007 with the new version of the Z1000. Both companies seem eager to transform their do-it-all giants into extreme "naked-sports" thingies. Someone in Honda must have thought that redemption for liter nakeds might be found elsewhere then, at the opposite end of the scale. Instead of chasing the city racers and wheelie hooligans, why not go for the mature boys, the once-in-a-while tourers with a family and a mortgage?

Cast a look at the new CBF1000 and you'll understand immediately that a weekend in its company will be more a "let's hold hands" type of thing rather than a sweaty and steamy affair.

Honda product planners seemingly drew their inspiration from the discreet success of the Europe-only CBF600, a cute mid-weight touring naked of sorts and have morphed the 919 into a much more sedate type of tool.

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.

"It's more as if the bodywork of the CBF600 was simply scaled up by 10%..."

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 the road gets kinky, the wonderfully grunty motor remains a big source of satisfaction and 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 GoldWing 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.

"This nice-guy attitude has some limits."

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.

The progressively-linked rear shock copes rather well with the increased demands but it's the single-backbone frame that at a certain point cries "enough is enough". The well-behaved motor also tries to tell you that torque is torque but still, power is power. What I mean is that plenty of drive at 4,000 or 5,000 RPM is a nice thing to have but when riding above semi-fast speeds, you don't spend much time at those kinds of revs and the lack of kick higher up the range is missed.

'I can't think of an easier liter bike to ride to work with on a daily basis...'

In reality, after 8,000 revs there's a serious drop in power so that you don't even feel tempted to try and bump into the rev limiter and simply hook up the next gear. I must add that knowing about the 12,000 RPM redline potential of this very engine in its Fireblade incarnation left me with mixed feelings about the limited rev range of this otherwise fine unit.

Considering the budget calipers mounted, the braking power was rather good, but also brought to light a strange problem. The top half of the fairing ends in two sharp corners that are positioned exactly in front of the rider's knees. When braking hard, unless I was making a conscious effort to brace myself on the gas tank my knees often met the offending corners. Ouch!

Since we're talking `bout braking, it might be worth noting that I've been riding the standard version of the CBF1000 but there's also an ABS-CBS version with linked anti lock brakes. The CBF1000ST model is equipped with higher-spec Brembo calipers and some of my colleagues reported improved braking power. On top of the sophisticated brakes, the ST version comes with original hard luggage, adding about 10% to the basic model's price.

Back in town, the tables are turned back again. The CBF1000 simply shines here and that's no mean feat for a 1000 tool in the narrow city streets.

I can't think of an easier liter bike to ride to work with on a daily basis except maybe -- just maybe -- the GT1000 I road tested not long ago. The drivers around me are nervous, the weather is extra hot but the CBF maintains its millennium nirvana. The reduced fairing lowers of the CBF let the heat disperse with ease, the seat is still comfy regardless of the massive sweating, all the levers and controls remain buttery smooth and I must admit that I am cursing less than usual inside my boiling helmet considering the heavy heat.

The CBF1000 seems to have a calming effect of sorts.Whether that's good or bad is a matter of taste and personality but on the cobblestone-paved streets I find myself quite happy with the softish springing and damping rates chosen by Honda's test riders for the CBF.It's just too easy to blame and disdain the CBF for not being all sorts of things. Like not being a proper contender to the aforementioned FZ-1 or Z1000 or for not having a more inspiring design or color schemes. But then, it seems like Honda never planned a glittering rock star status for their cute CBF1000.

Moving over to the half-full side of the glass, it's just as easy to praise the fact that together with the SV1000, it's the world's cheapest liter tool. Or that it's almost an up-to-date water-cooled Bandit 1200 rather than a road-burning streetfighter.

The model is not headed to the US this year but seen in a European context, the CBF1000 could be a great and un-intimidating step up the displacement ladder for somebody who's growing out of a 599 or FZ6. Seen as such, the CBF1000 has a rationale behind it, a rationale that can speak volumes to the 40-50 something born-again bikers that are so numerous these days across the pond. It's an easy to live with on a daily basis, 1000cc roadster that could also take you on a comfy weekend-long two-up trip. Does this sound just too serene and relaxed?

Honda seems to believe that the market for this kind of tool and attitude exists and how. I wouldn't be surprised if a year from now, Honda ends up selling more CBFs than the competition sells flashy FZ-1s or Z1000s.

Vespa S 150

In my head there exists an awards ceremony called “The Scooties” and each year my brain nominates contenders for the best in a variety of categories. There’s no red carpet, just me as the orchestra, audience, comedic host, judge and presenter. One of the most prestigious categories is “Best Aesthetics”. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot of competition for 2008, and since I’m also the Joan Rivers of the ceremony I can let you know that at this year’s show the award for “Best Aesthetics” went to a hot newcomer, the 2008 Vespa S. “Can we tawk?” sorry I couldn’t resist.

There’s something about this tiny scooter that really sets it apart from the rest. Sure, it’s a Vespa so you’d expect it to be visually appealing, but this baby is different. I think what sets her apart is the fact that she was designed to evoke not just the classic Vespa style, but more precisely a specific model; the Vespa Special 50. I even think she has some resemblance to the Vespa that’s in my garage, the T5. I’ve included photos of the two, so you can judge for yourself. The rectangular headlight is a bit unusual on a Vespa, but it’s the coolest in my opinion.

Speedo, fuel gage, clock, and warning lights all packed into a busy, chromy, cluster.

My half helmet fit nicely. Looks like there's room for a full face helmet under the seat. Tool kit included.

'The dazzling chrome looking bits are a beautiful touch'

The ride feels very similar to a model produced earlier, the Vespa LX 150. The suspension feels a bit stiffer, but it has the same engine, same weight, length, fuel capacity and wheel size. As a matter of fact, some have said it’s little more than an LX 150 with a new body kit. I see the similarities under the hood, if you will, but the Vespa S is so much more; or to confuse things, so much less. The sportier, low profile, single passenger corsa (racing) seat is a style that hasn’t been seen on another modern Vespa until the now. It’s a style that must have received a warm welcome because it’s also been included on the new Vespa Super 300 as a two passenger version. There is also an optional touring seat available if you like to have more seating options (shifting toward the front or back of the seat) or would like to comfortably carry a passenger.

Also on the topic of less, the price of the Vespa S is less than that of the LX 150. It was a pleasant surprise to see an MSRP of $4,099; that’s $200 less than the LX. We we’re taken off guard when they announced the price difference, but it could be due to the LX having more metal on her than the S. The S has a plastic front fender, headset and on the upper half of the floorboard is plastic.

Continuing the less is more theme, I’m pleased to see the return of the thinner leg shield as well. Unlike the others in the Vespa line-up, the Vespa S trades the bulkier glove box for a thin profile leg shield and a pair of catch-all trays. You might not miss the removal of the locking glove box they replace because there’s a good amount of storage under the seat. I was actually able to hang my helmet on the under seat hook and store my gloves, armored jacket and reflective vest under the seat. That’s about all the storage I need to run around town. In the event that you need to haul something bigger, you can always add a luggage rack and top case accessory from Vespa, designed to match their scooter paint scheme. A backpack is also a good option, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your riding ability.

The dazzling chrome looking bits are a beautiful touch, but also one of my few complaints. When the sun was high over my shoulder, they were in such a position that they dazzled me as well. Not good when riding through busy intersections at 40 mph. My other complaint is that the seat has its own separate lock. It cannot be unlocked from the ignition switch unlike most of her siblings. Remove the key from the ignition, unlock the seat, pull your stuff out and drop the seat. Next you put the key in the ignition and start her up realizing you forgot to put away your rented DVD. Turn the key, remove it from the ignition, and unlock the seat. Mostly an annoyance, but remember if you have more than one key on the key ring and drop the seat with the key in the seat mounted lock you stand a great chance of scratching up your paint. So be careful.

The twist and go Vespa S is running on the proven LEADER (low emissions) 150cc, 4-stroke, air cooled engine that produces 11.7 bhp at 7750 RPM. That means you’ll get a top speed of just under 60 mph and very respectable fuel economy of around 60-70 mpg. Air cooling is the norm for scooters with displacements of less than 200cc. You can usually expect a little lower torque out of an air cooled engine but the simplicity of air cooling means not having to worry about the related radiators, pumps, hoses and coolant leaks.

2008 Vespa S on the left and 1985 Vespa T5 on the right.

At 225 lbs the Vespa S is one of the lightest weight 150cc scooters available; even four pounds lighter than the 125cc Yamaha Vino. She handles well on the city streets and the 30.5” seat height helps the rider see and be seen. She has the smallish tires (10” rear, 11” front) you’d expect on a Vespa, great for darting around obstacles and down crowded city streets. Braking is provided by a pair of relatively large (8.66”) hydraulic discs, front and rear. My demo unit was still pretty green, probably explaining why my brakes were a little soft, but at no point did the ride feel unsafe.

The Vespa S is a bit more expensive than other 150cc scooters with an MSRP of $4,099, but when you buy a Vespa you’re also buying desirability and collectability, which means that if you keep her in good shape you’ll have a scooter with a good resale value should you ever decide to part with her.

Fire Red is just one of many colors available for 2008.

The Vespa S comes with a one year factory warranty and 24-hour roadside assistance with a two year factory extended warranty available. Oh, one more thing. Vespa colors are known to have pretty limited runs, so if you see one in a color you like you should probably make your move before they discontinue it. I’m especially fond of the new orange Vespa S. She’s the only one with orange colored stitching in the black seat; a very nice touch. Must… fight… desire to put… down… deposit.

Kawasaki KX250F

Team Green's redesigned motocrosser packs plenty of punch

By Jeremy Korzeniewski, Sep. 04, 2008

When climbing aboard the brand new 2009 KX250F for the first time, I must admit to a bit of that eerily familiar ‘big guy on a little bike’ feeling. Being 6-foot 2 and 215-pounds pounds, hopping on a small displacement bike often leads to the suspension sagging nearly to the ground. Fortunately, Kawasaki was on hand as journalists tested the thoroughly new bike at an equally new test track in California and Team Green had brought the suspension experts from Showa with them to tune things for each rider. After a few quick turns of the wrench, the KX250F lost that lowrider feeling.

After kicking the beast to life it was time to set off for the track. From that point on, the new KX proved extremely impressive, as it had plenty of power to clear the doubles of the track - even with this mildly-tubby rider on board. More about that later; first, what makes the '09 KX250F new?

Seriously, nearly every single piece of the '09 KX250F has been redesigned. Starting with the (take a deep breath) 249cc, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, four-valve, DOHC 'thumper' engine, a new cylinder head keeps the titanium valves from last year but enlarges them and casts them from a revised material. Along with a straighter intake tract, the new head allows the engine to take much deeper breaths from its single lung. That lone piston spins a new crank which is completely new and has more weight down low - a feature that is immediately felt and provides very smooth operation with little vibration, even at high revs. Also noticeable is the extremely smooth shifting action, which can be chalked up to the stronger gears and new cast-in clutch cable holder.

That powerplant is hung in a new aluminum perimeter frame. Although its design certainly draws inspiration from its bigger brother, the KX450F, it is completely new and shares no parts with any other machine. Kawi's engineers managed to remove 2.2 pounds of material from the new main spars while keeping everything nice and rigid with new engine mounts and newly-shaped geometry.

The totally new front downtube is easily identifiable due to the reduction in material around the head-tube and fewer welds as compared to last year's model. Continuing to the rear of the bike, the subframe features thicker diameter tubes that are set wider apart for more rigidity -- something our well-padded posteriors appreciated.

At the front, off-set triple clamps hold dark navy blue titanium-coated forks. Kawasaki is very proud of its friction-reducing titanium and Kashima coatings, something which no other manufacturer can claim in the 250 four-stroke class. Despite the long travel, absolutely zero stiction could be felt in their operation, so perhaps Kawasaki is on to something here. Combined with the new rear shock and the D-shaped swingarm which sees its pivot placement raised by some 3 millimeters, the Kawasaki's suspenders kept us well cushioned and never bottomed out (after being properly set-up of course).

Rounding out the changes is an enlarged skid plate made from flexible resin as opposed to the previous rigid aluminum. Kawasaki assures us that the new plastic piece is plenty strong. Although you'd never notice it otherwise, we got a good look at the bikes undercarriage while watching fellow journalists lap the track – everything looks fine from that vantage point. The bodywork has the Kawasaki 'speed-holes' at the front and is made from about half as many pieces as before thanks to new molding techniques which allow for multiple colors in one plastic unit. As you would expect, green is front and center on the new bike while black makes up the rest. All in all, it's a mean looker, all the more so when equipped with the new Monster Energy graphics for an extra couple hundred bucks.

Considering that this was our first time swinging a leg over the new bike, we think that Kawasaki did an excellent job of refining its past race-winner. Before setting off, we noted how slim the bike felt between our knees and thighs. After a minute of fidgeting, it’s easy to get comfortable in the saddle. Everything fell easily to hand and the grips were right where we expected them. Ample ground clearance was afforded by the pegs, which felt just a wee-bit high for our liking before hitting the track. Of course, after the first whoop section, we changed our tune and appreciated everything as it was. Those of us large of foot may want to especially thank Kawasaki's engineers for the wider foot pegs this year.

Kick-starting never proved problematic as long as the bike was kept in neutral. When left in gear, we kicked ourselves silly with no results. Kawasaki recommends leaving the bike in neutral for starting. The shifting mechanism is now a ratcheting design and finding the next gear was never a problem, and neither was locating neutral after coming to a stop. Despite the heat of the mid-day California desert sun and machine's constantly being abused, the bike showed no signs of overheating, which could possibly be due to Kawasaki's newly-designed radiators which are now six-percent larger and feature more cooling blades.

From the first tentative lap around the Rynoland track in Anza, Calif., we felt at ease with the smooth power delivery. Some added compression damping was needed after the first lap, but that was largely due to the 215-pound rider, which is considerably heavier than the typical motocross racer.

After getting things adjusted, the KX felt like an excellent handling machine. While wallowing just a bit in the sandier sections of the course thanks to the tight steering geometry, the hard-packed dirt allowed us to rail through the corners without fear of putting it down. Wheelies were a quick blip away in first gear while a mild clutch drop was needed to bring the front up at speed. Once there, everything felt well balanced and easy to maneuver. On a motocross bike, the brakes should be easy to modulate without fear of locking them up unless desired - no problems there. Sliding the tail around tight turns proved ridiculously simple, which is definitely a boon for those who ride on smaller tracks.

The grounds-crew on-site kept everything nice and smooth on the track, so we ventured out to find some less ideal conditions. We found plenty of places to ride the new bike and it always proved steady and relatively stable for a race machine. Despite our best efforts, the green-machine never placed a tire wrong. The power delivery will never catch you off guard thanks to the four-stroker’s smooth power-band. We felt no undue spikes, just smooth power from low revs straight up to its power peak. That's not a bad thing in the least, especially when the conditions get loose. We found some very sandy off-road single-track nearby to tackle where we greatly appreciated the thinner center-section and light weight, all of which conspired to keep us on the bike and off the ground. What's more, the clutch proved very smooth and never grabbed throughout our entire torture-test.

After all was said and done, we walked away quite impressed by the Kawi. There were literally no glaring faults to speak of, though the same could likely be said of all four Japanese 250s. For our money, though, nothing else quite matches to cool of the new '09 Monster Energy Edition. The blacked-out bodywork combines with the green hubs to make for a very distinctive bike right off the showroom floor. The base price for the new KX250F is $6,499 with the Monster model running a bit more at $6,699.