The CB1100 Community Forum

Well, we have had the CB 1100 here in the U.S. since March 2013 and others like the Aussies, New Zealanders, and Japanese on the forum since 2010. 4 years.The complaints about the bike have been so few... I just went back thru 16 pages on the mechanical section looking for issues on this bike (did the same with the UK forum). A couple complaints of ineffective rear brakes in 2013, early complaints of ticking noises under acceleration which turned out to be normal fuel injectors working, a front end shimmy or two. A few cases of rust/corrosion. But really nothing to speak of. Nothing glaring, nothing to warn potential buyers about. We have roughly 1500 members from at least a dozen countries. If there were a recurring problem with the bike, one would think it would have surfaced by now.

You go to other forums and read (yes I do that on occasion, especially on new models I'm not familiar with) about poor fueling issues, recurring oil leaks, suspension issues, bothersome vibrations, wobbles, final drive failures, electrical issues, do not ride orders, recalls, thermostat failures, secondary master cylinder failures, headlight bulbs blowing with regularity, side stands falling off, leather fading, tank swelling issues, broken spokes, et al

It makes you realize what a good job Honda has done with the CB1100.

The problem for a forum about such a great motorcycle is, it limits the conversations we have to talking about things like gas mileage, and tire wear, which accessories are best, and how much we love our CB 1100's.

Nice problem to have eh? Lucky us!

High end Swiss watches have more issues than the CB1100.

Great minds think alike. It also occurred to me that this forum lacks much of the "traffic" of others.

The one I was most recently active on was one of the many (the brand shall go unnamed) forums and it was primarily centered around one model, much like other forums.

No less than three fourths of the threads and posts (and I'm trying to be generous) were about bad master cylinders, rusty linkage, wheel bearing failures, severe vibration (now part of a recall I might add), saddle bags coming loose and falling off, compensator failures, regulator upgrades, poor dealer support, heat issues, and much much more. There was even an ongoing poll to see how many owners shared these common problems. And then all of the multitude of "fixes", mods, and work-arounds to try to solve the issues - by the owners! And this is on bikes right off the showroom floor.

I was extremely disappointed with that last bike - and in fairness, I had another bike of the same manufacturer that I was pleased with. But to see how things went with this model and the owners was really a turn-off. Having grown up on the UJM, I was happy to come back to my roots with the CB. I don't mind wrenching for maintenance and accessories, I enjoy it. But I also enjoy riding - a lot. Having to "fix" things that should not even be on the radar just to make a new and pricey bike rideable is not what I call fair. Some other schmuck can go through that "character building" experience. Every Honda I have ever owned has been reliable even to the point of what some might call boring. Well, I sure don't get bored running around on my Honda and reading the posts about how satisfying this thing is.

Sorry for the long post and "rant" I came home from work early to go ride! But got caught up with the title of this thread; thought someone was picking a fight kinda like saying "how pretty is your wife?"

Just had to take a minute and give my two cents on how pretty - or in this case, reliable!

Time to ride!

I've come to expect this from the Honda products I've had over the years. A Honda powered Hustler mower I got in 2004 has been used year round. Mowing 4 acres of grass once a week during the season and mulching leaves every other week during fall and winter. Ten years later and the motor still runs perfect and uses no oil between changes. Two Honda cars, a Civic and an Accord, gave me years of trouble free service with nothing more than scheduled maintenance. My CB1100 has been like the other Honda bikes I've had in the past, just about bullet proof.

Honda makes good stuff. My CBR burns some oil, but other than that, it just works. Same with the CB. They may be a little slow to get the advanced electronics pushed across their entire line, but their bikes work, which is why I bought mine over other brands. My dad was telling me that he just refurbished his 1969 CT70 last week and was riding it around his community. They really are quite good.

Back in 86, when I was riding Ninja's, my friend had a Honda VFR 500?, cams went bad early, then back ordered, he was without his bike for months, so they are not perfect...although that was 28 years ago, not sure that counts :-)
As for my CB1100, so far so good, since I've only owned 3 street bikes in my life, I'm probably not as appreciative as I should be of how well the CB1100 does....I would like more power.

No, there is a difference between perfect and good. THE CB 1100 isn't perfect...but it's VERY GOOD.

Would you sacrifice some of your reliability, or fit and finish, for more power?

How good is the Honda CB 1100 ?

It is the best !!!

(08-08-2014, 06:22 AM)The ferret_imp Wrote: [ -> ]No, there is a difference between perfect and good. THE CB 1100 isn't perfect...but it's VERY GOOD.

Would you sacrifice some of your reliability, or fit and finish, for more power?

Maybe, if I had a switch I could toggle, that would be nice :-)
The switch would give it more HP and make it uglier......

Prior to purchasing my 2014 CB, for over a year I extensively researched the bike (as well as other bikes I were considering). The lack of problems with the CB was a big factor in making my final decision. For the other bikes I were considering, I was reading of owner's frustration with clutch cable breaking, stator failures, throttle response issues, poor quality paint, foot pegs breaking, broken spokes etc.

Granted I have only had my CB for a few months, I have not for one moment regretted my decision in selecting the CB. Whenever I ride my bike I feel like I have a big grin on my face. The bike is so smooth and glides effortlessly on the road. Some complain of the lack of power but for me the power of the CB is much more than I need (or able to control).

And yes, the lack of discussion on this forum of any nagging problems with the CB is something I have observed however I am fine with this.