The CB1100 Community Forum

Still working to get all of the airheads back up and on the road for the summer.  This one sat 3 years.  I pickled it pretty good, but still had stuck floats and a failed relay (and of course the battery) to contend with along with fluid changes.

While this thing isn't the sexiest of older BMWs, it's a real pleasure to ride.

I dont remember a BMW with a seat like that up on the tank

If I recall correctly, the relay, rectifier, alternator and poor electrical contacts were common issues in older BMW models...

(06-25-2026, 05:40 PM)the Ferret Wrote: [ -> ]I dont remember a BMW with a seat like that up on the tank

1995 R100R Classic.  It was the last airhead produced and mine is from near the end of that year.  

(06-25-2026, 05:51 PM)peterbaron Wrote: [ -> ]If I recall correctly, the relay, rectifier, alternator and poor electrical contacts were common issues in older BMW models...

It varies by year, but there are definitely vagaries associated with the ignition systems in these things.  Parts are readily available though, and the bikes are easy to work on, which is part of the attraction.  And there are aftermarket upgrades for those who want a more modern ignition system retrofitted.  In my experience anyway (I have 5 vintage BMWs ranging from 1957 to 1995) they actually hold up well for their age.

Still thinking about the vintage BMWs I saw at the McQueen show recently and a conversation about their virtues with a rider at Bike Shed. And since Big Brother is always listening, now 70s and 80s vintage BMWs are in my suggested items on FB marketplace. Very tempting.

But, this story reminds me that I haven’t seen my Enfield since March…

Put over 200 miles on it with a bit of mild trails and even a couple of stream crossings thrown in.  Sort of a gray misty couple of days.  Black and white captures the mood a bit more accurately than color.  For an old bike loaded with gear in the cases, it does pretty well.

It is a great motorcycle with a lot of soul. You will have many adverntures together. David

I have had my refurbished forks in a box next to my Daytona 1200 for many months, I had put reassembly on the long long finger. This weekend I forced myself to drop everything and refit them, rebuild the partially stripped fairing, get the wheel on etc. and go for a ride on Sunday. Well it all came together, I did 120 miles on it.

I had forgotten what a joy it is to ride this bike, especially with the Michelin Road 6 tyres fitted. I have the fork springs made for my weight, a rear Wilbers shock, again made for my weight and riding preference (comfortable at my age). I had previously changed the clip ons to an LSL Superbike Bars conversion giving me a street bar configuration and converted the footpegs to that of the Trophy Touring model which lowers them significantly.

A bike that is actually worth very little, they are not sort after, maybe worth $2-$3K USD but very rewarding nevertheless. I don't mind admitting I find the seating triangle quite a bit more comfortable than my CB1100EX :-0

Now approaching its 30th birthday my annual road tax is less than $36 USD, there is no annual inspection here in Ireland and I have it insured for a premium of $120 USD a year on a multibike policy - essentially it costs me nothing bar an odd oil change and petrol on a day out. For the amount I ride it annually the tyres, chains and brake pads etc will last me many years to come and incur no extra cost.

I will say this bike took some sorting though, I spent many hours stripping carbs, fixing parts, refurbing brakes etc. These older bikes only make sense if you can "spanner" yourself.

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Last night, took Super Bird to the Frida Theater in Santa Ana to meet up with my best friend to grab dinner and watch Young Frankenstein in celebration of Mel Brooks' 100th birthday. The Frida is a small art house theater, just down the street from the 4th Street Food Hall, a collection of local eateries offering eclectic dining from around the world.

Being a sleepy Monday evening, only three food stalls in the Food Hall were open... burgers, Thai and something I really couldn't identify. That was a bummer. Walking-in price for a small burger with no sides was twelve bucks. We walked a block over and got Subway.

Strolled over to the Frida, and found a small line building. We were fourth or fifth, and thought that was fortuitous as we'd be able to grab some great seats. 30 minutes later, a young guy started walking the crowd outside, pumping us up for this Mel Brooks classic. We were excited. At the time they were opening the doors, he said "Have the QR code for your tickets out and ready so we can scan you in!" Wait, we were going to just buy tickets. We asked the guy if the movie was sold out. "Oh yeah, it sold out a week ago."

Huh. Went back to my friend's place, he dug through his DVD collection, swearing he had Young Frankenstein. He didn't. But, he had recently transferred a bunch of old tapes from our younger days (early 90s) to digital, and we ended up watching our footage of our past road trips, camping, and just generally goofing off. Man, I had a lot of hair in 1990...

Happy 100th Mel, but we ended up having a lot more fun watching those old home movies.

Last Friday took off to explore some of the BDR (Backcountry Discovery Routes) in middle Washington and northern OR.  A riding buddy of mine has an aunt that lives near Cle Elum, WA. He was on his KTM exc500 and I was riding my KLX300.

4 days of riding about 70-100 miles each day, between 3 and 5 hours of riding; pavement just to make circle routes or to conneect the BDR trails/roads.  The red traces our routes and the thin blue lines are the BDR trails/roads.  The dotted red lines are the "expert" or "more difficult" sections which we did some.

Day 1


My long time riding buddy Jeff.  We've ridden to MX, Central America and Alaska together on different trips.  Good riding partner, fast, aggressive riding, but he waits for me at interesections...mostly.




Day 2






Day 3, just north of Day 2






The first 3 days were spent riding the BDR routes in Washington.  My friend wanted to ride some BDR in OR, and I found out I have more wild riding near me than I ever imagined.  Day 4: 


The 5 miles before this overlook were quite rocky, challenging but still fun


All sorts of different terrain: gravel, dirt, sandy sections, hard-packed, mud, jarring rock sections, roots, puddles large and small, steep ascents and descents, fog, rain, warm sunshine, and 100% andrenalin.  


No mechanical issues, no flats, no getting (too) lost, no get-offs.  But I was mentally wiped out after Day 4's ride...4 hours of don't lose your concentration or things that you won't like may happen.  So different that the relaxing rides on the CB1100.  Very fun!