Honda's 'Neo Sports Cafe' - CB1000R+ is now available in India

Ten years since it was introduced, this naked litre-class sports bike from Honda has gotten a fresh makeover. The new CB1000R+ is a hot mix of new and old and it is available in India for a price of Rs 14.46 lakh ex-showroom Delhi. 

OK! So it's not really named the Neo Sports Cafe, instead, that is what Honda is terming the design language of this beautiful naked sports bike. This is the new CB1000R+. Although it was revealed last year, we only got to see it in the flesh at EICMA 2018 in Milan. It surely is a very good looking machine and it blends the old and new world together very nicely. 

The old model looked great, but this new design is much different and clearly stands out. The new model is also lighter and more powerful. It still gets a single-sided swingarm but its also now sports a retro-styled round LED headlight, and the instrumentation has been updated as well. 

Aside from the major design change, the new CB1000R+ now gets a Fireblade-derived 998c, liquid-cooled, four-cylinder engine. This unit makes16 per cent more power and five per cent more torque in the mid-range - power is up from 123bhp to 143bhb. The torque figure now stands at 104Nm, which is up from 98Nm. This is quite a significant change and if you add the weight reduction of 12 kilograms to that, then the bike will be much faster than the previous model. The new CB also gets ride-by-wire and a slipper clutch. It also gets some added tech in the form of rider modes, power settings, traction control and engine braking settings. 

When it comes to handling, the new bike gets a 43mm, fully-adjustable, separate function Showa fork, and a Showa monoshock at the rear, which is fully-adjustable as well. ABS-equipped radial brakes are also equipped. In India, Honda has launched only the '+' trim. This is one of the top equipped variants that comes with heated grips, a single-seat cowl, radiator protector, a quickshifter and a few other accessories.

As of writing this, the Honda CB1000R+ will take on the Kawasaki Z1000, the BMW S 1000 R and the Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory in India. That means that the CB is also now the most affordable naked litre-class bike in the country, but it is certainly not the most powerful. Bookings are already open for the bike.