Road – An iron fist in a velvet four-legged – Used HONDA

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An iron fist in a velvet four-legged

Road - An iron fist in a velvet four-legged - Used HONDA

The road version of the CB 1300 Naked, the streamlined version offers serious advantages: its finish, its ergonomics and above all its engine are an invitation to carve the road in all serenity this summer. Is the ramage up to the plumage ? Test.

From the first glance, the affiliation of the big Honda roadster with the Superbike machines of the 70s is obvious: directly inspired by the emblematic CB 1000 "Big One" dear to Edouard Bracamme of the Joe Bar Team, the CB 1300 S adds a elegant front fairing which immediately refers to the endurance RCB saga that began in 1976 (see in particular that of Jean-Claude Chemarin and Alex George on display at the Honda Collection Hall in Motegi,).

More road version of the CB 1300 Naked presented in 2003, the CB 1300 S / ABS is now the only model available in France, following the withdrawal in 2007 (lack of sales) of the version without fork crown. Surprising, given the presumed craze of the French motorcyclist for large engines, pledges of generous times and smoothness of driving, even in the restricted version…

Still, if men prefer the big ones, minimum protection seems to have become a determining criterion during the purchase, legitimizing the grafting of a half-fairing integral with the frame on the spearhead of the CB series of the first. global manufacturer.

The technical corner

Appeared in 2005, the CB 1300 SA takes full advantage of its (intended) resemblance to the legendary "Big One" of the 90s. It also uses the four-cylinder engine with double overhead camshafts, 16 valves and liquid cooling. Its 1,284 cc injected have, however, undergone some changes, the latest of which concern the exhaust, the new automatic air and idle management system (IACV), all electronically optimized this year to comply with anti-pollution standards. Typically high-end, the CB 1300 S offers a 43 mm cartridge fork (adjustable in compression and rebound) and a dual Showa combined with adjustable preload at the rear which are added to the imposing double steel cradle frame and with a very nice 40×90 mm swingarm to ensure very healthy road behavior, despite the 269 kg all full made of the whole. To stop it all, Honda chose to rely on a Nissin double disc hydraulically controlled 310 mm in diameter actuating two four-piston calipers with sintered pads. The rear is based on a single 256 mm hydraulic disc with single piston caliper, all managed by the excellent ABS device unveiled on the CBF 600.

Intended according to Honda for "those who appreciate admiring looks and have a taste for raw performance but under control", the CB 1300 SA has gently continued its path since its launch in 2005, relying on its side "quiet strength" and on a few small changes made this year (read "The technical corner") to continue to seduce a fringe of the population sensitive to its discreet charm – a bit retro -, its practical aspects and especially its engine as big as that !

A direct rival to the Suzuki Bandit 1250 S ABS and other Yamaha XJR 1300s, the beautiful Honda, however, charges its statutory side with a price of € 10,900 against € 8,499 for the Suz ‘and € 9,090 for the Yam’! Admittedly, the tri-tuning fork machine is of an older design and does not have a fork crown or ABS, while the indecisive Bandit does not flatter the retina as much. But the sacrosanct purchasing power already gives the Honda a significant disadvantage…

Ignoring these basely material considerations, the Honda CB 1300 SA wanted to demonstrate its value to us, from the Paris ring road to the Ardennes county roads, passing through the Champagne vineyards. Test !

Deceptively classic

When stationary, the CB 1300 S imposes: its magnificent two-tone colors (black and gold or white and red) underline a generous, enveloping, almost intimidating line: with its 269 kg fully loaded, its 1515 mm wheelbase and its 790 mm saddle height, the Honda is not a small motorcycle and the very square design of its fork crown and its duck tail rear, suspended by two prominent Showa combos, refer to guns of design from another era.

However, the whole is harmonious and well designed and if the spirit of the CB 1100 R is felt, Honda has taken care to bring subtle touches of modernism to its big roadster to cultivate a very successful mix of genres: the rear accommodates very efficient LED lights, the engine receives PGM-FI electronic fuel injection, an HECS3 exhaust system with oxygen sensor and catalytic cartridges and a sophisticated air management device called IACV (Intake Air Control Valve) returns the starter to the rank of antiquity: it "limits the effects of torque and allows more progressiveness in reactions to small actions on the throttle", indicates the manufacturer.

Installed on its handlebars, the CB 1300 S continues to play on the same register: the austere analogue dashboard gives pride of place to the tachometer and speedometer hands, but the two digital windows, the immobilizer lights HISS (Honda Ignition Security System) and ABS betray its recent design! We would also like to salute the amount of information visible: in addition to the speed, the engine speed and the usual warning lights, the pilot has access to the fuel gauge, to the air and engine temperature, as well as to two kilometer trips in addition to the grand totalizer, all backlit with a soft blue glow.

The hushed – almost opulent – atmosphere on board is reinforced by the quality and care taken in the fit and finish. Pure Honda, the CB 1300 S indeed reveals a profusion of aluminum with impeccable treatment and an impressive attention to detail: the polished crankcases and the golden tint of the exhaust pipes and the rims of this test model add a dose of undeniable chic, enhanced by the discreet glittery stickers on the back cover. The flagship of the world’s leading manufacturer’s road roadsters, this motorcycle alone represents all of Honda’s know-how and mastery: everything is in its place, well thought out, without unnecessary luxury but without compromising on quality..

Well raised, the machine subtly draws attention to its owner, by highlighting its enormous four-cylinder (its displacement exceeds that of most city cars!) To enhance its driver, while offering a multitude of practical aspects. : the half-fairing – the screen of which is tinted to avoid reflections on the dashboard – accommodates two watertight boxes with a capacity of one liter, one of which can be locked. Perfect for storing glasses case, phone, toll tickets and other small essentials, these spaces are a brilliant reinforcement to the vast volume (11.4 liters) available under the saddle !

Benefiting from a grab handle and a two-stage saddle with significant padding, pilot and passenger will also benefit from the multiple lashing hooks present on the CB 1300 S and especially from its clever lockable helmet holder, arranged on the left rear flank. Revised and corrected on the S version, the side covers offer a limited width in order to offer a driving position accessible to as many people as possible and make it possible to fit well with the bike, despite the 21 liters of its imposing tank.

Attention to detail, the manufacturer has thought of providing the driver’s footrests with rubbers, thus isolating it from the vibrations of the big "four-legged". Its passenger, on the other hand, is not housed in the same boat and risks suffering from heady tingling from 3,500 to 5,500 revolutions at the level of the right footrest..

On the maintenance side, the Honda blows hot and cold: checking and filling fluids is only a formality thanks to the oil level window (cleanable for better vision thanks to a clever screw) and to the easy access to the expansion tank. But the absence of a central stand does not facilitate lubrication or tension (by pulled wheel) of the chain..

Kind regards your

Taking the measure of a machine with such a high weight and cubic capacity in Parisian traffic jams immediately allows us to get a more precise idea of ​​the CB 1300 S: of course, the dantesque acceleration of the four-cylinder hurts the neck. , the license and especially the grip of the rear tire – especially since the Dunlop D220 ST mounted on this test machine was clearly at the end of its life -, but the monster is kind and his availability bluffing !

Flexible – the bike accepts to set off again without flinching in fifth and final gear at 1000 laps! -, elastic and benefiting from a response to the perfect throttle, the 1284 cc of the engine make use of their 11.6 m / kg of torque with disconcerting ease: typically Honda, the mechanics are able to leave many motorcycles, but in a studied tranquility and without the slightest hint of violence or bad temper !

Urban and extra-urban wanderings are then facilitated, especially as the turning radius (2.7 m) makes some urban people look ridiculous and the efficient mirrors, placed on the fairing, have the good taste to pass over those of cars: once the consequent width of the handlebars and the exhaust have been understood, the line ups are only a formality.

The surprising agility of the machine (compared to its weight) passed 30 km / h is well supported by a smooth and precise gearbox and by the adjustable and hydraulic controls of the clutch and the brakes. Unfortunately, the heat released from the right side of the engine and the mass to move during maneuvers at standstill and at idle taint the city skills of the CB 1300 S.

Sport without effort … but with caution !

Out of traffic jams, the CB 1300 S willingly accepts to raise the tone: the legal 130 km / h is reached in less time than it takes to be flashed and the engine thrust is then proving to be delightful and amazing: whatever the report and the speed, the Honda takes again with force and one juggles quickly between 3000 and 6000 revs where the couple is at the maximum and the 106 ch French reached. Admittedly, the motorcycle does not lack of extension and touches the 9000 turns before the action of the breaker, but in French version – that is to say with 10 horses less – the mass is said at 6,500 turns: to go above is only useful flatter music lovers, who will however end up railing against the excessive efficiency of the Honda silencer…

On the German motorway, the opportunity to record a 240 km / h counter will put a strain on the pilot hanging on the wide handlebars! The protection added to the roadster abdicates from 140 km / h and does not protect the shoulders enough anyway: long journeys at a sustained pace are therefore to be avoided and it is with relief that the motorcycle and the rider will approach the exit ramp. !

The CB 1300 S therefore unfolds quietly through the vineyards between Château-Thierry and Reims. The wide roads with open bends and impeccable surface incite debauchery: responding immediately present, the bike engages without striking a blow in the slightest curve and accepts a generous angle grip with ease and good grace! The excellent ABS device has the good idea to be completely forgotten and the big CB tolerates optimistic entries on the brakes, without parasitic reactions.

An astonishing behavior on the part of a machine with such measurements, but which fully justifies the spirit "Superbike of yesteryear" that Honda has expertly distilled on this model. That said, even if the large handlebars, the well thought-out weight balancing and the quality suspensions grant real sporting capacities to the CB 1300 S, the enormous torque balanced at the rear wheel, like the inertia of the engine and of machine, quickly give a glimpse of limits that should not be crossed and de facto prohibit improvisation !

The “fast roll-up” will therefore be highly recommended to its owners, who must always keep in mind the large mass in motion! What is more, if the Honda displays a homogeneity of good quality on the roads leading to the city of the Coronations, the passage through small axes winding in the middle of the vines quickly made the diligent student of the class lose the smile. CB: the rear combinations struggle to keep pace and "pump" when re-accelerating on bumps, while the fork – with settings a tad too hard – returns you every imperfections of the asphalt in the gums !

Not dangerous for all that, because the bike does not split up and manages to send reliable information back to its rider, this frustrating behavior for a roadster of this caliber irreparably requires a generous hand as soon as the asphalt crumbles. The opportunity to peacefully enjoy the landscape and the panoramas offered by the vineyard valley: a truly bucolic moment just marred by a sly evil in the foundation that appears after around 180 km on the handlebars…

Beneath its wide and welcoming exterior, the saddle has a tendency to sag too quickly and it is not the passenger who will push to continue the ride: the footrests placed too high and the vibrations going up in the right leg combine their misdeeds with too soft original rear shock absorbers which "heel" unpleasantly in fast driving on very bumpy roads.

Refueling will be the ideal pretext for a short healthy break: with 6.3 liters per 100 km, the consumption of the CB 1300 S in calm driving is rather reasonable, making it possible to cover up to 300 km while using the reserve. . A consumption which can however skyrocket in more energetic driving, because the output of the engine and the weight of the beast are then responsible for generously engulfing eight liters of the precious liquid every hundred kilometers !

The ubiquitous roadster gene

Taking advantage of the ripples and traps (game or prankster farm animals, agricultural machinery, etc.) of the Ardennes roads leading to Rethel, the CB 1300 SA fully flaunts the merits of its ABS system. At 90 km / h on poor pavement, the front lever can be taken with force and without ulterior motive: the electronic control unit and the pressure regulator are effectively responsible for suppressing the start of blockages (see our video opposite).

Not as transparent as the 100% all-electronic ABS prototype recently tested in Germany (read), the device common to the CBFs is, however, formidably efficient and fits perfectly with the road ambitions of the machine.

However, if the marriage of a half-fairing to a motorcycle with proven road capabilities is a success, the CB 1300 SA cannot pass itself off as a GT: its protection brings a real plus, but is simply not sufficient for long distance riders. And even if the practical aspects are legion, the lack of comfort of the saddle after a few hundred kilometers and of the passenger seat do not allow to calmly consider a Paris – Nice in one go. !

Still, this is not the first definition of this big endearing roadster, which plays especially on the driving sensations and the vintage look to seduce: on this point, the contract is perfectly fulfilled and the price difference between the CB 1300 SA of its competitors finds its justification in the reassuring balance of its chassis, the continuous thrust of its large four-cylinder and above all its practicality and its absolutely flawless finish..

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