Riding the Honda Cb900fz
Riding the Honda CB900FZ
Report from Europe
John Nutting
There's a fascinating revolution going on in European motorcycling right now. We're not sure when it started and we're equally unsure ot its outcome. But the Japanese manufacturers like Honda and Yamaha are serving up bikes which they say are designed with Continental tastes in mind.
Whether the motorcycles that they are offering us are in fact better than or basi cally any different from the bikes going to other markets is a moot point: after all, a good bike is a good bike in any language and no amount ofcosmeticjiggery-pokery is going to make any difference. Fact is though that for a long time European motorcyclists have fostered the idea that they are harder riding, faster cornering and generally more demanding than the rest of the world, which means America. This is a moot point too, but it can be said that there are probably more committed road riding enthusiasts on the Continent: by the same token America has more off-road riders.
Certainly we don't have to endure a 55 mph speed limit and that free rein means that, officially at least, we can push our bikes that bit harder. For that reason we have often criticized riding positions that
have been better suited to showroom dreaming and boulevard pottering. Ya maha was the first to appreciate this a couple of years ago. They fitted their bikes like theXS75O Three with lower handlebars and rear set footrests, a move that was copied by Suzuki. Styling too takes a more spartan look. Honda has now gone the whole way by offering a machine that is built for Europe only and. the~ say. will never be sold in the States.
In introducing the CB900FZ in such a manner I suspect there is more than just a little professional flattery for the indi vidual importers going on. for as a sport ing machine the CB900FZ would satisfy any Southern Californian corner carver as much as his Alpine pass-riding counterpart. It would seem too that in the CB900FZ Honda has a ready-made winner for the superbike production road racing class, particularly as there’s a lOOOcc kit in the way from Honda RSC, the people that build the all-conquering endurance racers, from which the CB900FZ was developed. The argument against selling the CB900FZ in America is that the CBX Six is the lOOOcc big gun for Honda and a similar bike would fuzz its marketing. But I would think the same goes for Europe too.
Whatever the merits of its introduction however, the CB900FZ is probably as good as anything in the lOOOcc class. It lacks the sophistication of Suzuki’s suspension but makes up for that with a super tough, and extremely quiet-running engine that has enormous potential for producing more power.
The bike is basically the same package as found in the new 748 cc Honda Four; an in-line transverse Four with double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, plain bearing crankshaft and a five-speed gearbox. It is mounted in a massively strong duplex frame made of large diameter 30mm tubing that is both slim and light. A neat move is a removable right hand bottom frame rail to allow an easy engine pull-out.
Differences between the 750 and 900 concern the bore and stroke, valve sizes, compression and top gear ratio. Capacity is 902cc from using 64.5mm pistons (the same as those used in the CBX) and a long 69mm stroke. The idea of the long stroke is to keep engine width down. This is 21.5 in. across the end covers, 1.6 in. less than the CBX. Valve sizes are 28mm inlet, 22.5mm exhaust. 3mm and ,5mm up on the 750 respectively. Compression ratio however, is slightly down at 8.8; 1.
The Morse-type chain primary drive ratio differs, being 1:1 instead of 1.16:1 and top gear is slightly closer to fourth than on the 750.
Power is a claimed 95 bhp at 9000 rpm. which on the top gear ratio of 5.28:1 gives 131 mph.
With a claimed dry weight of 520 lb. (40 lb. less than the CBX Six), the performance should be about the same over the standing quarter mile. Honda claims 11.7 seconds and I wouldn’t dispute it.
Those familiar with the CBX will find much common with the CB900FZ. The instrumentation is the same; the front fork is similar and even the styling is roughly the same. But there the differences start.
The 900 has Honda’s new “Euro-styling” which means a pseudo-monocoque unit for the tank and seat which is almost appealing. It is very slim at the seat nose and the bike has none of the CBX’s daunting size when you are astride it.
My first flirting encounter with the CB900FZ was in Germany, near Frankfurt. where Honda had marked a road route around the hills and along an auto bahn. It was very clever: the mountain roads were pool table smooth but twisty enough to enjoy. the sort of roads that show up engine performance but never tax the suspension.
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So it was on the autobahn that the limits of the bike appeared. In the mountains, the steering felt light and allowed the bike to be flicked around much more easily than the CBX. The riding position is more of a stretch than the 750 because the seat is two inches farther back and this along with the generous ground clearance makes the bike very easy to ride through the curves. Sus pension is slightly better than on the CBX. and lacks the Six's harshness, but with few rough surfaces to ride on apart from the occasional cobbles it was difficult to judge.
The rear units are the same adjustable damping units found on the CBX and suffer from the same faults. Likewise with the front fork.
It was possible to provoke a weave at speed that would probably be worse for a lighter rider than me at 170 lb.. and the rear dampers. which to be fair were set at the lightest position. soon warmed up and allowed a small degree of head shaking at speed.
The engine performance is really good. There is good. though not awesome, torque from 2000 rpm and there is a marked pick up in power at 7000 rpm with no let off until the red line at just over 10.000 rpm.
On the autobahn I clocked 205 kph with a slight crouch so that top speed of over 130 mph must be real.
Brakes are the same as the CBX: twin 10.6-in, discs at the front and a larger 11.6in. disc at the rear. The front units are powerful and progressive but the rear one still suffers from being too sensitive.
Overall the CB900FZ is a good effort that despite its conventionality is going to be more than a match for the Suzuki GS1000 and Kawasaki Z1000. Once Hon da starts looking at suspension more criti cally then there'll be no stopping them.~
