I’ve ended up running the Honda CB1000GT after a colleague had to drop out of the fleet . At the risk of looking a gift horse in the mouth, it wouldn’t have been my first choice.
That’s no reflection on the bike – it’s just that this category of machine, the ‘road-focused, big-engined sports-tourer dressed up as an adventure bike ‘, has never really been my cup of tea. That said, I’ve always liked running bikes with the potential to surprise me. Over the years, my long-term test bikes have spanned everything from superbikes to roadsters, middleweight and lightweight adventure bikes and even a cruiser .
My first impressions have been positive. The riding position is superb: so comfortable, like zipping around in an ergonomic chair. Although you feel like you’re sitting in an adventurous riding position, standing on the pegs quickly reveals that you are not.
The peg placement is higher and further back than a genuine off-roader, closer to a traditional sports-tourer, but a relaxed one. The big, wide handlebars straighten up your back, but not so much that all your weight travels through your coccyx. I can ride it for hours without a single writhe, squirm or shuffle.
The engine is fantastic, too. That detuned old Fireblade unit is beautifully smooth, pulling from low in the revs and howling at the top. It keeps the raspy, Fireblade-infused character even without modern superbike power , although it goes like stink, and the Akrapovic exhaust fitted to the test bike surely helps; it sounds genuinely brilliant.
The screen works well and adjusts easily on the move. I keep it low most of the time because I like that naked-bike sensation of wind on your chest, adding a feeling of speed and involvement.
But once I’m grinding along a dual carriageway, I raise it to the top setting, which shields me to helmet height without much buffeting or noise. The brakes deserve credit as well: they’re powerful for a fairly heavy bike, hauling it up sharply and under control.
It’s not all perfect. The up-and-down quickshifter feels a bit clunky if you’re not on the pipe. The flimsy lever snicks through the gears at high revs, no problem, but crashes through the ’box when town riding. The engine can be buzzy low in the rev range, too.
It’s early days, but I look forward to experimenting with the electronic suspension; flicking through the modes at a standstill and feeling the preload winding on at the rear reminds me of an old Citroën BX, and I’ll line up some longer trips before summer’s over, so keep your eyes peeled.
I’ve run 200bhp superbikes and super-nakeds before, yet this is the bike I’m most worried about my licence on, because it makes progress far too easy. You feel relaxed and comfortable, glance down, and realise you’re hurtling towards triple-digit speeds when all you meant to do was nip past a dawdling car.
Ben Clarke began riding (legally) at 21-years-old when he passed his direct access one month before shipping his Yamaha XT660 R to Miami and embarking on a 13,500-mile tour of the USA and Central America. He's worked at MCN for the last six years, riding everything from super nakeds and superbikes to small-capacity electrics and scooters across several continents. In more recent years, he's worked closely with the bike kit team to bring you all the latest news and reviews about the bike-related products we all use every day.
Lover of V-twins and big singles, partial to a tour