My Aussie friend of my age is thinking of buying his 2nd bike...and he sent me this link:

https://www.redbook.com.au/bikes/details...TM-385043/

I wish, we had it in Canada and US, such a nice and lighter caliber CB.
New ones are no longer available in AUS, only 2008 -14

Hello all, I've been searching for info on this conversion but not finding much (maybe for a reason Using a 2014 CB1100 as a base, I'm interested in converting to USD forks from a CBR1000RR and using its 17" wheel. Not rocket science--I can do that. The harder question will be the rear wheel. So, here is the question: Will a 6" wheel fit in the CB1100 swingarm, with a 180X17 tire? thanks!

I bought my '07 Kawasaki KLR650 13 years ago this month--it had 2500 miles on it when I bought it, and now it's 200 shy of 50,000. It has been an awesome bike that has taken me from Oregon to Baja, from Texas to Guatemala to Oregon, it has been my comuter to work on sunny and lots of rainy days, I've done two 700 mile day rides with this bike, it has taken me all over Oregon...and only once have I had a road-side issue which was just a blown fuse.

Today was a celebration of 13 happy years together. On a whim, I headed towards the coast this morning. Started at 9:30am, taking I-84 towards Portland, then 26 west. Veer south by southwest on hiway 6 towards Tillamook. Nearly all of that was on pavement. The idea was to simply do lots of forest riding to explore any interesting gravel forest roads along the way.





I've been using my [url=http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=17160]First Gear Rush Jacket (see here for review), and I really do like this jacket alot. The only thing is that when I left home, it was nice and warm, and so I left the re-movable rain liner at home. When I got up in the mountains, there was a cold air flow coming in from the coast. Well, the mesh Rush jacket works great! It lets copious air flow pass through--and I was getting chilly with just a T-shirt and light long sleeve shirt underneath.

After lunch, I headed straight to a local department store and bought another long sleeve shirt. I don't mind riding in the cold--I have the gear for that...normally. But I hate riding when I'm cold.

Along hiway 1 near Twin Rocks


Quick stop at the beach...


At Wheeler where I turned inland on hiway 53


Time to explore more service roads


Yellow sign says "No wood cutting this area"


53 meets back up with 26 completing the circle. It was difficult to find open forest service roads as the state of Oregon has closed access to many roads due to extremely dry conditions.


About 230 miles. A very agreeable ride.

The KLR650 does 70-80mph just fine, 90 if you really must. It has low enough grunt to tractor up anything I've tried--albeit I'm not very accomplished off road. I've never had to have it serviced because it is easy to work on...yet, I'm wondering if it's time to "downgrade". Who knows how many miles it has left. It's in perfect running condition, no oil leaks, it pulls strong in all gears, doesn't burn much oil except after long trips at hiway speeds. It has fairly new tires, chain and sprockets--in short, it just works and never gives me hassles.

And yet...there is another Kawasaki that's caught my eye...the KLX300.


or



It's nearly 120 lbs lighter, six gears, FI instead of carb...hmmm...

Terrible thing to think about while celebrating 13 years together.

So, as some of may have seen in the past few days, I am new to the forum. I have a 2013 CB1100 that I got last year, private sale. I dropped it shortly after buying it, it got fixed, and I would argue that in the past two weeks, I have ridden more than I have in the five years I have been riding at all. I've done Waterbury, CT to Cape Cod, MA (~185 miles) on a 400cc engine a few times, and my tush has never forgiven me for that. I actually thought about it today as I was riding, and I am still very much a novice if we're going with the 4 tier system (Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced). Plowing ahead...

The old lady was working like usual, and I was bored and had nothing to do, so I decided to take the bike for a longer ride. I WD40'ed the chain, filled up the tank, and I was off. I knew what route I wanted to take, but didn't really plan all that much beforehand, so I didn't really think just how many miles it would be.

Trip Details:

- South Shore, MA -> Rt. 2 to Shelburne Falls, MA -> Amherst, MA/Quabbin Reservoir -> Back to South Shore, MA (Link: https://www.motorcycleroads.com/motorcyc...loop?s=70)
- Trip Distance: 258.04 miles
- Start Time: Somewhere around 1230 hrs, 8/15/21
- End Time: Somewhere around 2000 hrs, 8/15/21
- Actual Ride Time: Clocked at 5 hours and 49 minutes, via Rever app

I usually find a route on motorcycleroads.com ("MR"), download the GPX file, and then open it up in the Rever app. I really like the Rever app, both sites really, but it has seemed recently like it is more difficult to load routes properly via phone on the Rever app - I mean, if I'm knowingly going to go on a long route, I will actually take the time to plot it out on the computer, but since this was in essence a 'get up and go' type day, it just seemed to be a hassle. It was an established route on MR, but it wound up turning into 5 logged entries for 1 actual trip on the Rever app. Whatever - it was just annoying.

The route itself is gorgeous. Best parts are MA 112 and MA 116 - straight farmland countryside and S curves through forested backroads. Even Rt. 2 was pretty scenic for a state highway. The heat has been unbearable the past two days (I was literally dripping sweat just sitting at my kitchen table), and when I took the dog for a walk this morning, I immediately noticed the heat had broken, and that put me in a great mood. I believe this route has the highest rating on MR for Massachusetts routes, and for good reason.

Achievements:
- Got two compliments on the bike - One guy asked me at a stoplight if I had bought it yesterday from some dealership in Foxboro. I said no, and he said he swore that was the one he sat on yesterday. Said it looked great. The other guy was also riding a bike (a Kawasaki) and I met him at the Quabbin Reservoir overlook. He was probably early 60's, and couldn't stop raving about the look of the CB11. We wound up talking for a while. Cool dude.
- Hit a new PR on speed. Had the whole "eyes tearing up but wind blowing the tears back" feeling. Absolutely incredible.
- I had never tried the "Holy poop, my battery crapped out and I need to get this thing going - go down a hill in neutral and pop it into second gear" method, but figured the heck with it, I'm gonna try when the conditions are good - and I did it!

Improvements Needed:
- Definitely felt myself getting tired, physically and (as a result) mentally. The back leg of the trip I was actually getting fairly chilly, and I was just wanting to get home by that time, and was not focusing as much on the road itself.
- I've really been trying to improve my turns lately. Writing that makes me cringe, but I think it's honestly from still getting used to the bike (I barely rode it last year, and for all intents and purposes the only bike I really rode before this was the CB400). I managed to get way more comfortable with increased speed on the straightaways, and back road turns were a breeze, but as I was getting tired and losing focus, I had a tendency to slow down quite a bit (and p'od a lot of drivers as a result). Hopefully none of you were affected... lol

Nonetheless, a very fun day's ride. I saw somebody else post about the Iron Butt Association, and I remember hearing about it before and wanted to try it. Definitely need to get a few more rides in before I take a swing at that.

Any feedback is welcome - good, bad, or ugly.
Pics:

I was doing some errands with the 2014 CB1100 today. It’s low miles, just over 5k. After my 1st stop I put the key in, no turn. It would go all the way in, would not turn the ignition on.

I thought I may have to get a ride, only 6 miles from home. After about 5 minutes I got it to turn on. It was like it was against a hard mechanical stop.

My next stop, same thing, after minutes of trying, finally got it.

I have lightly sprayed the keyhole over the years, nothing excessive, somewhat upper end stuff from bike shop.

I got home, rotated my spare key in for now, of course old key worked fine at home too. The old key had a very slight amount of grime on it, can’t see how that would be enough to stop it from turning.

I’ll use the other key for now. Anybody see this problem anywhere? Maybe it’s just me? Thanks.

I wanted to document what is still a proper ride report considering I did complete the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. However, the initial goal was to complete the Saddlesore 1000 endorsed by the Iron Butt Association. For those not familiar, you're to log 1,000 miles in 24 hours and if the trip is documented as req'd by IBA, you get a certificate, pin and license plate holder letting everyone on the road know you probably logged more miles backing up your bike to the curb than most have outright ridden. Regardless of the mechanical failure happening 400mi into the trek, a lot was learned from a trip that had some serious lows and just enough highs to allow me to look back on the trip as a success, but not for the reasons I set out at first to accomplish.

Furthest I've ever ridden prior to this circle tour in one day was to Ferret's bunker in southern Ohio from Chicago, a little over 300mi. I bought the Airhawk Cruiser cushion for this trip knowing full well that after 19k miles on my 2013 stock seat, this upgrade is long overdue. It definitely helped and will be keeping it as a permanent fixture since the alternatives are way pricier than the $98 out the door I got the Airhawk for.

Initial Route Plan:
~17 hours of seat time // 1,012 miles
[url=https://postimg.cc/K1bMsWrs] [url=https://postimg.cc/mhv0F3BS] Thanks to EmptySea for the string of gas stations and overall route considerations that made planning this trip not particularly difficult. I went counterclockwise per Matt's suggestion as I was initially going to do the opposite; anti-counterclockwise. Since time is of the essence, there was not much room for the scenic route but the journey itself provided more than an eyeful at many points.

My 3rd fuel stop logged me at 54.3mph average over a period of nearly six hours with 326 miles covered. I was covering more miles in less time partly due to having a goal set out and the added benefit that my rear was now perched on an Airhawk. Weather was also good and I was feeling confident on my machine.

About a half hour after that 3rd fuel stop, I felt my rear tire feel a bit 'sluggish' so I pulled off in Boyne Falls, MI thinking it was a flat. I put the bike on its center stand and see that the rear break calipers had a firm grasp on the rotor disc, making even a manual turn of the wheel pretty difficult with one hand.

[url=https://postimg.cc/xq9PptnC]
Not feeling deterred, I set out to find the closest auto or bike shop that could remedy this in a way that made my SaddleSore mission still viable. I can't stress how much of an asset EmptySea was in trying to find a place that could assist with a speedy resolution (if possible). I was on schedule with my timeline and maybe I wouldn't finish the trip in 21hrs but that's what the full 24 are for. Not wanting to incur any more damage to my rear brake, I gave up total use of it not knowing that my shifting pattern was instinctually in-sync with how I also used the rear break pedal. So my riding was already off now that I had to remember to shift down when braking even though my right foot was doing nothing. Not sure if others have experienced that, but it was very apparent when I approached a stop sign and realize I'm still in 4th or 5th gear.

After a slew of phone calls and a timeline to meet for both the business hours of what is now the eastern time zone and my own personal 24hr countdown, I came upon Highland Trails in Alanson, MI. I stopped tracking my route once this setback occurred, but I zipped and zopped to about 3 different shops before getting to Highland Trails around 4p EST but I was still optimistic I could complete the trip even if it was up to the minute. The owner there looked to specialize in Goldwings and per my Dad's advice, that is a good start to one's character. I explained the situation and emergency surgery began on the bike in minutes soon after.
[url=https://postimg.cc/8Jdc2RdB] It was found that the calipers had locked onto the disc but more importantly the rear rotor disc was warped to a slight concave due to the uneven grip of the brake pads which would require a replacement when I returned back home. Mechanic freed the brake pads from the disc
and bought me some time by affixing a washer on the rear bolt to give me more clearance so the disc wouldn't be rubbing against as harshly but advised that I should only use rear brake if an emergency (that would come into play because why not haha)

I graciously thanked him and his other mechanic at about 5p EST. Knowing full well that I could complete the 1k mi in 24hrs, I rushed out of there, northwards to the prized Mackinac Bridge as a personal checkpoint I'd get to enjoy for the first time. It was only after the first mile into that departure that I looked down at my instrument cluster and see that the 'check engine' light is on, speedo is hanging at a 0 no matter my actual speed and the odometer/trip meter aren't logging a thing. The speed sensor that is set on the rear wheel must have been detached/deactivated/whatever the flip you want to call it. Not one to assume too much, I didn't want to think that that was the only reason that that 'check engine' light lit up so my concerns grew further. It was about there I felt the lowest about what I set out to do, and now that I'm 400mi away from home, what the hell am I going to do now. My confidence was shot realizing that I have no rear brake, no speedo, and I somehow have to fandangle a verification of my route status with an odometer that stopped logging after 410 miles.

I felt a deep sort of disappointment and agitation since the shop mechanics and owner were out the door just as soon as me since it was the end of their day. I decided it was best to not turn around and go home since I really didn't feel comfortable on this bike now that all these issues arose.

I stayed the night in Pellston, MI not knowing what I'd do the next morning now that my SaddleSore was over. I was torn between going back the way I came (southwards in Michigan) or just tack on the extra 100 or so miles that would take me through the UP, down to WI and back home, thus completing the Circle Tour of Lake Michigan.

Before closing out the day I had to make room for another highlight of this trip: clear night skies with no light pollution. Add in that the Perseids meteor shower was in full effect this time in August and I just so happened to have the Samsung S21 Ultra which takes pictures of the night sky with a level of detail you can't imagine a phone is capable of. Though the actual meteors aren't able to be captured, I did see about 7 shooting stars and one in particular looked like a comet that streaked the night sky in a way I've only seen in movies. It was incredible and it's stuff like this that keep the human spirit going. Here's a few of those pictures i'll share from my night sky viewing in Pellston, MI:


[url=https://postimg.cc/LnktRPDX]

[url=https://postimg.cc/QKTqcnck]

[url=https://postimg.cc/cgjmgNtL]

[url=https://postimg.cc/wy32jBvr]


To be continued..

A few weeks ago I lost my earplugs, and start noticing some noise while movement. I discovered that it’s drake discs on both wheels are making rubbing noise. The front wheel is making more noise, I suppose because there are two discs.

However it’s not blocking wheels anyhow, just the noise. It’s very annoying.

Just wanted to see your thoughts, I don’t remember it like that. And I definitely didn’t have it on my other bikes.

How to fix it?

Well no it wasn’t actually.

With under 500 miles on the odometer, I picked up my new to me CB1100 and arrive home after sixty miles to discover oil over the lower frame and exhaust on the right side. Haven’t ridden it since but wiped the oil away. No subsequent drips. Think it’s coming from the bottom of the main cover on the right. Still under Honda warranty so expecting them to collect early next week. Any ideas anyone?

I wasn't shopping for a new jacket, but this just worked out. I have saved tabs on my Craig's List searches for things I want to peruse regularly. Some are for work, like shipping pallets in the "free" section, and parts under the names "Bonneville" and "CB1100", just in case anything interesting comes up.

I took yesterday off to take Mom in Law to the doctor. Since I knew I'd have quite a bit of down time while I was waiting, I searched my normal tabs in the San Diego area I'd be waiting in. This waxed cotton jacket came up, since the model is called a Bonneville, and the owner listed it under this name. My size, and just a few blocks from where I was going to be.

I've always sort of wanted a classic-looking waxed cotton jacket, something different to break up the standard hi-viz commuting fare. This one was a steal - brand new with the tags. The owner said someone gave it to him as a gift to celebrate the purchase of his new Harley. But, since his new Harley is a Pan American, he didn't think the style was a good fit, plus, with temps in the 90s, a heavy waxed cotton isn't going to be too comfortable.

When he said Pan American, I got pretty excited. He was on a waiting list, and just took delivery. But, anticipating my "Can I go see it?!", he said that unfortunately, it was in the shop.

Hey all, I am thinking of getting the Arrow Slip-on for my '17 EX because it looks the most stock and sounds good without the db killer without having to swap the headers. However, I am little hesitant because I feel as though it may not be worth the cash for the little improvement in sound/loudness. I'd like to hear my bike when I have ear plugs in.

Any thoughts on this or for those who have bought it, was it worth it?