For proof of the demand for retro bikes we need look no further than Harley-Davidson’s consistently successful marketing of a product range that has arguably traded off a 1940s to ’50s image for as long as we can remember.

Elsewhere in the industry it’s more of a niche approach. Triumph’s Bonneville twins range pays its way alongside its high-performance triples. Ducati and Moto Guzzi bring an Italian accent to retros with their ‘classic’ offerings. And then there’s Enfield, a brand with a special claim to retro. That’s what they’ve always done. That’s what they still do.

With the introduction of the CB1100, Honda has clearly decided it wants to have a piece of the current retro action. Its promotional material describes the new machine as: ‘an ode to the much-loved Honda CB750 four’ – the bike that four decades ago laid the foundations for the generations of Japanese sportsbikes that followed.

For a new bike to pay an effective and affectionate tribute to an iconic Japanese multi that rewrote the rules for motorcycle design, certain key criteria need to be satisfied, and the CB1100’s basic architecture – a naked powered by a proper air-cooled, across-the-frame four housed in a steel twin-cradle frame – goes a long way toward obtaining the ‘retro authenticity’ seal of approval.

Pretenders with liquid-cooled engines wearing faux cooling fins and an almost concealed radiator can look pretty convincing, but they can never be quite right.

The Honda’s big round headlight, chromed steel guards and an old-school taillight and bracket all add to the authentic flavour. Then there’s excellent attention to period detail with the twin clocks and twin shocks – and even twin horns.

The 1100’s cast wheels are an obvious departure from the spoked wheels on the 750. Spokes were typical for rhe time and are now much admired by classic bike fans. The reality check for a manufacturer is the high cost of spoked wheels that are very labour-intensive items to build. For an owner there’s a cost too. Barring accidents, cast wheels are pretty much maintenance-free. If you’re putting big kays on spoke wheels you need to factor in spoke-tension checks and re-trueing of the wheels from time to time. Cast wheels are heaps easier to keep clean as well.

While many of the styling cues are a neat fit with the first CB750 of the late ’60s, the exhaust system’s four header pipes curving across to the right then sweeping rearwards to the single can, honour the mid- ’70s Supersport version. Here it’s a feature that’s most often seen on the lovely smaller-engined version, the CB400F Supersport.

A departure from the original is the shape of the sculpted seat. Its designers have chosen to take the custom seat route, perhaps for practical reasons. Its shape contributes to the low 775mm seat height.

The colour choice between red and white is limited to fuel tank colour – both versions have silver-grey side covers and chrome plate on many components.

Surprisingly, perhaps, the two versions look quite different. Maybe it’s just me, but I reckon a white CB-four shouts ‘police bike’. So you’d go for the red version…

Fit and finish are excellent, as befits a Honda.

Unusually the test CB1100 arrived without much in the way of tech-information being available. So at this early stage we can’t elaborate to any extent about the internals of the powerplant and transmission. What we can offer is our assessment of what is obvious externally and, most importantly, how it performs.

Without Honda blowing its own trumpet about the engine, it’s fair to say that considerable technical expertise has gone into building an air-cooled engine that meets today’s stringent noise and exhaust emission standards.

Significant temperature variation within air-cooled engines can make the emission-control task more challenging and generally requires greater cold clearances between some components, in turn producing more mechanical noise. The lack of the double-wall of a water-jacket can also contribute to noise emissions.

I can vouch for the fact that Honda’s backroom guys have kicked a goal noise-wise. The test bike’s engine is the quietest big air-cooled donk I’ve struck in my travels.

The five-speed transmission, another retro-link, has ratios that are well matched to the engine’s characteristics. Clearly the gaps between ratios are greater than a six-speeder. But it’s no issue to the engine. The gearing in top is just fine, registering around 3300rpm on the tacho for 100km/h.

The suspension remains true to tradition with conventional telescopics up front (with 41mmm stanchions and 107mm of travel) and preload- adjustable twin shocks down the back. A nice little bonus, though, is preload adjustment on the fork.

Wheelbase and steering geometry seem to be focused on producing a stable chassis rather than a quick steerer – to me it feels a little lazier in spec than the early CBs.

Powerful four-piston Nissin calipers put the squeeze on a pair of semi-floating 296mm discs. Interestingly, although the domestic Japanese model comes with ABS, it’s not offered here. A legacy of its inclusion for the Japanese market is the rear wheel speed sensor set-up that remains on the Australian version – in our case it serves as a high-tech speedo sender.

It’s a deceptive machine in a number of ways, this new CB1100. Even before you climb aboard there’s a look of compactness about it that belies the substantial reality of its 1490mm wheelbase, 1140cc capacity and 248kg wet weight. And that perception continues in the saddle. It feels smaller and lighter than you expect.

There’s no challenge when you’re pulling it out of the shed – it seems lighter than the numbers suggest.

Most riders will get both feet on the ground. And riders of all shapes and sizes will be surprised at how relatively light and agile it feels as soon as it’s rolling. It’s a particularly sweet machine for doing low-speed, feet-up manoeuvres.

It’s such a rider-friendly motorcycle. It’s an everyman (and everywoman) kind of bike.

It sits you up in a comfortable slight crouch behind quite wide ’bars that sport an effective pair of traditional round, upright mirrors. It’s a recipe for safe and easy traffic work and comfortable touring at highway speeds.

The engine is a nice thing – it’s your obedient servant. It produces a contented idle that morphs into working mode with silky smoothness and a linear response to throttle input. It’s never intimidating. And as I said before, it’s exceptionally quiet for an air-cooled donk.

The light clutch action and well-engineered transmission complement the engine’s character, producing acceleration that is smooth off the mark and then right through the gears. There’s no sign of harshness at any stage from zero to fast cruising speeds. It’s a sophisticated engine/drivetrain package that adds a quality feel to the riding experience.

In terms of raw grunt the CB’s engine is a bit light-on at low revs for a big (1140cc) four. But having said that, it builds speed purposefully and smoothly until it wakes up some decent muscle in its mid-range. You could say that what it lacks in low down grunt it makes up for with turbine-like smoothness throughout the rev range.

Front brake performance is excellent. The rear works well enough but is lacking in feel.

In discussing the chassis and suspension set-up and the steering geometry I’ve pointed out that the CB1100 is inherently a stable bike rather than a quick steerer. That’s not to say that it’s lacking in agility though. The ’bars are wide enough to give you plenty of authority over the bike when you tip it into a bend or ask it to change its line. It’s quite responsive and, again, very rider-friendly through the twisties.

Any fears that the old-school, twin-shock rear-suspension might compromise the 1100’s handling proved groundless. During a run around the foothills I was quite impressed by the bike’s overall competence. Some reasonably spirited cornering saw it holding a line well and dealing with the usual lumps and bumps in the bends without drama. Spring rates and damping characteristics front and rear seem well matched to the bike’s needs.

I rode back to town thinking the CB1100 is close to being the best handling twin-shock equipped bike I’ve tried in recent years. Obviously you would find the limits of the suspension’s performance if you tried to stay with a bunch of sportsbikes through the hills, but that’s not what this bike’s about, is it?

Fuel consumption was just under 16.7km/lt. That’s a reasonable enough result in itself, but when it’s applied to a tank that only holds 14.6lt, it points to a limited touring range. While I’m talking touring, towards the end of that ride I came to suspect that the normally comfortable seat might lose some of its charm before a long day on the road was over.

During MT’s time with the CB1100 its classy retro styling prompted quite a number of complimentary comments from folk at service stations and in car parks. And I agree with the sentiments. It’s a very handsome machine. Very retro cool. Additionally, I’m in the fortunate position of being able to say that it rides as well as it looks.

Honda started with a great concept for the CB1100 and the quality with which they brought the idea to fruition is excellent.

I can recommend this new Honda retro as an ideal motorcycle for riders returning to motorcycling after a few years’ break. Its user-friendly nature and overall competence would be ideal for confidence building.

While the CB1100 is no bitumen burner, it’s a bike that will provide pleasure and satisfaction for riders of all skill levels.