Honda CB1000R Ownership Thread

[Gthang]

Hi guys,

Thought I would share my ownership experience of my Honda CB1000R with all. Have had it for just over a year now. Clocked about 9000 kms on it so far, and its been a thrilling ride all the way. Done some mods since buying, will update.

After having bought/imported a Harley XL1200N Nightster, and having to deal with customs (a learning experience), decided to go with a company imported bike for my next ride.

I had been reading reviews about the CB1000R online and made up my mind that the Streetfighter look is the way to go. Not a big fan of the crouching riding position of the supersports bikes, but wanted a smooth inline-4 at the same time. The CB was the perfect answer. I had even thought of importing a Hornet 919 prior to the Harley, so there was no doubt about the choice.

I started my hunt by approaching the local Honda dealer in Palakkad, where I register my vehicles, even though I live in Coimbatore. (I love KL-9 ). The dealer had no clue about the bike, much less how to order one, and was politely told to contact HMSI. So, I started with sending emails, and finally was contacted by the Honda Wing world manager from Delhi. From then on, it was pretty smooth sailing. He told me that I could buy the bike through any dealer, and that the dealer would only be used as a delivery point/ invoicing center. Since I was a little peeved with the PKD dealer, I decided to use the Coimbatore dealer as my choice. Coimbatore guys were very friendly and happy that I used them, as they used the opportunity to gain some publicity for them as well.

Paid 50K advance and as my luck would have it, HMSI had run out of the initial stock they had imported, and I had to wait for the new batch to arrive. But it was worth it, because I had a choice of a third color (other than the Black and Dragon Green), Pearl Cool White!! And only 4 whites coming to India!! So I jumped on it and immediately booked the white.

It took about 2 weeks for the bike to arrive to coimbatore. It came in a truck by itself, and was delivered with great care at the dealership. An HMSI engineer had come down from Blore to do the PDI and the local dealer guys were also very helpful, with everyone handling the bike with kid gloves. (They actually went and bought a bag of gloves before touching the bike!!)

Had the bike temp. registered in CBE, which was possible as the Chennai dealer had somehow managed to get a "type certificate" made for the several CBs and CBRs that they sold in Chennai. Getting it registered finally in Palakkad was also not too difficult, as I was able to talk to the RTO directly and show him the circular from Ministry of Transportation which had stated that CBU bikes imported did not need type certificates. (A very little known fact, but true)

Well, that was my buying experience. Will continue with ownership and mods soon.

Ride safe.

[MG]

Topic Approved and Moved

[shelton_jh]

Wow, I'm still awaiting this moment in my life. Hope it happens soon and this is too much attention! Bike in the middle of the showroom with so many people around it and good you dint 'garland' your bike. Cool and I can guess why all this attention. Waiting for your riding experience.

[n_aditya]

First off, welcome to xBHP Gthang.

But it was worth it, because I had a choice of a third color (other than the Black and Dragon Green), Pearl Cool White!! And only 4 whites coming to India!! So I jumped on it and immediately booked the white.

Great choice. The CB looks very beautiful in white. Have you given her a name?

Do share more about the servicing costs, ride comfort etc. Is it a comfy bike for two people to tour on?

Ride safe

[rachitkohli]

Vow..!! Congrats for the wonderful bike & the decision of getting one of the most 'practical' bike suited for indian conditions to use it regularly.
I had a pleasure of riding this for couple of kms few days back. Am still in that trance & unable to get out
Comfort was like am riding a powerful karizma with magnificent features & felt I could take to my office daily Superb choice.

Please bless us with more pix & ride report if its possible. The attention your bike is getting is a perfect way to welcome it & look at her attitude .

[rakshit rana]

indeed it is one of the most practical sbk's in india....great choice & nice color though....congratz & wish you many more happy miles...

PS:-how is the honda service back up there??Any problems faced till now??

[Gthang]

Thanks for the kind words, guys.

@n_aditya, Thanks for the welcome. No, no name for the bike yet

Continuing with the story

After having ridden the Nightster around for a while, getting on the CB was a surreal experience. The bike felt so nimble and light. It was like riding an RX100, but with soooo much more power. And the power delivery was so silky smooth. In low revs, it just purrs around like a kitten, but twist the joy handle, and it just blows you away.

Quickly realized that a very mature right hand required to keep things in check.

Absolutely love the almost dual personality of the bike. Its just so amazingly easy to ride in traffic and will putter around town in almost any gear, but get her on the highway, and the power rush between 5k to 9k rpm is just mindblowing. Unlike supersports bikes, the redline is a tame 10k, and for Indian riding conditions, I think its just the perfect powerband. I dont know if I could ever hit the redline on a supersports, but with the CB, 2nd and 3rd gear redlining is very easily doable, and highly rewarding.

On my highway rides, the temp guage stays between 80-90 degrees, and you hardly feel the heat. In peak traffic, the max I have seen it go is about 103-104 degrees by then the electric fan kicks in.

One of the first accesory I had to get was a stainless steel radiator guard from Beowulf which is almost essential for monsoon riding.

Went through my first set of rear tires in about 6500 kms. Might have got a couple of hundred kms more out of it, but had a run in with some metal slivers on the road and multiple punctures, so had to change. Trying to source oem replacement tires (Bridgestone BT-15) turned out to be a major hassle, with HMSI quoting as high as 24k for a rear tire, and no stock!! Tried desperately to find some tires in B'lore, and ended up buying a Pirelli Diablo, but 190 profile compared to the stock 180. Boy, was that a mistake!! Made the bike feel so heavy in the back, wouldn't turn in as before, felt like an athlete running with steel toed work boots.

The only reason I opted for the Diablo's were because the only 180 tires he had were the Michelin Power 2CT's which he was selling as a pair for about 20k, whereas the Diablos was available as rear only for 11k. I was penny wise and pound foolish. Regretted my decision immediately, and ordered the Michelins asap. Very good tires, but different from the Bridgestones. You can distinctly feel the 2 compound structure especially while leaning, and it took some getting used to.

Posting some pics of the bike in stock form, after getting out of the showroom, before registration.

Will continue with some more pics from my trips and current state soon.

Will write about the service experiences and costs shortly as well.

[mav1234]

Nice Ride Gthang.. The White COlour surely looks awesome.

BTW, from where you bought the Pirelli tyres in Bangalore ?

[karthiktup]

How about the service intervals and where you are getting services.

[vkuchhal]

Congrats for the bike!!

Ride Safe... more per mile..

[Stark23]

Wow, I'm still awaiting this moment in my life. Hope it happens soon and this is too much attention! Bike in the middle of the showroom with so many people around it and good you dint 'garland' your bike. Cool and I can guess why all this attention. Waiting for your riding experience.

So true ^ Even I'm waiting for this dream to come to real life !
Awesome dude,fabulous,Congratulations

[tibby]

Fantastic stuff there.. Congratulations!!

I have seen the FZ1 in white, & that looks HOT!! Can imagine how good this would look in white as well.

Since you have clocked so much milage on the bike already, would like to know what are the high speed ranges you have done, & how comfortable was the wind blast at those speeds?
& how is the service being dished out by the Honds folks at Coimbatore? Does someone from B'lore (or some other place) have to come down for the service?

[Gthang]

Vow..!! Congrats for the wonderful bike & the decision of getting one of the most 'practical' bike suited for indian conditions to use it regularly.

Thanks. Even though I am more of a recreational biker, you are right, the CB is one of those you can live with on a daily basis.

indeed it is one of the most practical sbk's in india....great choice & nice color though....congratz & wish you many more happy miles...

PS:-how is the honda service back up there??Any problems faced till now??

Thanks. Will write about the service.

Nice Ride Gthang.. The White COlour surely looks awesome.

BTW, from where you bought the Pirelli tyres in Bangalore ?

Thanks. The white sure does highlight the design cues of the bike. The dealer was telling me that after having seen my bike, many of their customers have used their paint shop to change their color to the same. Imitation is the best form of flattery?
I dont remember the name of the shop where I got the Pirelli's, but a guy named Mahesh owns it. I can get further details if you are interested.

How about the service intervals and where you are getting services.

Will update below

Congrats for the bike!!

Ride Safe... more per mile..

Thanks. Safety is No.1 for me always.

So true ^ Even I'm waiting for this dream to come to real life !
Awesome dude,fabulous,Congratulations

Thanks. Hope yours and Shelton's dream comes true soon. Hope you know that HDFC is giving ridiculously low interest rates for big bike financing through HMSI.

Fantastic stuff there.. Congratulations!!

I have seen the FZ1 in white, & that looks HOT!! Can imagine how good this would look in white as well.

Since you have clocked so much milage on the bike already, would like to know what are the high speed ranges you have done, & how comfortable was the wind blast at those speeds?
& how is the service being dished out by the Honds folks at Coimbatore? Does someone from B'lore (or some other place) have to come down for the service?

Thanks.

I really dont have much knowledge about the other jap brands and their service, but I tell you, Honda has been top-notch. Till date, I have had 3 services done by them. The first at 1000, second at 3000, and one last month for the 8000. The Honda guys, from Wing world, Mumbai call me up regularly to find out whether service is due, and they arrange with the local dealer to schedule an appointment. Either their mechanic from Mumbai, or like the last time, their Engineer and Mechanic from Bangalore come to do the job. The dealer also assists greatly, am always treated like a VIP when I go there, they allot a corner of their very busy workshop just for my bike. The best mechanic in the Cbe shop helps as assistant to the HMSI guys, and I have free access to watch the work done. Overall, a very satisfying experience. Costs also have been reasonable. Oil filter is about 800 - 900 rs, they use regular Honda engine oil, which is also very cheap, I forget the cost. Only additional expense is 2000-odd rs which they charge for outstation work. The last service was a little higher than before as I had to have the rear brake pads replaced as well, which was about 5000 rs, IIRC.

Apart from regular service, some of the mods I have done are:
- Radiator guard as mentioned before
- Grips changed to Rizoma billet aluminum ones with matching bar-end weights
- Levers changed to billet type, adjustable.
- Rizoma footpegs - billet
- Changed the stock O-ring chain to DID X-Ring (Nothing wrong with stock chain, but the finish tends to have a rusted look, which annoyed me, so got some Nickel plated ones.)

I have a very good mechanic (friend) who works on all my bikes who comes home and helps me do all the mods.

Thats about it for now. Need to get a rear hugger to save my underside from getting grimy all the time. Have one from Barracuda in mind, should be getting it soon.

With regards to high speed riding, I usually cruise on my highway rides at 120-140 with no issues at all. Wind resistance is manageable, and havent really faced any problems. Have touched upto 190 on the highway to Blore, but dont often get the roads where I ride to reach speeds like that. Short bursts to 160 are frequent, and highly rewarding.

Attaching a few more pics.

[mav1234]

I dont remember the name of the shop where I got the Pirelli's, but a guy named Mahesh owns it. I can get further details if you are interested.

Yeah.. I know him.. got the Pirelli Sports Demon from him only on Monday.. He is the main distributor of Michellin/Pirelli Tyres in Bangalore..

You can check it here for my set ..

http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/universal-threads/4805-tyres-323.html

[tibby]

Thanks.

I really dont have much knowledge about the other jap brands and their service, but I tell you, Honda has been top-notch. Till date, I have had 3 services done by them. The first at 1000, second at 3000, and one last month for the 8000. The Honda guys, from Wing world, Mumbai call me up regularly to find out whether service is due, and they arrange with the local dealer to schedule an appointment. Either their mechanic from Mumbai, or like the last time, their Engineer and Mechanic from Bangalore come to do the job. The dealer also assists greatly, am always treated like a VIP when I go there, they allot a corner of their very busy workshop just for my bike. The best mechanic in the Cbe shop helps as assistant to the HMSI guys, and I have free access to watch the work done. Overall, a very satisfying experience. Costs also have been reasonable. Oil filter is about 800 - 900 rs, they use regular Honda engine oil, which is also very cheap, I forget the cost. Only additional expense is 2000-odd rs which they charge for outstation work. The last service was a little higher than before as I had to have the rear brake pads replaced as well, which was about 5000 rs, IIRC.

Apart from regular service, some of the mods I have done are:
- Radiator guard as mentioned before
- Grips changed to Rizoma billet aluminum ones with matching bar-end weights
- Levers changed to billet type, adjustable.
- Rizoma footpegs - billet
- Changed the stock O-ring chain to DID X-Ring (Nothing wrong with stock chain, but the finish tends to have a rusted look, which annoyed me, so got some Nickel plated ones.)

I have a very good mechanic (friend) who works on all my bikes who comes home and helps me do all the mods.

Thats about it for now. Need to get a rear hugger to save my underside from getting grimy all the time. Have one from Barracuda in mind, should be getting it soon.

With regards to high speed riding, I usually cruise on my highway rides at 120-140 with no issues at all. Wind resistance is manageable, and havent really faced any problems. Have touched upto 190 on the highway to Blore, but dont often get the roads where I ride to reach speeds like that. Short bursts to 160 are frequent, and highly rewarding.

Attaching a few more pics.

Thanks for the detailed reply. Thats answers all my doubts.

Great to see that you have invested in quality riding gear. Are those AXO riding boots?

btw, do I see a Harley in the background in the 1st pic?