FIRST LOOK: 2018 Honda CB1000R naked in Malaysia

On display at the 2018 Malaysian Autoshow at the Honda Big Wing stand is the 2018 Honda CB1000R, a retro inspired naked sports litre bike. Replacing the outgoing CB naked, the 2018 CB1000R boasts of higher power and torque, along with a slew of improvements taken from the CBR1000RR superbike.

Carrying a 998cc DOHC four-cylinder engine, the CB1000R now produces 143 hp at 10,500 rpm and 104 Nm of torque at 8,250 rpm. This is a 16% power improvement over the outgoing CB’s 123 hp at 10,000 rpm and 99 NM of torque at 7,750 rpm.

Aside from the engine architecture and capacity, the CB1000R also comes with forged pistons, like the CBR1000RR SP. However, by necessity, other engine internals such as con rods and cams are biased towards torque than outright horsepower.

A nice touch for the CB1000R is the single-sided swingarm, in keeping with its rivals such as the Ducati Monster 1200, Triumph Speed Triple and BMW Motorrad R 1200 R. Decked out in gloss black, the CB1000R combines a streetfighter look with a cafe racer ethos, and the result is something that looks like it rolled out of the pages of a Japanese manga.

Ride-by-wire is standard, and gives the CB1000R four riding modes – Rain, Standard and Sport plus a customisable User mode. These are derived from three levels of engine power and engine braking, which are mixed and matched to give the riding modes, plus Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC), which can be disabled if desired.

For suspension, the CB1000R uses a fully-adjustable – pre-load in the right fork, rebound and compression in the left – Showa SFF-BP upside-down fork with 120 mm of travel, while the rear end is propped up with a pre-load only adjustable Showa monoshock giving 131 mm of travel. Braking is with Tokico twin-piston callipers in front grabbing two 310 mm diameter discs and a single calliper in the back with a 265 mm disc.

An LED headlight features up front, circled by an LED DRL, and LED lighting features throughout. Inside the cockpit, a full LCD instrument panel can be found, although we found it rather diminutive in size.

However, a Honda representative took pains to point out to us the CB1000R on display is a prototype unit, and changes may be made to the final specification. As to what the 2018 Honda CB1000R might cost, it was previously hinted that it would be in Malaysia for below RM90,000 but final pricing has yet to be determined.

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