The Honda CB1000R is engineered to stand out from the crowd, designers having moved away from the supersport-derived, big-naked formula and focused instead on a well-rounded package that blends form and function. The flagship model within the Neo-Sports Café lineup that it helped create, the CB1000R has since become a hard motorcycle to ignore, the bike’s performance enabling it to keep pace with the competition on tight, twisting roads, and its looks turning heads even while it’s parked outside the local coffee shop.
For 2021, the model’s styling has been further strengthened, the bike taking on sharper lines and a more aggressive stance, while its name gets a “Black Edition” suffix to match the blacked-out components, with only small highlights of aluminum on display. The bike also features a wind screen, passenger-seat cover and quick shifter.
DESIGN
Honda’s Neo Sports Café design aesthetic was created not only with a fondness for the past, but with an eye on the future as well. The 2021 CB1000R Black Edition takes the impressive styling statement made in 2018 as a springboard and turns up the dial, the bike’s stance rocked over for a more aggressive, hunched-forward appearance. New seven-spoke cast-aluminum wheels add to the intricate, attention-grabbing style.
The stylish, round headlight sits in a new, teardrop-style casing and lays rearward, between the fork legs. For similar styling treatment, the radiator shrouds are much more compact and angled in the direction of travel, a design cue mirrored by the airbox covers. The subframe is completely redesigned, while the license-plate mount is also smaller.
While the new CB1000R Black Edition may stop traffic with its revised looks, the day-to-day practicalities have not been overlooked, and ease of use is improved. A five-inch, full-color, high-visibility TFT screen is new and offers four types of speed/rpm display, as well as fuel gauge/consumption, riding mode selection/engine parameters and a Shift Up indicator. Management is via the buttons on the left handlebar.
Nearly all the components are dark in color. In fact, apart from a few machined-aluminum details–on the wheel spokes, swingarm plates, engine covers and handlebar clamps–everything on show is black. This includes the headlight bezel, wind screen, fork legs, radiator shrouds, airbox covers (with an anodized finish), exhaust header and muffler. A machined CB logo adds a finishing touch.
CHASSIS
The CB1000R Black Edition’s chassis is unchanged for 2021, employing a mono-backbone steel frame and using split-tightening aluminum pivot plates to grip the signature single-sided swingarm. Rake is set at 25 degrees and trail at 100 mm. Wheelbase is 57.3 inches and curb weight is 470 lbs. Weight bias is 48.5/51.5 (front/rear).
The rider triangle is shaped to be sporty yet comfortable in a wide variety of settings, from city streets to twisting backroads, as the wide, tapered aluminum handlebar is matched to a rider-friendly 32.7-inch seat height. The flangeless fuel tank is broad-shouldered, but heavily cut-away to allow plenty of knee room.
The adjustable Showa Separate Function Fork Big Piston unit (SFF-BP) contains all the damping function in one leg, minimizing weight while delivering compliance, comfort and control across a broad range of riding conditions. The Showa shock adjusts for spring preload and rebound damping, enabling the rider to set the bike up to his or her liking.
Up front, dual radial-mount four-piston calipers bite 310 mm floating discs, matched to a twin-piston caliper and 256 mm disc in the rear, and two-channel ABS. The new, intricately designed cast-aluminum seven-spoke wheels exude bold elegance; the rear tire (sitting on a 6-inch-wide rim) is a 190/55 ZR17 size, while the front is a 120/70 ZR17.
ENGINE
The CB1000R Black Edition’s 998cc DOHC four-cylinder engine provides healthy doses of both power and torque, with bore and stroke set at 75 mm x 56.5 mm and compression ratio measuring 11.6:1. The redline begins at 11,500 rpm, and the rev-limiter cuts in at 12,000 rpm. For 2021, the PGM-FI settings have been optimized, smoothing power delivery and improving response.
The engine is tuned to deliver impressive torque from 6,000 to 8,000 rpm, aiding the bike’s roll-on acceleration and real-world performance. Meanwhile, the airbox, ducting and air filter provide smooth airflow into the engine, reducing pressure loss along the route from the outer ducts; a 44 mm diameter throttle body feeds the air/fuel mixture into large-diameter inlet ports and carefully shaped combustion chambers.
The exhaust adds to the bike’s midrange muscle and helps minimize weight, and the exhaust note is tuned internally, meaning that as the revs rise past 5,500 rpm, the bike takes on a significantly deeper, more raw tone.
TECHNOLOGY
Throttle By Wire (TBW) provides additional control over the engine via three default riding modes plus one USER mode, each managed between the left handlebar and the TFT screen.
Available are three levels of Engine Power (P), Engine Brake (EB) and Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC); HSTC can also be switched off. The riding modes offer different combinations of each parameter.
- RAIN mode employs the lowest Power setting for the least-aggressive power delivery, medium Engine Braking and high HSTC. The lower levels of power and torque delivery are focused on the first three gears.
- STANDARD mode uses the middle setting for Power, HSTC and Engine Braking. It softens the power delivery a little in first and second gears and uses a power delivery just below that of SPORT mode, with reduced torque at partial throttle openings.
- SPORT uses the highest Power delivery and lowest levels of Engine Braking and HSTC to deliver maximum performance through all six gears, maximum torque and power at all throttle positions and minor intervention from HSTC.
- USER mode allows the rider to choose between the three settings for each parameter and save the setting for future use.
Compared to last year’s model, the CB1000R Black Edition has a three-level, adjustable quick shifter, for fast, smooth up-and-down gear changes during spirited riding.
- Meets current EPA and CARB standards
- California version differs slightly due to emissions equipment
