04-08-2015, 05:59 PM
To me, this is the cycle equivalent of a Toyota Camry.
...Blasphemy! I can hear the screams. But, let's add it up.
The CB is retro-styled - arguably. OR...you could argue it just returned to a more rational design language, that of the UJM of twenty-forty years ago.
It's not a copy. It's close; but it's fully modern in wheels; tank size and the like.
The engine is reminiscent of, maybe based on, the legendary big fours. But it is not a copy - it's adjusted for a more-friendly power-band...drivability at the expense of raw power.
It's a solid, good cycle, made by a company known for solid, good engineering...conservative inside and out. What was radical forty years ago, is now proven and even conservative today.
Likewise, the Camry. Most of the models, over the years, were conservative in styling - the way the Chevy Impala always was. The Camry used state-of-the-art design, but conservative applications. Front wheel drive was long proven by the time Toyota came out with that model.
The Camry doesn't burn rubber. It doesn't burn rubber for 250,000-plus miles. It doesn't do anything remarkably; but it does most tasks well. Innofensive and in some ways nondescript; but always reliable and performance where it counts.
That's what I think of, with this detuned big engine. It's a remarkably conservative bike, styled in a way us oldsters remember bikes ought to be; it does most things well but nothing outstanding. Everything from cold drivability to carrying two-up and luggage...it's all good. Not the fastest or the most thrifty...but good.
...Blasphemy! I can hear the screams. But, let's add it up.
The CB is retro-styled - arguably. OR...you could argue it just returned to a more rational design language, that of the UJM of twenty-forty years ago.
It's not a copy. It's close; but it's fully modern in wheels; tank size and the like.
The engine is reminiscent of, maybe based on, the legendary big fours. But it is not a copy - it's adjusted for a more-friendly power-band...drivability at the expense of raw power.
It's a solid, good cycle, made by a company known for solid, good engineering...conservative inside and out. What was radical forty years ago, is now proven and even conservative today.
Likewise, the Camry. Most of the models, over the years, were conservative in styling - the way the Chevy Impala always was. The Camry used state-of-the-art design, but conservative applications. Front wheel drive was long proven by the time Toyota came out with that model.
The Camry doesn't burn rubber. It doesn't burn rubber for 250,000-plus miles. It doesn't do anything remarkably; but it does most tasks well. Innofensive and in some ways nondescript; but always reliable and performance where it counts.
That's what I think of, with this detuned big engine. It's a remarkably conservative bike, styled in a way us oldsters remember bikes ought to be; it does most things well but nothing outstanding. Everything from cold drivability to carrying two-up and luggage...it's all good. Not the fastest or the most thrifty...but good.