So as most of you know I bought a 2014 Standard Black leftover from my local dealer in February. It was a brutal winter here in CT so I had 2 months of wait time before I could take her out for her maiden break in ride. Meanwhile, I had a lot of time on my hands to read this Forum and gather ideas for how I wanted my bike to look and ride. So as not to be repetitive and for those that might not know what I did, you can catch up here -
http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=5364

So this morning I left my house around 9am, temperture was almost 50. Yes usually to cold to ride but I have been chomping at the bit to see how the CB1100 rides compared to my 2007 Bonneville. I put on 158 miles today. As you are all aware of, this is a heavy bike; but once you get under speed the weight disappears immediately and is a perfectly balenced. I actually felt more connected to this bike while riding then my Bonneville. So out I go from my street heading North on back country roads. Traffic was unusually light for a Saturday so I was able to take full advantage of the trip. The first thing I noticed was gobs of torque bringing it quickly through the first 3 gears at 5k per shift. She was crisp and certain with zero lag. After riding for about 10 miles upshifting and downshifting making her work, I opened her up to 7k. By the time I got to 4th I had hit the "Ton Up" rocking double zeros plus so I let off. The brakes are outstanding, especially the fronts which if you dont feather will really dip down quickly. It was a pleasure driving her, powering out of turns and cranking on the throttle. I got about 25 miles out and was cruising through the town of Danbury when I decided to take my first break . . . Seeing a barber shop and needing to get my haircut. So I decided to double dip and get a cut and warm up. I continued on to the town of Kent and during that leg of the ride I realized that while going through the first 3 gears between 3.4 to 4.1 RPM's there was a buzzing. For the life of me I could not figure out where it was coming from. Lower then 3.4 I would not hear it and as soon as I got above 4.1 it flattened out. I am pretty certain it is not engine noise. It sounds more like a body buzz. Now that it registered with me it became fairly annoying. I will need to investigate the cause of this and put an end to it.

So as I entered the town of Kent and I saw what I thought was another CB1100 in Red so I spun it around and parked right next to it and went in search of its owner.
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I couldnt immediately find him so I got a cup of coffee and sat down and waited. 10 min later he appeared, introduced himself as Scott from Sherman and we shot the Bull for the next 20 min. His 2013 was bone stock. He bought it with 500 miles on it from someone who wanted to buy a Black so he got a good deal on it. There is now 1200 miles on his bike. I told him about this Forum and told him to join for a plethora of knowledge. We chatted about my bike and the mods and I mentioned Mr. T to him and told him to check out Samurider.com. We shook hands and bid each other a nice day and agreed that it would be nice to ride together in the Future.

Onward for me to Kent Falls State Park which would give me a very nice photo opp for my bike!
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I continued on to Falls River with my destination being the Toy Maker Cafe whose owner Greg has a barn full of old classic British motorcycles and a ton of hard to get parts. I got there and the trip count showed 80 miles. I was happy so I went in and had a nice cheeseburger. On the way out I was chatting with Greg and he said he wanted to come outside and check out my CB1100. He loved everything about it , especially the sound of the exhaust. It was now time to start heading home. I backtracked basically the same way I came but when I got to Rt7 highway I decided to cut my return trip a little because I was really cold and my butt started feeling the seat. All in all I didnt find the seat unbearable but after an hour of riding it does seem to lose its softness. I goosed her up to 8000 RPM's in 1st, 2nd & 3rd and ran her through 4th, 5th & 6th pretty hard on a empty highway road and backed off at 115mph. Im gonna take her out tomorrow for another 150 miles . . . Gonna dress warmer !

I have been hanging around here since like last summer last year and finally decided to purchase a 2014 Deluxe. I will take delivery of it probably the tail end of next week. It is still in a crate at the dealer. I am pretty excited as I have let a few slip through my fingers before I bought one. I know there are pretty slim picking as far as new inventory out there. I appreciate everyone on this sight as I have learned quite a bit about the bike from here. I come from BMW R1200RT's and my last bike was a ST1300 that I sold about five years ago. I was going to try to find a CB750 or CB500 but the prices are getting a tad high and besides I don't think I have seen a motorcycle that I like the looks of better than the 14 Deluxe. I can't wait to get it and start riding. It will be a new thing for me to ride a non fairing motorcycle but I don't believe I do that kind of riding anymore. I will post pictures when I get it. Thanks again

Down in NC for the week, finally some warm weather, temps in the 80's yesterday, perfect day for a rental.

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Had a chance to put 180 miles on the SG, took about 10 miles to get use to the bike. There is something special about leaving a traffic light with a HD that you don't get with metrics. The bike has a six speed and has a sweet spot at 3000-3200 rpm's which is 65-70 in 5th gear. Getting to that sweet spot in 6th puts you at about 85 anything lower gives you a rumble and vibration in your feet not in the bars. Frame is much stiffer with much less wallow than I remember. Taking the bike around a clover leaf ( 40 & 140 ) bypass the bike handles well, a lot to do with a great set of tires. I'm not a fan of forward controls and felt a bit trapped all day with the seating position. The bike was loaded with a GPS Criuse etc. and the radio was clear with a set of earplugs at 60MPH. Overall a very enjoyable day and we'll worth the 100 bucks.

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Here is a pic of my CB1100 taken outside Bangalow. Cape Byron in the background.(Most easterly point in Australia)
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Well, the FEDEX man dropped by with a package this afternoon. When someone hands you a package with a motorcycle battery, you expect it to be heavy. Not so! This thing is light as a (really big) feather. Just over 2 lbs.

Out of the box I compared it with the YTZ14S AGM battery that came stock on the CB11. It's about 1/2" shorter, but the rest of the dimensions are the same. The battery comes with a couple of spacers that attach to the bottom that make it match the original size exactly.

It appears to be fully charged according to the capacity meter built into the top of the battery. Push the button and you get 3 lights for a full charge, 2 lights for medum charge and a single light for low (below 40%) charge. A voltage check with the meter showed 13.25V. Mfg. recommends charging the battery if the voltage falls below 12.8V

Instructions say the charging system (or battery charger) must supply at least 14V, but no more than 15V for the battery to charge. A check of the bikes electrical system last week showed a steady 14.0V to 14.1V above 2K rpm, so I should be OK in that respect. According to the label, the battery can accept a max 20 amp charge and lists a typical charge rate of 2.5 amps. The U.S. distributor has a video on YouTube showing the battery going from discharged to full charge in 6 min. Not sure I'd want to cram that many electrons in at once. I'll likely stick with my slow 2 amp charger if I have to charge it up.

I'm planning on installing it tonight and I'll update this thread with the results and some pics.

I parked Last Blast in a University carpark and again noticed a CB250 that has been there for some time. Relatively clean, maybe recent rain has kept it that way, but corrosion showing on the alloy bits and cobwebs on the instrument cluster. Brake rotors are clean so it has been used recently.



So what? Why unnerving? Well, I took peek at the odometer. And then looked over my shoulder for a watching Doberman*.



Cheers and sleep tight.

* Movie buffs will get the idea.

Dear Cheryl,

May I call you Cheryl? That’s how EmptySea refers to you in his posts.
I’m writing to you because I—and a number of my comrades here at cb1100.com—are concerned about EmptySea. Has he told you a number of his mates (that’s what we call buddies here in Australia) are gathering at Robbinsville between 28 and 31 May 2015? There will be a susurration of CB1100s, their riders, a couple of outlier bikes and heaven knows what else. There’ll be scintillating talk of ethanol, 10W-30, con rods, grease, leather, farkles and no end of other exciting subjects.

When the plan was first mooted, EmptySea was the first to express his interest. He’s since had to tell us through his tears that he’s committed to a trip to the Ozarks with you and a group of others; but he’s continued to take an overly keen interest in the rally, posting frequently in the thread. His tone in these posts is sad and there is more than a hint of yearning. Clearly, all the poor bloke wants is to be there.

Did you know he haunts the forum late at night? Even though he has acquired Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak, we know he’s there, reading and re-reading the Robbinsville Rally Thread, dreaming about the T-shirt, generously offering helpful suggestions. We, his brothers, feel his pain.

So, with some reluctance, I write to ask you to reconsider your holiday plans. I know the Ozarks are big deal; I know the gestation has probably been long and difficult; I know the feelings and plans of others are involved; and I know you rode to Robbinsville only last year—would it be impertinent to say at this point that you look very fetching on your bike?

On the other side of the ledger, there may never again be such a gathering of CB1100forum.com members at one place and time; EmptySea is a key member of the forum, our resident punster and bon vivant. He knows we all want him to be there, and he is clearly longing for it but his love for and loyalty to you are taking priority. As they should, Cheryl. As they should.

But the poor chap’s mental health is at stake. If he is not at Robbinsville on the 28th May he will forever be tormented by thoughts of what might have been. His cigar and highball consumption will increase; he will become strangely irascible; his work performance will suffer, threatening your retirement dreams.

Could you find it in your heart to reconsider and bring him along to the rally? That’s right: we’d all really love it if you came too. Our gathering would be greatly enriched by the presence of such a fine biking couple.

Yours in hope

Cormanus

I've owned a few Hondas and I notice all of their shifters are pretty tight and small. Probably since most people in Asia are not a size 13 boot. Has anyone done and mods or is there a longer shifter available for the cb? I think I'd be pretty happy if I could just find a longer shifter that would let my boot slip under it easier. Not worried about lowering it.

Notice the shiny ring below the area where the pad rides on the rotor. That appears to be where the binding is.
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