The EX is all about smooth motoring and the new conventional Showa Dual Bending Valve forks are set quite softly, which those aiming on hammering around bends may not appreciate. However if you are after a relaxed ride, they are wonderfully damped and help the bike glide over bumps with ease.
The air-cooled 1140cc inline four is a beauty and is typically smooth and precise in its operation. However Honda has also engineered in a pleasing degree of old-school rawness and it pings when it is cooling like CB’s of yesteryear and has a lovely raw sound at low revs thanks to altered valve timing between the cylinders.
Honda doesn’t build a poor quality machine and the EX has the usual lovely level of detail. Everything has been thought about, refined, and then thought about again as it is developed over the years into this latest generation. It really is beautifully put together and has a real feeling of overall quality.
A price tag of £10,795 makes the RX more expensive than the £9800 Triumph Bonneville models (which are a higher spec), the £9990 BMW R nineT Pure and the £8395 Ducati Scrambler Classic. In this context it does look a little over-priced considering what you are getting.
The lack of adjustability on the suspension is a bit disappointing (you only get spring preload front and back to play with) but the motor has a slipper clutch as standard and there is also ABS. But this is a retro and the CB is all about the neat styling touches and on this front it really is impressive. What it lacks in traction control and varying fuel modes it makes up for in the fine details.