The CB1100 Community Forum

Just a comment on the BMW 1200GS. Yes, they are fast, comfortable, handle quite well, etcetera. Great luggage. Their styling appeals to some, but not to me. More importantly, they are not particularly reliable. My cousin and closest riding buddy has one he bought new that has about 33K miles on it and there have been many issues, including 3 rear brake rotors (defective carrier from factory), a failed clutch ( defective pressure plate from factory), front suspension problems and a couple more minor problems. The dealer gave him a hard time and refused to warranty the clutch, even though the pressure plate was very obviously incorrectly machined.

In comparison, my 2003 Gold Wing has had two very minor issues costing $35 and $136 in eleven years and 32,000 miles. That's reliable. I can get just about any part for my Hondas on-line at about 22% discount. Try that with a BMW.

(03-30-2014, 02:39 AM)bubblerboy64_imp Wrote: [ -> ]I've always wondered how much Leno rides. He certainly is an avid collector but does he USE his stuff much?

Leno seems like a super nice fellow. I'd be very disappointed if he wasn't the gentleman I think he is. I just like the fellow.

I worked at NBC for a long time, and can attest that he's a genuine petrol head and a great guy. Approachable and knowledgable about cars and bikes. And he rides/ drives every day.

(03-30-2014, 04:11 AM)thessler3_imp Wrote: [ -> ]Just a comment on the BMW 1200GS. Yes, they are fast, comfortable, handle quite well, etcetera. Great luggage. Their styling appeals to some, but not to me. More importantly, they are not particularly reliable. My cousin and closest riding buddy has one he bought new that has about 33K miles on it and there have been many issues, including 3 rear brake rotors (defective carrier from factory), a failed clutch ( defective pressure plate from factory), front suspension problems and a couple more minor problems. The dealer gave him a hard time and refused to warranty the clutch, even though the pressure plate was very obviously incorrectly machined.

In comparison, my 2003 Gold Wing has had two very minor issues costing $35 and $136 in eleven years and 32,000 miles. That's reliable. I can get just about any part for my Hondas on-line at about 22% discount. Try that with a BMW.

Have to agree with thessler on this. I have heard lots of negative things about late-model GS reliability and poor dealer support in and out of warranty. They have a penchant for eating final drives among other well-known problems. Where I live the closest BMW dealer is 200 miles away. There are quite a few guys on the Super Tenere forum who are ex-GS owners because they got tired of the headaches. The Yamaha is a very good facsimile of a GS, for less money, and far fewer worries. I will admit having a certain bias as I am a current Super Tenere owner.

I don't know about anyone else but I've owned an awful lot of bikes and put on a lot of miles and I buy the bike I want. Every brand I've owned has had issues and in point of fact, Hondas have had the most reliability issues of the six brands I've owned. The V45 engines ate cams, I had to have two of those bikes redone, complete cam and follower replacement (warranties paid each time). Had an XL600, air-cooled, top-end oiling issues caused it to seize (same problem with the V45 engines, oiling was insufficient). Next generation Interceptor, entire engine needed to be torn town to replace the cam gear drive train.

The BMWs I've owned have had some odd things, mostly rotting rubber and lousy switchgear, but none have ever left me stranded or needed any engine work. I can't recall any problems with Yamaha, Suzuki, or Kawasaki although the latter two didn't have the best build quality until recently.

It's the luck of the draw most of the time. If the 1200GS was really that bad no one would buy it but they are ubiquitous amongst adventure riders. Super Tenere is a cool bike but the BMW is more refined, been around in various versions for a long time, and it shows. BMW is at the head of the pack when it comes to electronics, too, and while these create headaches, it's the future.

Now if you say Royal Enfield or one of the Chinese or Korean makes, I'd say maybe not a good idea, but any of the major Japanese or European marques are going to make good motorcycles and all will have an occasional issue.

I'd pick a bike from among these makers without any reservations.

Certainly the CB1100 has been beset with its share of problems...just saw this:

http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=2479

I rented a 2011 R1200GS while in the Texas Hill Country that year and it was a very fine performer although I can't speak to it's reliability. At the time I owned a Triumph Tiger 1050 and my wife had an '06 DL650 V-strom. I felt that my Tiger was superior in almost every respect when compared with the GS, especially engine performance and on-road handling. Brakes I'd call a tie. When the price of the BMW is taken into consideration the GS is not even in the same league, for that kind of money it should far out perform the Tiger. I would even prefer the V-strom to the GS if the difference in price was applied to upgrading the Suzuki's non adjustable suspension and somewhat mushy feeling brakes. At least V-stroms have nearly legendary reliability which is something that BMW needs to work on.

I know this may sound crazy, and this may not even be the place for this, but the perfect bike for my purposes is a Honda but I'm thinking now it won't be a CB1100 after all. I waited until the 2014's hoping a black model might be available for my sidecar. I had pretty much decided to buy the DLX and have it painted black.

I was checking out Honda's website about a week ago and I noticed the Shadow Aero 750. I hadn't seen the Aero before and it amazed me how well it matches my sidecar. The fenders are very similar and it comes in black. It won't have the power of the CB but it does have a shaft drive. The spoked wheels match my sidecar's wheel too. I never considered a V-twin but this one is perfect for me. In addition to all of the above mentioned things, I will be able to buy it for only $7500 (!!!). It blows me away that I will still have Honda reliability and save about $4000. But, I know there is no way to compare the two bikes.

I really do love the retro CB but I have to admit the cruiser fits my purpose better. Because of my handicap, the seat that is 5 inches lower than the CB helps greatly. I never considered myself to be a V-twin guy but they're beginning to grow on me. The liquid cooled engine will be reliable too. I guess I won't be hanging out here much any more and that saddens me because you are a great bunch of guy's.

I guess the most important thing is this: When I asked a friend who owned a professional lawn care business which mower I should buy, his response was "Buy the one with the Honda engine".

(03-30-2014, 07:37 AM)Buffalohead_imp Wrote: [ -> ]I know this may sound crazy, and this may not even be the place for this, but the perfect bike for my purposes is a Honda but I'm thinking now it won't be a CB1100 after all. I waited until the 2014's hoping a black model might be available for my sidecar. I had pretty much decided to buy the DLX and have it painted black.

I was checking out Honda's website about a week ago and I noticed the Shadow Aero 750. I hadn't seen the Aero before and it amazed me how well it matches my sidecar. The fenders are very similar and it comes in black. It won't have the power of the CB but it does have a shaft drive. The spoked wheels match my sidecar's wheel too. I never considered a V-twin but this one is perfect for me. In addition to all of the above mentioned things, I will be able to buy it for only $7500 (!!!). It blows me away that I will still have Honda reliability and save about $4000. But, I know there is no way to compare the two bikes.

I really do love the retro CB but I have to admit the cruiser fits my purpose better. Because of my handicap, the seat that is 5 inches lower than the CB helps greatly. I never considered myself to be a V-twin guy but they're beginning to grow on me. The liquid cooled engine will be reliable too. I guess I won't be hanging out here much any more and that saddens me because you are a great bunch of guy's.

I guess the most important thing is this: When I asked a friend who owned a professional lawn care business which mower I should buy, his response was "Buy the one with the Honda engine".

Yeah, but I doubt all other bike manufacturers would like to be compared to Briggs & Stratton lol.

I have 2 John Deere mowers with B&S engines and they're super reliable and just nice to use.

I also have an Ariens mower with a Kawasaki engine. That thing is sublime. My best weed whackers are Kawasakis too, beat my Stihl 4 mix for power and sheer terror factor.

Anyway, back to my other love. Bikes.

Getting a bit off topic but reliability of most bikes has become excellent in the past 25 years. My 66 Bonneville and 71 Norton Commando required almost continuous repairs. By comparison, my Ducatis and Harleys were trouble free. My Buell had about 4 recalls, but never broke on me. Avoid any Ducati with a plastic tank, especially those older than 2008. Law suit settlement actually makes it more difficult to get a replacement tank. Harley XR1200 has identical problem but Harley support is much better.

In the past year or so, I was shopping for a Griso and a K1200S but stopped looking because of problems reported on forums. I would say the Griso could be a big headache with valve gear problems. K1200s have problems with gas gauges, clutch baskets and vibration.

From reading European and Aussie sites, the CB1100 appears to be reliable. So are the other bikes I am shopping for - the FZ-1 and Ninja 1000.

If you want good customer service, nobody can match Harley Davidson. I called Milwaukee about buying a used XR1200 and they were completely honest about the gas tank issues. They also fixed a paint problem on my 1990 Convertible that was the dealer's fault. No arguments - just help.

(03-30-2014, 08:07 AM)Tortuga_imp Wrote: [ -> ]

(03-30-2014, 07:37 AM)Buffalohead_imp Wrote: [ -> ]I know this may sound crazy, and this may not even be the place for this, but the perfect bike for my purposes is a Honda but I'm thinking now it won't be a CB1100 after all. I waited until the 2014's hoping a black model might be available for my sidecar. I had pretty much decided to buy the DLX and have it painted black.

I was checking out Honda's website about a week ago and I noticed the Shadow Aero 750. I hadn't seen the Aero before and it amazed me how well it matches my sidecar. The fenders are very similar and it comes in black. It won't have the power of the CB but it does have a shaft drive. The spoked wheels match my sidecar's wheel too. I never considered a V-twin but this one is perfect for me. In addition to all of the above mentioned things, I will be able to buy it for only $7500 (!!!). It blows me away that I will still have Honda reliability and save about $4000. But, I know there is no way to compare the two bikes.

I really do love the retro CB but I have to admit the cruiser fits my purpose better. Because of my handicap, the seat that is 5 inches lower than the CB helps greatly. I never considered myself to be a V-twin guy but they're beginning to grow on me. The liquid cooled engine will be reliable too. I guess I won't be hanging out here much any more and that saddens me because you are a great bunch of guy's.

I guess the most important thing is this: When I asked a friend who owned a professional lawn care business which mower I should buy, his response was "Buy the one with the Honda engine".

Yeah, but I doubt all other bike manufacturers would like to be compared to Briggs & Stratton lol.

I have 2 John Deere mowers with B&S engines and they're super reliable and just nice to use.

I also have an Ariens mower with a Kawasaki engine. That thing is sublime. My best weed whackers are Kawasakis too, beat my Stihl 4 mix for power and sheer terror factor.

Anyway, back to my other love. Bikes.

Yeah, but I doubt all other bike manufacturers would like to be compared to Briggs & Stratton lol.

I have 2 John Deere mowers with B&S engines and they're super reliable and just nice to use.

I also have an Ariens mower with a Kawasaki engine. That thing is sublime. My best weed whackers are Kawasakis too, beat my Stihl 4 mix for power and sheer terror factor.

Anyway, back to my other love. Bikes.
Yeah, I'm sure you are correct. Actually, I'm certain the Kawa engine is just as reliable and FWIW, I've had many B&S engines that proved to be very reliable as well.

(03-30-2014, 08:43 AM)thessler3_imp Wrote: [ -> ]Getting a bit off topic but reliability of most bikes has become excellent in the past 25 years. My 66 Bonneville and 71 Norton Commando required almost continuous repairs. By comparison, my Ducatis and Harleys were trouble free. My Buell had about 4 recalls, but never broke on me. Avoid any Ducati with a plastic tank, especially those older than 2008. Law suit settlement actually makes it more difficult to get a replacement tank. Harley XR1200 has identical problem but Harley support is much better.

In the past year or so, I was shopping for a Griso and a K1200S but stopped looking because of problems reported on forums. I would say the Griso could be a big headache with valve gear problems. K1200s have problems with gas gauges, clutch baskets and vibration.

From reading European and Aussie sites, the CB1100 appears to be reliable. So are the other bikes I am shopping for - the FZ-1 and Ninja 1000.

If you want good customer service, nobody can match Harley Davidson. I called Milwaukee about buying a used XR1200 and they were completely honest about the gas tank issues. They also fixed a paint problem on my 1990 Convertible that was the dealer's fault. No arguments - just help.

Correcto, I completely forgot I'd owned a couple of Harleys. That's because I never had any problems with them. 1200 Sportster Sport and Dyna SuperGlide. Completely trouble free.

(03-30-2014, 05:32 AM)redbirds_imp Wrote: [ -> ]I rented a 2011 R1200GS while in the Texas Hill Country that year and it was a very fine performer although I can't speak to it's reliability. At the time I owned a Triumph Tiger 1050 and my wife had an '06 DL650 V-strom. I felt that my Tiger was superior in almost every respect when compared with the GS, especially engine performance and on-road handling. Brakes I'd call a tie. When the price of the BMW is taken into consideration the GS is not even in the same league, for that kind of money it should far out perform the Tiger. I would even prefer the V-strom to the GS if the difference in price was applied to upgrading the Suzuki's non adjustable suspension and somewhat mushy feeling brakes. At least V-stroms have nearly legendary reliability which is something that BMW needs to work on.

V-Strom is not even in the same solar system as the BMW! It would probably take 5-10K miles to really sort out the differences between the BMW and Triumph or Super Tenere. All are undoubtedly fine motorcycles, and riding style dictates which one will work best for any given rider.

That said it occurred to me as I was just riding my CB1100 this afternoon that the BMW 1200GS, Triumph Tiger, Super Tenere, and any of the open-class "Adventure Bikes" are not going to make my list of the "One" bike anyway. They are all just too unwieldy in a tight spot, and particularly the Triumph and Yamaha are very top-heavy. The BMW waterpumper, with the lowering kit, is actually just my size and well-balanced as one might imagine, but for a true middle-weight "Swiss Army Knife" they are just too heavy and certainly cannot handle the tight rough stuff like the F800GS or a similar machine.

In fact I'd pick the CB1100 over any of those because of it's excellent balance and low-speed manners, but the limited cornering clearance and very archaic suspension put it out of the running.

The air/oil-cooled engine is a plus, though, as it's very simple. The Suzuki Katanas used a similar design, albeit much more powerful, and the 750 version (which I owned) was a great all-rounder. Easy to work on, smooth, fast enough, handled very well.