Honda concept CB Type II
CB1100 replacement previewed in café racer form
WE'VE already seen the next-gen Honda CB1100 in the form of the CB Concept that was revealed at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show and now the firm has taken the wraps off the ‘Type II’ version of that concept with a more café-racer look.
The basics are the same as last year’s CB concept. That means it’s got the engine from the CB1100 allied to a reshaped fuel tank, new LED headlight and more convincingly retro styling. For the Type II, though, the olde-worlde wire wheels are ditched in favour of 17-inch alloy rims and the spindly forks are swapped for a set of beefier-looking, gold-finished units. Radial-mount Brembo brakes are added along with remote-reservoir Ohlins shocks.
The styling is also suitably updated, with a single-seat unit and café-racer-style hump, a pair of Over Racing end cans, new side panels and a bare aluminium finish for the new fuel tank. Bar-end mirrors and a smattering of carbon fibre for parts like the heel guards and airbox covers complete the transformation.
Is it likely to reach production? Well it’s clear that Triumph’s product planners have decided that the similarly-themed Thruxton R makes commercial sense, so if Honda’s bean-counters do the same sums and reach the same conclusion, it’s got a clear chance. And if it doesn’t, then there’s surely a wide open goal for aftermarket parts makers to step in and satisfy demand.
