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I was one of those who figured the fairing would make a big -- and negative --
difference in the CB900F's handling, especially since I'd been less than impressed on a
previous brief ride aboard a faired 900F. But this time it was as if I'd been measured
for the bike and fairing. The wind was diverted almost perfectly, leaving just the top
of my shoulders in the breeze. And the bike worked the way I'd hoped it would. It was
still fun for a sporting rider on a meandering road -- and extremely comfortable on the
open highway.
After our 24-hour test last April, the CB900F became the bike the rest of the
large-displacement 1981 models would have to beat to earn the top rating in my
book. None of them ever did. The 1982 model certainly didn't change my mind. It
stands as the mark the new generation of big road-burners will have to surpass to
convince me the in-line four is a dated design.
-- Art Friedman
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Being low man on the totem pole around here isn't bad enough -- I'm fast coming to
the realization that I'm also slow man on the totem pole. I went out for my first
work-related street ride with Friedman and Karr when we shot the color photos of the
900F, and I had ample opportunity to explore the depths of my slowness. Let's just say
that when Art gets around to picking the magazine's endurance racing team for next
year's 24 Hours of Nelson Ledges, my name won't be high on the list.
I drew the Katana for the mountain trip to our shooting location, and its ample power
and ground clearance helped me keep Art and Jeff in sight. Most of the time. But when
I drew the 900F for the trip back down through the tree-shaded twists of Bouquet
Canyon, I knew the jig was up. Karr would be scraping his knee through half the canyon;
I'd probably wind up scraping my shorts.
The 900F surprised me. I thought the fairing was going to turn it into a real sailboat,
but the thing still accelerated, turned, and stopped like a very rapid sport bike. The
balky shifting sent the tach way past redline a couple of times, but that was the only
significant glitch I could find on the motorcycle. Karr and Friedman still left me
floundering in their rubber dust -- but I had nobody to blame but myself.
-- Dexter Ford
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I already consider the CB900F to be my favorite sit-up sport bike, but now it looks as
though it's become one of my favorite sporttourers too. The basic 900 has plenty of
comfort for the long haul, and the addition of the Hondaline fairing is the near-perfect
final touch. The fairing's only drawback is the attractive but stubby windscreen, which
leaves my head and neck hanging out in the wind and rain. In its favor, the fairing's
additional weight is barely perceptible in slow maneuvers or in fast corners. The CB's
remarkable cornering stability and precision are still present at nearly full strength.
With the Hondaline fairing, the CB900F is probably the most versatile motorcycle you
can buy. It can easily handle most every type of street use -- and work very nearly as
well as machines built specifically for each field.
-- Jeff Karr
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The first time I rode a CB900F I wondered why Honda ever bothered to make the CBX.
When the CBX came out with a Pro-Link rear bouncer, cute saddlebags, and a fairing
I thought, golly, the 900F would be great decked out for touring too. Now the big F
has a fairing at least. I'll bolt on my own bags, bags big enough to hold more than a
road map and designer sunglasses, not waste a tear over the fact it has two shocks
below the afterdeck rather than one -- and still wonder why Honda makes the CBX.
-- C.D. Bohon
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