This new-fangled rear suspension works superbly 98 percent of the time. When the CBX-B is heavily loaded (or carrying a pillion) on seriously bumpy roads (not all that rare in Oz) it would be nice to be able to increase rear pressure beyond the 57 psi recommended maximum, to reduce bottoming. Like Yamaha's monishes XV twins, particular types of bump seem to cause bottoming out of the Six's rear suspension at speeds which do not cause conventional swing arm systems (usually with less travel) to bottom. A sharp steepening of the grade of the road would frequently result in bottoming when the CBX-B was fully loaded (as tourers often will be). In this regard the Yamaha monoshock alternative was superior, although we consider the Honda unit better overall. On average or better roads bottoming is not a problem and the unique rear suspension operates in harmony with excellent air forks to provide an extremely compliant, but well controlled ride. Nasty midcorner dips are handled without so much as a hint of weave, wobble or flex - the big Six simply glides up and down on its suspension and continues on. There is absolutely no change to line under these conditions; the CBX-B is one of the most neutral handlers on the road. 

To give an idea of just how supple the new bike's suspension is, consider this story. For the first three days after this fairly light (68 kg) tester picked up the Six, the bike was ridden with the suspension settings it was supplied with. Said tester spoke to a number of bike enthusiasts in glowing terms of the remarkable ride comfort of the new Pro-Link CBX, how long one could ride without tiring and so on. Then came a planned two-up ride and tester gets the surprise of his life at the service station where he planned to increase the suspension pressures to suit the new load - both forks and rear pressures were already set to the maximum! The amazing bump soaking-up the CBX-B had been demonstrating for days was with the suspension at both ends adjusted to its hardest! Further experimenting revealed the rear minimum pressure to be only suitable for freeway conditions one-up, although the forks were fine with only seven psi in each leg (a balance tube connects the two to a valve at the top) for moderate loads ands riding speeds. We settled on 40 psi in the Pro-Link strut for one-up hard riding on good roads and 57 psi for solo use on bad roads or any two-up work. The CBX does need a firmer rear-end next model, Honda (a heavier auxiliary spring perhaps) but don't lose its present ride comfort - just put it at the lower end of the adjustment range instead of the top end. 

Also contributing in a significant way to the new Six's handling are the wider wheel rims the bike comes with. Original CBX's wore 2.15 inch-wide front and rear rims. For 1980 the rear width was apped to 2.50 inches and the front stayed 2.15 inches. The Pro-Link CBX's wear 2.50-inch front rims and monstrous 2.75-inch wide rear hoops. Standard tyres are Japanese Dunlop Gold Seals - the rear a huge 130/90 x 18 which measures almost 5.2 inches across the tread and would be a 5.00 x 18 if labelled the Imperial way. Our test CBX-B wore a 3.50 x 19 Metzeler Perfect on the front and a trusty C88 Metzeler 130/80 x 18 on the rear. These types suited the heavy, long wheel-based CBX well but we can't comment on the original tyres as they were replaced before we picked up the best (thank you, Bennett Honda). To suit its new role as an interstate express,

Bike and Plane

Honda has endowed the Pro-Link with a slightly larger fuel tank (up from 20 litres to 22 litres, although its cruise range is nothing to get excited over), a CB900F2B-type full fairing which is a story in itself, optional tiny matching panniers, stunning looks and an astonishingly good quality of finish. Most touring plusses from the old model continue - adjustable cast aluminium handlebars, near perfect riding position in spite of fair knee bend, huge 350W alternator to power auxiliaries, a good (but not quite perfect) seat and ample power. The new brakes are as good as the best, standard lights and horns are excellent and dry weight at 272 kg falls between the 256 kg of Yamaha's XS1100 and the 297 kg of Kawasaki's mammoth Six. The 272 kg is also 25 kg more than the old CBX. 

The new fairing, rumoured to be the piece-de-resistance of Honda's R & D wind tunnel is an aerodynamic masterpiece - it seems to have no detrimental effects at all on handling or stability even in fairly strong crosswinds. We were not blessed with gale force side-winds during the test period but feel safe in surmising that the situation on the faired CBX would be only fractionally worse than an unfaired bike of similar weight (BMW R100RT owners, eat your hearts out). Crash bars around the engine's block and head keep the fairing from being minced in a parking fall-over. Your bank account will breathe a sigh of relief each time you don't bust t this fancy piece of glasswork. 

The fairing does have one or two bummers from a tourers viewpoint. The smoked screen (fixed) with its little rear edge kick-up directs the concentrated blast of high velocity air (faster than the bike is travelling) off the fairing on to smaller riders' face shields and larger riders' necks. Either way a fair amount of helmet buffeting occurs unless one adopts a racing crouch - hardly practical for long periods. And while legs are well shielded (and nicely warmed by the big Six), hands receive the same extra strong, cold wind blast off the fairing. In summer weather legs can get too hot, although unlike the faired 1000 BMWs, relief can be had by moving one's feet further out on the foot pegs. Cornering Cbx

The Six's instrument console remains attached to the steering head and so turns with the handlebars (lock is a little restricted) inside the fairing and a large easily reachable knob attached to the fairing ahead of the instruments adjusts the headlight's vertical alignment to suit load and road conditions. This addition is so useful that one has to wonder why it's taken until 1981 for it to appear (BMW take note). Mirrors are forward mounted on the fairing and, in deference to the fact that the streamlined rear viewers are the widest part of a wide motorcycle, they are hinged and spring loaded to fold inwards it hit. This tester received the CBX-B with one cracked mirror so perhaps the folding mechanism needs refinement. The mirrors are of generous size and don't blur much with engine vibes