So I did my first oil change at 497 miles, ( It is going to rain all week here)
A little word of caution - on most new bikes I have bought the drain plug bolt was way tight. Not so here, mine took very little to remove and not
near the 22ft.lbs. it should be. You might want to check yours!
I did cut open the oil filter. Very well made like I had heard.
I have done this a lot since I used to sell so many brands.
I found no extra junk in it. I once cut open a Kaw. filter at 100 miles and
found it packed with gasket sealer!
I have a lift so it was easy except we had been out on some roads
covered with manure the day before
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I went for a little ride today up to the observatory. I think I may be the first one up there on a new 1100, but I will never know for sure. Not sure why I keep putting myself through that (I get motion sick on bad roads), but I keep doing it.

Hey folks,

I've been wanting to purchase the Honda rack but based on the few pictures I've seen, it appears to be taking away from the beautiful lines of the bike. I can't seem to find an image that give me a good perspective of the view from the side, rear and front/side angles.

For those that have installed the rack, have you had second thoughts about form/function vs. looks? Has it made you think twice about leaving it/removing it?

I'm sorry, I hope I'm not offending anyone just trying to get different perspectives.

Thanks.

Where can I get t]a honda service manual, dealer is crazy expensive. Thanks. Any free to download anywhere? thanks

First up, Yamaha TZR 50, my first bike in Japan. Not really knowing much about motorcycling, I got away with some pretty dangerous stuff on this little machine, and managed to keep the rubber side down. For example I had somebody pop out in front of me around a hard to see corner, jammed on the brakes (especially the rear because the front didn't work very well) and ended up totally sideways, but did not fall. Probably because the bike didn't weigh anymore than myself



Second, I had a Yamaha XJR400. Unfortunately I made a rookie mistake and chopped the throttle and tapped the brake when I thought I was going a little too hot into a slight bend (I really wasn't going that fast though), and killed the bike



Next up, Yamaha SR400. I wish I could get another crack at riding this one now that I know a little more about how to ride... but it has too few cylinders, and drum brakes up front and in the back! That front drum brake was nasty. It would get extremely grabby after it had been raining or if I hadn't ridden for a while.


Last but not least, my ride from last summer, when I was living in Sweden. I sold it not too long ago before moving to the US and picking up my CB. This was my first Honda, and man did I love it. When I rode it home last April I just about froze my ass off, I could barely stand by the time I got off the bike, but I had the biggest smile on my face. This bike was only sold in Sweden and only for the 1983 model year, but it was basically a Nighthawk 550 with slightly different bodywork. Great little bike! Almost as heavy as my CB, though, with much less torque and power.

Is there published break-in recommendations for the CB11? I just came back from a 100 mile afternoon and was curious what everyone else was experiencing.

I have 150 miles on mine, and it seems to chatter more after it is ridden briskly. I think it is tuned a little too lean. Does anyone know if I can put a power commander on the bike?

Since I've been lusting after the CB11 for 3 years, I had plenty of time to search the web and see what other people (mainly in Japan and Australia) were doing with them.

A Japanese company called Whitehouse came up with some wild bolt on mods. They figured that since the CB11 was a nod to the glory days of the inline 4, they'd go a few steps further and replicate the look of the origial '69 CB750K. The result was pretty impressive.

Here's the Whitehouse CB1100IK10 :



This is the original '69 CB750K :



Here are some other shotss :







The bulk of this mod are the tank, seat and side covers. I was considering this because I really like the idea of an early 70s bike with all the technology of a 2013 bike. Unfortunately, the price tag is pretty steep. Seat, tank and side covers from Japan would end up in the $3.5K range.

I probably won't pull the trigger on this (at least not in the near future). Just thought you guys might find it interesting.

I thought I wanted them, but they ended up making my throttle stick slightly when closing her up.

Anyway if anybody is curious on the looks, here are some pics

[url=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/443/ortega.jpg/]

[url=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/ortega2x.jpg/]

and here is the difference between the stock and after market bar ends used to mount mirrors.
(stock bar end in this pic is missing a rubber piece on the left end)
[url=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/441/photo4ez.jpg/]

To take out the stock bar end, be aware that there are two tabs on it that go into holes inside the handle bar.




Stock mirrors look great anyways.

After googling bar ends, I discovered weighted bar ends are used to help limit the vibrations felt from the handlebars, keeping your hands from going numb or fatigue on long rides. Maybe most of you knew, but I thought they were mainly used to protect the handlebars if the bike was ever accidentally tipped over.

redReno invited me over here from the Nighthawk forum. I imagine that we won't be the last Nighthawk owners here. It seems only natural that anyone who likes the old CB750 would eventually end up on a CB1100.

I bought the Nighthawk brand new in '96. It's a '93 model but was still in the crate when I bought it. The local dealer had stocked up on Nighthawks when Honda announced they were dropping the model in '94. When Honda brought the Nighthawk back in '95 he still had a warehouse full.

The bike now has 39K miles on it and I put every mile on it. The only parts that have touched the ground have been tires, side and centerstand. Mechanically, it's been the perfect bike. So good that I decided to keep it when I bought the CB1100. It would be a shame to let it go.

I'm curious to know if anyone is looking into any time of protection, besides those fancy rubber lever ball protectors. Anyone considering frame or engine protection of any kind?