They don't come from DFS, and you don't get four years interest free credit, but apart from that, buying a CBR Sofa is pretty straightforward. Why the "Ballistic Sofa"? Well they called it that in a "Ride" road test I read before buying, and it summed up the bike perfectly.

Apart from signs that it had been toured a lot (scuffs from throwovers) it is cosmetically very good, with all of the plastic in very good condition. And be prepared for that plastic - there is a hell of a lot of it. CBR's are sometimes called Tupperware Tourers by them what doesn't know better. That's no bad thing. As far as I'm aware, Tupperware lasts for years, so the CBR should too!

Unfortunately, the plastic covers just about everything you really need to look at when checking the bike over, which isn't a great help. As a breed, CBR's tend not to have been thrashed and crashed as much as the equivalent Kawasaki/Yamaha/Suzuki, but even so they can have some unpleasant surprises hiding away. Mine was the first CBR I'd ever seen, and I hadn't a clue where to start, so, if you have the opportunity, try and get a look at a mate's bike first, so you know how to get the fairing lowers off quickly, then all will be revealed. The crash dampers mounted on either side of the crankshaft are very clever, and the covers are inexpensive to replace, so if new ones have been fitted they may be hiding something! Bent frames would not be good on one of these. As far as I know, nobody makes pattern front indicator lenses or mirrors, and as you might imagine, Honda OE bits are pricey.

Have a really good look at the exhaust. Get down on your knees and look under the fairing. The standard system lasts a long time, but the collector corrodes very quickly when it finally decides it's had enough - The seams are a particular weak point. While the engine is running, cover the ends of the silencers, and listen for the tell-tale hiss of leaking gas from the collector. If you find it's a bit of a colander, that is not necessarily a problem.

Motad do a good Nexus replacement, either as a complete system, or as separate downpipes/collector and silencers, so haggle. Each bit is around £220, (That's buys a pair of silencers, or the downpipes and collector) and is completely interchangeable with Honda Originals. Having fitted the downpipes to mine, I can't tell the difference from the OE ones. The Motad downpipes/collector are in stainless steel. Fitting the downpipes/collector is a DIY job, but taking the radiator off may be the easiest route, unless you are a gynaecologist. Undoing the relevant bolts and pulling the rad forward may just give enough room. Original silencers can corrode where the pipe joins the collector box, but mine look to be totally sound despite their age. It's worth taking them off every so often and cleaning and greasing the joints to keep the crap at bay. Since it is so easy to replace the original 4 into 2 system with a similar one, I can't understand why anyone would fit a 4 into 1, which would probably buggar up the look of the thing in any case. CBR's have cowlings which cover most of the exhaust system, and these would look a bit daft with a 4 into 1. By the way, if you do have to replace the downpipes, don't tighten up all of the bolts until you have the cowlings replaced. You will need to have a bit of play to get everything lined up.

Enginewise, CBR's are usually very little trouble. Early models had camchain troubles, but these were curable, and should have been sorted by now. Don't be afraid to ask. There can also be a starter motor problem, which affects hot motors, so that glitch is a bit difficult to spot. CBR lumps are smooth as they have a balance shaft. If it isn't smooth, it isn't right, and you need to look closely or walk away. They aren't too thirsty either. Mine has never dropped below 40 mpg, and regularly turns in between 47 and 50 however I ride. So see if you can find out what the owner has been getting.

Apart from that you are going to encounter brakes and suspension that were never strong when new, but have probably got well soggy with age. No different to any other bike of the same years really. The suspension can be improved by replacing the rear shock absorber - Hagon do one for around £225, though I haven't found mine to be a problem even at 10 years and now 50K miles old. A combination of speed+passenger+luggage may show it to be a bit tired though.

Brakes are easier to do something with, and you will definitely need to do something, though here I can only talk about the non-linked brake type. All CBR's are bloody heavy - 550 pounds on the stand rising to 800 plus with a full tank and rider on board. That takes a lot of stopping. You also need to be aware that CBR's do like a lot of rear brake. This is not just to stop the brute, as a good helping of rear disc also helps stabilise the thing in very low speed manoeuvres. I found that Goodridge hoses, front and rear make quite a difference, and it's worth spending enough to fit them first, before messing about with fancy pad compounds. It doesn't matter how trick the pads are if the hoses are behaving like a party balloon.

Big bikes tend to chew their way through consumables quickly, though admittedly, since we're talking about chain/sprockets and tyres, the previous owner's riding style obviously has a lot to do with it.

As far as tyres are concerned, my experience is a touch confusing. The Sofa arrived with a new Michelin Macadam on the front, and a used BT56 on the back. I wore out the Michelin in 4500 miles, but the BT56 lasted another 2000 miles before I put the matching Macadam on the back. Probably says more about my riding style than it does about the tyres! I noticed no ills with the original mix of tyres, but I would say that having the matched Michelins fitted has improved handling a little, at least within my limits. I don't think I'd gain too much by going up a size on the rear tyre, though I am sure someone out there will know better.

Unless looked after, the chain will wear heavily. I tried all sorts of weird and wonderful non-fling chain lubes, but non-fling they ain't, and as my bike has white wheels that was quite obvious. A Scottoiler is the answer. For less than the price of a new chain and sprockets, a Scottoiler should extend their life by anything up to five times. I used the touring kit, which includes a high capacity reserve and mount, which fits behind the number plate. This costs a bit more than the basic kit, but does at least give you somewhere to fix the metering unit, and keep it accessible. Oh, yes. You only need to fill up the reserve every 4k miles. Plumbing is straightforward, and easily hidden by the bodywork. My oiler was fitted and running in two hours. No more dirty wheels! Scottoilers are a favourite accessory of the mature, sensible CBR owner, so yours may already have one fitted. If not, don't wait too long. Only thing you may need to watch is that the reservoir can obscure the number plate light, which is an MOT failure waiting to happen. Rig up a separate light under the tail unit to sort this. Found the perfect thing in my local caravan centre. (No, I don't tow a van with the CBR, but the Caravan Centre owner rides a Pan European, and I wouldn't put it past him.)

You may also find you are buying luggage with the bike. That's a matter of personal preference. Mine only had a rack, which I took off, but I have bought a set of Oxford Hi-Sport throwovers and the matching tank bag, which are a good fit, and easy to use.

So what about a test ride? This is difficult to give an opinion on, because so much depends on what you are used to riding and how much experience you have. If you are an R1 jockey, it is going to feel like a 40 ton artic with handlebars, but I went from an ancient Suzi GS550 to the CBR, and as you might imagine, it felt a bit quick. The gearbox is not its best point. There doesn't seem to be a quiet way to select first gear, and any low speed change is clunky. Seems to smooth out when you are pressing on a bit though. Apart from that, I found it very easy to ride. Handling in tight corners is a little slow, but predictable. Using the back brake at trickling speeds helps a lot.

On "A" roads, the bike is very stable, and shows none of the nervousness you hear about with sports bikes. The fairing is good, but expect a bit of wind noise and buffeting about your head if you are 5 feet 10 or above. As long as you are rolling at over 60 mph your weight will be off your wrists, but you will find country lane and town work a bit tiring on the arms. If that troubles you, you may need a different bike. I've managed 500 miles of our wonderful British "A" roads in a day without a hint of discomfort. I also did 800 in one day coming back from France, averaging 80 mph, which means cruising all day at a ton, and the only physical problem was a numb left hand from high frequency vibration through the bars.

While it is a big bike, it isn't that tall in the seat, so the vertically challenged riders amongst us shouldn't dismiss it without a try. The weight is only a problem at a standstill, and even then it is more a matter of confidence.

The power curve is flat, so I'm sorry but there is no ZZR like surge over 5000RPM. That said, you won't need to thrash it to keep your speed up. There is always plenty of smooth manageable power on tap, and I find there is no need to go much above peak torque at 7600 RPM. Beyond that it just makes a bit more noise, but isn't really much faster than hooking the next gear early. 7600 in top is over 120 mph, so that isn't really hanging around. Top speed and 0 to 60 times are pretty irrelevant in day to day riding, but they are 160 mph and 3.0 seconds if it makes you feel better.

What's of more use is top gear roll-on times, which have a real relevance when overtaking. My unscientific tests (on a private test track, of course) suggest that 60 to 80 mph, and 80 to 100, both take around 4 seconds, and 100 to 120 only takes another 4/5 seconds or so after that. No scrabbling through gears, just twist and go. Sort of like a Mobylette really, but then again, maybe not! These times are solo with no luggage, and maybe I'm getting old, but I find that quite quick enough. Changing up at 6500 as you leave a roundabout sees cars falling behind very satisfactorily, and soon cracks 100 mph in a totally unstressed and unfussed way. My Sofa would happily sit at peak torque in top all day. This can be bad news, as like many new big bike riders, I found myself treating it as an automatic, and not changing out of top. The engine's well up to that, but it doesn't help when you are braking, and in this GATSO crazy area, it makes it too difficult to stay legal in built up areas. Changing down a few cogs makes it a lot easier.

Oddly enough, the old thing is an absolute hoot to ride in the rain. The power delivery is so linear and smooth that you can use most of it very safely, while your sports bike riding chum with his vicious power band may have rather less fun. Also, that fairing keeps a lot of crap off you. Not to BM / Pan levels, granted, but still very good.

Reading up on the thing is a good idea, but then you know that or you wouldn't be reading this! For models up to the FL it’s worth a look at Ride Magazine's November 95 and December 96 editions. I also found the Honda Owners Club Technical Help Board quite useful. You get a feel for what goes wrong, and the CBR1000 just doesn’t appear that often. Must be a good'un. Find the Techbawd at :-

There are some links on this site to other web pages about the CBR1000.

Ask yourself some questions, before parting with your hard earned folding, or signing up to that hire purchase agreement. -

• Do you really need to have a totally academic top speed?
• Do you prefer exiting corners sideways on your back wheel?
• Do you like tank slappers and doing stoppies?
• Do you regularly need to buy new knee sliders?
• Do you regularly have to change your underwear after a ride?

If you answer "yes" to all of these, then I'm sorry but I don't think a Sofa is right for you. Try a Fireblade - "Suits you, Sir". But if you want a powerful, reliable, express train of a bike, that goes where you point it, with first class ride and accommodation - Get looking for a CBR1000. £2500 will buy you a lot of smiles.