Taco Jonkman reviews the racy 'retro' Honda CB1300S
IN THE 1980s the Japanese bikes to have were the Honda CB11000R, Kawasaki Z1 and Suzuki GS1000. They were big, heavy bikes with a lot of power and very limited handling. On top of that the brakes on these bikes were just about powerful enough to haul to a stop from a fairly legal speed limit and the tyres seemed to be pushbike tyre dimensions compared to modern tyres.
If these are the bikes of your dreams you have a choice – you buy an original or buy a retro model, and one of the best of the retro bunch is the Honda CB1300S, which was launched in 2004.
This bike is based on the CB1100R which Honda made in the 1980s. The CB1300S certainly commands a presence as it is not afraid to hide its overly large proportions and hefty weight of 236kg. As with all retro muscle bikes the engine takes centre stage and, after all, is the heart of any motorbike. And, being 1300cc, you expect it to be all powerful, which is not the case as it only pumps out 114 BHP at 7500rpm, but it does produce 117 Nm of torque at 5500rpm and this is what makes it such a fantastic engine.
It is nice to have a powerful motor but you need a chassis capable of handling the power and weight of the bike itself. So to keep with the retro look, Honda stuck Showa Twin shocks at the back which are adjustable on the pre load and rebound damping. The front is also Showa and there is adjustment for both the compression and rebound damping.
The brakes are definitely modern age items with twin Nissin discs and callipers at the front and the usual single Nissin disc brake at the rear. To help you stop safely and quickly Honda has added ABS as standard on the faired model and an optional extra on the naked model.
The engine is held in place with the traditional double cradle steel frame of the original, although there is nothing retro about the motor itself which is liquid cooled and has the now normal 16-valve head. The carburettors are also replaced with Honda's PGMII fuel injection and, of course, the now obligatory catalyser in the four-into-one exhaust. I always preferred the look of the twin pipes and, in this case, it would have looked better, balancing the back end because its big silencer is visually overpowering.
When you first ride the bike you can't help but wonder if the CB is going to be easy to get on with as its size and weight can be a little intimidating, but there is nothing to worry about as the weight is hidden well by a balanced feeling when on the move. The engine is very smooth with plenty of power all the way from tickover to its 10500 rpm red line and I found myself short shifting through the gears a lot, as there was so much power it just wasn't worth the energy to rev it all the time.
This makes it a more relaxed bike to ride and you start to notice some of its finer qualities such as the big comfy seat, the good handling with the half-fairing doing a good job keeping the wind at bay. The ride itself is very composed at all times and you really have to try hard to upset the bikes handling as the Showa suspension soaks up the worst of the pot holes that the roads throw at you.
I found the ridding position ideal for long distance comfort and very roomy with only the seat a bit on the soft side. For the pillion the seating can be a little cramped as the rear foot pegs are a bit high. Because it's a comfy ride you will be glad to know that it holds 21 litres of fuel and on a full tank you can do up to 195 miles. I found that the economy is anywhere between 35 to 45 mpg. The CB1300S tops out at about 140 mph, but it seems happiest cruising at 80 - 90 mph. The other good thing about this class of bike is that you are not replacing tyres every 2,000 odd miles with 5,000-plus being easily achievable. There is the servicing downside, which needs to be done every 4,000 miles.
The finish is exceptional, as per usual Honda, and there are some nice touches like plenty of under-seat storage and two little storage areas in the fairing – one of which is lockable.
Having lived with this bike now for over two years I can honestly say that this class of bike shouldn't be overlooked in favour of sports bikes as they are capable of providing plenty of thrills at sane speeds and if you do want to push it that bit harder it will put up a good show. The other good thing is that to get the most from the CB1300S you have to manhandle it a bit, which for me makes it much more entertaining to ride.
There are two colours available which are Red/White (best colours) and the all Black model. If you don't fancy the half fairing then there is also the naked CB1300 to chose from in either blue or black. Prices start from £6,799 for the naked bike and £7,299 for the half-faired version. There are also plenty of bolt-on extras available from the Honda accessories catalogue.
