| Harry Shaw recently put our CBF1000 demo bike through its paces. These are his impressions ...
When I collected the CBF my first thought was how similar it is to the 600. Cocking a leg across the seat it felt just the same. Of course it’s a few weeks since I rode the 600, so I guess side by side that bike might feel smaller, but I am comparing the CBF to the other bikes and super scooters I have ridden recently, and the small size and light weight of the Thou came as a surprise.
Riding it for the first time gave me two feelings, the usual delight of opening up a large capacity bike on a straight road, and the sensation of lightness and manoeuverability I haven’t felt for a long time. Every action felt as sharp as a tiddler, making the first few hundred yards quite a jerky experience. When I parked the bike, then walked around and stared at it, I began to understand.
This is a ‘traditional’ bike. Big cubes, car crushing drive, and just enough of everything a bike needs, yet it feels really small and neat.
Plain Jane? Sure. How many colours does a grownup rider actually need? Low Tech? Well actually, no. This is not an air-cooled relic, it’s a serious bike for serious riding. Chrome handlebars and two big clocks (plus two little ones) are enough for anyone, especially when in the clocks are those required touring aids such as a fuel gauge, dual trip meters and a timepiece to ensure you catch that ferry. It has a chain because a chain is enough. It also has soooo many bungee hooks you’ll run out of elastic. The suspension is stiff enough to make your words wobble on a washboard surface, but feels good enough when you are off the vertical with a knee out.
The riding position is close to perfect for a newbie or a traditional rider. The levers are adjustable to make things even more comfortable. The seat is adjustable. There is just the slightest of weight on the wrists, easing the creak at the bottom of the back, making it easy to cover the miles, and now we are getting to the point of this bike. It will fit you.
We can all swoon at the colourful acres of plastic on Pans and the other Klingon battle cruisers of every size and make, but the reality is that you can tour on any bike, and this one almost makes it easy. It will also serve you everyday hauling around the M60 in the rush hour. It is narrow, the riding position is high enough to see over the cars, and those cubes hurl you forwards when that elusive gap appears. That retuned FireBlade engine works really well even though it always feel busy, but the lack of plastic will tire you out when the rain and wind are piling into your face. You will, of course, be in the south of France before the weather hits England, won’t you?
So, we know it works for work and holidays, which only leaves play, and I still like to play. I like that feeling of wheels gripping as the bike exits a roundabout, and of being hurled forward past a dozy car driver. Let’s remember there are 1000 cubes at your disposal, with a decent set of wheels and tyres. You can change direction much more quickly than I was anticipating when I first climbed on.
This is what I would describe as a professional bike. It does what it was designed to do like an old family retainer working quietly in the background to make your life easy. It’s not a sports bike, it is a genuine all round bike. It is easy to live with and more important to some, easy to be proud of. I loved it.
This bike is light for a thou, easy to handle yet offering more than enough to fill your Sundays for the next ten years and probably longer. Don’t dismiss it without riding it when you are choosing.
Harry Shaw |
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