HONDA CB110

HONDA CB1100

HONDA CB1100

The incomparable CB1100R provided proof that when mighty 

 Honda set out to build the fastest production motorcycle in the 

world, the opposition didn't stand much chance. Especially when 

the bike in question was a purpose-built racer designed with little 

regard to cost, produced in very small numbers, and which 

competed against mass-produced machines that sold for half its 

price.

Honda's aim in creating the CB1100R was victory in high-profile long-distance production races in Australia (especially the prestigious Castrol Six Hour) and South Africa. Regulations for these races were strict, with very few modifications allowed. So Honda created its first "homologation special' by treating its current top model, the naked CB900FZ, to a spectacular makeover.

The result was a stunning superbike that was head and shoulders above all opposition in 1981. Its racetrack dominance was predictable and sometimes dull. But for the fortunate few who got to ride an 1100R, there was nothing remotely boring about a bike that rocketed to over 140mph (225km/h), handled and braked better than any big four-cylinder rival, and was even refined and comfortable too.

Honda's first requirement was more power. The CB900's air-cooled, 16-valve four-cylinder motor was bored out to increase its capacity from 901 to 1062cc, and its compression ratio raised from 8.8 to 10:1. That lifted peak output by more than 20 per cent, to 115bhp at 9000rpm. Equally importantly, the motor was strengthened with modifications including new conrods, wider primary chain and redesigned crankcases.

Chassis layout remained conventional, but the HONDA CB1100 benefited from a more rigid twin-downtube steel frame, plus the most sophisticated cycle parts yet seen on a production motorcycle. Front forks had thick 37mm legs and adjustable air pressure, while the shocks could beTine-tuned for compression could be fine-tuned fol had the novel feision and rebound damping, and had the resist! (feature of remote hydraulic reservoirs, to fiisist overheating. The front brake held another first, with its twin-piston calipers.

One thing that Honda didn't achieve was make the HONDA CB1100 particularly light: at 5181b (235kg) dry, it was slightly heavier the 900FZ despite much use of plastic and aluminium. The production racer certainly looked the part, though, with its half-fairing, large fuel tank (for maximum racing range), and racy single seat. Nobody was in the slightest doubt about why the 1100R had been created, especially when Honda announced that only 1000 units would be built, and that in some markets the bike would cost almost twice as much as the CB900FZ.

Nothing this purposeful had been produced by a Japanese manufacturer before, and the Honda CB1100 duly trounced all opposition on the track. This was particularly true in the shorter races of the British Streetbike series, where the handful of Hondas were in a race of their own at the head of the field. The southern hemisphere long-distance events threw up more variables, but the CB1100R took plenty of wins.

HONDA CB1100

Sensational road bike

HONDA CB1100

Perhaps most impressively of all, the HONDA CB1100 made a sensational road bike. Its phenomenal top- end power was matched not only by storming mid- range acceleration, but also by impressive smoothness and low-rev refinement. The protective fairing allowed more of that performance to be used.

And although the 1100R was prone to a slight weave at very high speed, its chassis gave superb suspension control, fierce braking and generous ground clearance.

Honda made the bike even better in the next couple of years. In 1982 came the CB1100R-C, with a full fairing (which cured the instability),

dual seat, improved front forks and wider wheels.

A year later, the 1100R-D added damping- adjustable forks and an aluminum swingarm. The specification had changed, but one thing had not: the CB1100R was still the fastest production motorcycle in the world.