Four stroke, Transverse four
cylinder, DOHC, 4 valve per cylinder.
Capacity
1284 cc / 78.3 cu-in
Bore x Stroke
78 x 67.2mm
Cooling Sysstem
Liquid cooled
Compression Ratio
9.6:1
Induction
PGM-FI fuel injection with
4 x 36mm throttle bodies
Ignition
Digital
Starting
Electric
Max Power
114hp /
83.2 kW @ 7500rpm
Max Torque
117 Nm / 11.9 kg-fm / 86.3 ft-lb @ 6000rpm
Clutch
Wet multi-plate coil spring
Transmission
5 Speed
Final Drive
Chain
Front Suspension
43mm cartridge style forks
Rear Suspension
Dual shocks with
adjustable spring preload
Front Brakes
2x 310mm discs 4
piston calipers, ABS
Rear Brakes
Single 256mm disc 1
piston caliper, ABS
Front Tyre
130/70 ZR17
Rear Tyre
190/60 ZR17
Rake
25.0°
Trail
99 mm / 3.9 in
Dimensions
Length 2220 mm / 87 in
Width 790 mm / 31 in
Height 1120 mm / 44 in
Wheelbase
1510 mm / 59.4 in
Seat Height
790 mm / 31.1 in adjustable, lowest
setting.
Ground clearance
130 mm / 5.1 in
Dry Weight
234 kg / 515 lbs
Fuel Capacity
21 Litres / 5.5 US gal
.
OK, I'll admit it; I am
an old git.
Thing is, I can remember when all big bikes were like this Honda CB1300.
Four cylinders, no
weather protection, flat handlebars, nice comfy saddle for two grown adults
and a proper sized petrol tank.
Of course a big
engine back in the funkadelic 1970s was 750cc and even a Honda CB750's puny
70bhp could send its feeble chassis into a Max Wall style, comedy wandering
gait, at the merest hint of a bumpy corner. This CB1300 Honda however is an
entirely different beast. For one thing, it handles well, plus it has about
40bhp more, which is enough to propel the CB1300 beyond the far side of
sanity to something like 140mph.
Progress doesn't end
there either. The engine is now a slick, almost silent running at tickover,
water-cooled, fuel-injected masterpiece of all round engineering. In fact, I
found the engine curiously anodyne, bland even, despite it having the sort
of lowdown punch that many a Ducati owner can only dream about. Yep, the
CB1300 four delivers an almighty kick in the pants from 2000rpm upwards and
makes its peak torque at just 5800rpm, which is incredibly low revving for
any four cylinder machine.
Coupled with a truly
`I can't believe it's not filled with butter' type gearbox and clutch, the
Honda's smooth, grunty power characteristics make this motorbike a perfect
commuter. It aces Audi TTs away from the lights, without any apparent
effort. It whooshes past artics on fast A roads with aplomb. In short, it
delivers everything you can ask from a modern motorcycle in a package which
looks mildly retro. Very Honda.
TAKE ME HOME
COUNTRY ROADS
My motorcycling these days is dominated by constant scanning for Police
traps, unmarked cars, laser rifles being trained on me from motorway bridges
3 miles away and all the rest of the government's pathetic revenue raising
scams. All of which is driving me to use backroads more than ever and reject
sportbikes for all rounder machinery like this CB1300. I dare say many of
you are thinking the same way.
Here, the CB1300
really surprised me with its ability to go fast without shaking its massive
240-ish kilogram wet weight around too much. On some choice B roads in
Staffordshire and Shropshire the CB1300 could be hustled as fast as most
sportbikes, since the limiting factor is how far you can see possible
hazards, not an extra 8 degrees of lean angle. The ZR17 radial tyres are
also more than up to the job for all but trackday lunacy.
Pushed to its limit,
the Honda lacks the precision of a Ducati S4R V-twin, or the wild
flickability of an Aprilia Tuono, but it isn't far off the Italian machines'
pace and the Honda easily outclasses the lardy boy handling of the Suzuki
GSX1400, or the strange nervy quality of the Kawasaki ZRX1200.
As I haven't ridden
the big Fazer 1000, or Kawasaki's cool looking Z1000, I don't know how close
they are to the Honda in terms of chuckability, but I'm guessing it will be
pretty marginal. For me, the Z1000, especially in orange, looks better than
the Honda, although I rate the XJR1300 Yamaha as a beautiful looking retro
too - plus the Yammy is the real deal, as the engine can trace its roots
back to the days when Ford still made Cortinas.
So much of the biking
experience is down to that indefinable `grin factor' these days and the good
news is that the CB1300 has it in spades, whereas the old Big One was just a
top heavy lorry. The 1300 carries its weight very well, only getting loose
when the soft front forks compress fully under braking - which they do too
easily. Ridden gentler, it feels easy as a CBR600F to ride at medium fast
speeds, very fluid and the twin shock rear end copes with understated
suppleness. The CB1300 glides along with minimal effort, which I reckon will
suit a great many riders.
ASDA VALUE
The tidy sum of £7300 is required to buy the CB1300, which is a serious
chunk of money. Many people will think that cash would be better spent on a
sporty 600cc machine and I wouldn't blame them. But the Honda does look well
made and once you fit a few accessories I think it will last longer than
some of its rivals, although most bikers nowadays seem to regard 1200 sunny
miles per year as hardcore road-roasting.
It does OK on fuel
for a big machine, returning around 40mpg and the petrol tank holds about
£14 quids worth from reserve light to brim full, which takes you
approximately 130-145 miles. I think you could tour on this bike, as the
saddle is excellent and the soft-ish suspension will help convince a pillion
that they are having a nice time, rather than enduring some kind of Wacky
Racers type living hell at 120mph.
Most spectators
thought details on the CB1300 looked good, with the groovy LED style rear
light cluster ringing their bells, as well as the flat handlebars, which
also offer a range of adjustability to suit varying sized riders. The
massive exhaust cries out to be replaced by something which looks slimmer
and sounds funkier of course, plus Honda are bringing in all kinds of
`personalization' accessories for this machine.
But the bottom line
is I think many riders could get the same fun from a cheaper SV1000S Suzuki,
plus a half fairing, or drool over the lush engineering and throaty growl of
the Aprilia Tuono, which for me, is the world's maddest, baddest Supermoto.
Then again, there's always the cheaper fun that a Bandit 600, Z750 Kawasaki,
or Fazer 600 can offer. Life is going to be tough for this Honda - much more
so than its predecessor CB1000 I reckon - which is a shame, as it deserves
to win a loyal following for its adroit blend of speed and fluent road
manners.
We live in an age
when people harp on about `value' when all they mean is low prices, which
means that the UK bike market is dominated by crazy discounting and fewer
people are now willing to spend more than five grand on anything, in case
they lose a fortune in depreciation three years down the line. If you're one
of the old school who still values a solid, practical, yet blindingly fast
motorbike, then the Honda CB1300 may be all the bike you'll ever need. If
you have any decent skill at riding fast, it will also allow you to utterly
humiliate 80% of sportbike riders on open roads.
Try it, you'll be
surprised at how much fun you can have on a `sensible' Honda.
Source Insidebikes.com
Any corrections or more information on these motorcycles will be kindly appreciated.