The CB1100 Community Forum

After buying a new EX in spring 2020, I kept looking at prices of CB1100/s built in 2017 or later. Just for curiosity. Since the CB was sold in different countries for quite different prices to start with, I will just quote my observations in %, not in Euros or USD. Here is what I found:

- throughout 2020, prices in Central Europa for a 2nd hand EX were about 80% of new (bike without damage, up to 20,000 km, any color).
- the RS was hit harder, same condition mostly offered at 70-75%, sometimes at 65%, and still lingering on the market (regardless of the date of initial registration 17-19).

My take, buyers of the RS were a different group of riders, and/or had different expectations, and got more disappointed. So the number of bikes on the market went up, and not enough buyers. It also appeared that the RS did often go through more hands in a shorter time. This seemed to confirm the expectations theory.

This year things have changed a little. Roughly stable (but low) prices for the RS, in particular the black edition isn't in demand. But asking prices for the EX have clearly gone up. They are fewer on the market, they sell quickly - which is usually an indication, that the asking price got met more or less. And I see low mileage EX (1 or 2 y old) in excellent shape which are now offered at the original price tag.

Is this representative ? Of course not. Just my observations in a few markets / countries. Interesting, btw, in France prices for the RS and the EX seem to steadily go down with time and with respect to last year. For the Northern or the Southern countries in Europe, ... I don't know, I don't follow these markets.

Disclaimer: I am long on Honda CB1100 (EX) motorcycles, this is my personal opinion, I wrote this article myself, and you better don't give a damn. Don't bet on rising prices, or you might get burned. But DO enjoy riding.

omg.....i wish i could buy an RS for 65% of its original price.....

Or just buy an RS period here.

you totally can. it just costs about 20k.

buy a '17 EX

buy an RS swingarm, wheels, wire harness, brake systems, fenders, seat, ECU, handlebars, foot controls, and exhaust.

swap out all the parts

boom: brand new CB1100 RS.

Let’s compare with import from Germany (the cheapest market in the Eu)
RS ~ 8000 € ~ equals 9200 usd at current exchange rates
(or even cheaper if you qual for a VAT refund)
add shipping ~ 1000 harbor to harbor
pickup yourself e.g. in New York and ride home = counts as fun
taxes and paperwork in your home state ???
- - -
looks like roughly 11000 usd to me
So it may be time to prepare a visit to your cousin in Europe.

Except you can't do any of that because the imported bike would be illegal to register in the US for legal road use. You wouldn't be able to get a license plate.

Not that I know anything about it, but what’s the purpose of such an unusual restriction in a country where hardly anything is “home-made” no more (exception Boeing), and most cars come in from far away ? It cannot be market protection since automotive prices are higher in most of the rest of the world.

A non-US model has not been certified by our Department of Transportation or EPA.
DOT regulations apply to mirror and light size and color and placement, license plate holder size, fender coverage, passenger grab straps/rails, etc. Tires must be DOT approved, exhaust/airbox must meet noise restrictions. And braking tests must be passed.

Technically, it can't even be imported into the country unless a bond is issued to guarantee it is exported back in 12 months. But there are loopholes.....

(11-05-2021, 02:07 AM)pekingduck_imp Wrote: [ -> ]A non-US model has not been certified by our Department of Transportation or EPA.
DOT regulations apply to mirror and light size and color and placement, license plate holder size, fender coverage, passenger grab straps/rails, etc. Tires must be DOT approved, exhaust/airbox must meet noise restrictions. And braking tests must be passed.

Technically, it can't even be imported into the country unless a bond is issued to guarantee it is exported back in 12 months. But there are loopholes.....

all this is fact, but the meat and potatoes of the issue is also one of protectionism. they use complex red tape like this to prevent "non-us" models from being brought into the US simply because those models were not manufactured with the same handicaps as those that were approved for US roads. Take the CB1300 for example. Honda just didn't see a purpose to making all the modifications and adjustments required to make the CB1300 pass inspection in California, and because they didn't make it pass in california, it's not worth selling in the US market. if it's not worth selling they're not going to go through all the expense of paying to have the testing done (yes, the government makes the manufacturer pay for all of it). If the testing isn't done you can't register the bike here, at least not until it becomes "vintage" in 25 years.

a great example of this is all the tiny japanese kei cars that are being imported to the US in droves right now. they're all just now turning 25, and the US market is collecting them like beanie babies. none of those cars would even come within 100 miles of passing EPA emissions regulations, crash testing safety, or body restrictions imposed by the US government, so until they turned 25 they were completely illegal to have here.

All of this makes sense to me, for a car or m/c which otherwise doesn't exist in the U.S. market.
But why would this a apply to a bike which is literally a DLX with a few improvements ? The importer should just be able to prove that the bike imported is a CB1100 DLX plus a few mods. A different exhaust pipe cannot stall this process in a country where literally any exhaust can be mounted.

I know it's not gonna fly, or nobody is mad enough to try, but which items on the RS are really the show-stoppers, in your view ?