I was reading VLJ's most recent thread extolling the virtues of his beloved Monica and he posed the following question:

"What would I rather be riding right now? Is there anything?"

That got me thinking, if there was no CB1100 what would everyone here be riding? Would you just stay with what you already have in your garage? Would you have something completely different? Or heaven forbid would you not be riding at all?

I don't mean your dream bike, or the bike that got away, or your neighbours bike. Given your current budget, riding style and whatever other real world factors influence your motorcycle buying decisions, if there was no CB1100 what would you be riding right now?

Can anyone comment on how difficult it is to swap out the left side engine cover of a cb1100? Mine is scratched from when prior owner dropped bike in driveway. I have the cover. Dont know if this involves a gasket of some type or what. Dealer will probably do it when I am in for other service. just wondering how much labor time I should expect.

Hi everybody, i would like to take my collectors back to their original state, any suggestions on how to clean them?
Thanks

Originally bought these for my CB 500 and never mounted them.
Since I traded the 500 for my 1100 I thought I’d try them out

I am looking for a "dual purpose" tire to temp replace my Michelin Road Pilot 3 tires. In my future xcountry rides, I might encounter some dirt roads that I might like to explore. The Pilot 3's don't do well in powder dirt or sand patches that popup occassionally.
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Anybody have a recommendation for a adventure touring type tire that my CB1100DX would like? A few that I looked at are:
- Michelin Anakee 3 Adventure Touring Tire
- Conti TKC70 Dual Sport Motorcycle Tire
- Avon TrailRider Dual Sport Tire
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I suspect some of these more aggressive tread patterns my cause some extra noise, but I don't know if it would be noticeable at freeway speeds. Saw some RoadRunner magazine articles showing touring bikes with adventure type tires, but don't what they were.
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Thanks to all for your ideas

does anyone have a wiring diagram for the left control switches (lights and horn). i am putting a cb1100 control onto my other bike and a diagram will save a lot of trouble light tracing thanks in advance

she finally arrived today.

The whole process went really smoooo....th!

It used to belong to forum member Stateboy. He not only had a great bike for sale but he was really good about taking care of every detail to get the bike ready for shipping. I got updates, pics, info etc. etc. That and he included many things that weren't part of our original negotiations. He's a honest, responsible, generous, careful guy.
I got lucky! Not everybody is that nice! Thank You!

Not having done this before, I thought the only ones gonna screw this up would be the shippers, but they did an excellent job too! I recommend them highly... not an original name "Motorcycle Shippers" but they did what they said they would do. Deliver it on time and for the amount I paid. Talk to ED.
Not a scratch or ding to be had. Cost me $650 to ship from MI to WA

The only thing I'd say - this is the best time to buy a bike and have it shipped. It does take time to get everything lined up so you have to be patient and have faith. Not something you want to do in the middle of riding season if ya know what I mean.

Now I got to go read the intructions!

Anybody ever own a 99 Harley FXR2? If so, how would it compare to the CB1100?

Every day lately I've been riding to work, alternating between the CB1100 and XSR900. I take the same back roads, and I can't put my finger on it, but the CB ride is just more enjoyable every time.

It doesn't really make sense, either. The XSR is so much lighter and faster. It does everything more easily, and the front brakes never squeal. It sits more comfortably, with the bar risers. Still, somehow, the CB just feels more right. It feels more sophisticated to me. It certainly loves the more sedate speeds I'm doing on those rides. It's perfectly smooth, composed, unruffled, and relaxed, while still imparting a subtle yet unmistakable mechanical authority, both in sound and feel.

I really love how it sounds and feels anywhere below seventy mph. I also really love when the sun shines on the chrome and aluminum dash, with those large, classic instruments. I only wish mine had the green faces, to make them even cooler-looking.

My buddy was standing beside her the other day with his arms folded, quietly studying her. He looks for things to nitpick. That's just what he does, with everything.

"Okay, I have to come up with something to criticize," he said, finally. "I know you say the tail light thing has to be that way, to match the '70s look and the federal regulations or whatever, but I wish it didn't stick out so far. That's the only thing I can find.

"Otherwise, I think I like this one more than the Yamaha. I really like the Yamaha, but this one is just..I don't know. This one is so cool."

Standing next to him, I nodded in agreement. I like the CB more than I like the Yamaha. The Yamaha ought to be a lot more fun, since it's so much faster, but I seem to find just as much enjoyment from the Honda's motor.

It's definitely growing on me. That big ol' lump in all its antiquated finery is just pure goodness, to the bone.

The brake squealing remains her only flaw. It's much less than before, following my dealer's fix, but still pops its annoying head up now and then. Three nights ago, it did it a lot. Last night, it didn't do it at all.

Grrrr.

The other night I ran the tank down to seven miles showing on the countdown meter, then it switched to the ' - - ' reading. Not sure what that reading is supposed to indicate in terms of remaining miles/fuel, but I pulled in shortly thereafter. Standing the bike up dead straight, I overfilled the tank, to where there was a bit of fuel in the filler area. It accepted 4.06 gallons, after 157 miles. So, a bit less than forty mpg, which surprised me, since there was no sportriding on that tankful of gas. Judging from the miles and fuel reading, I would have needed to eke out another sixteen miles before I would have been able to add the remaining four-tenths of a gallon of gas that my tank will supposedly hold.

I'm getting the feeling that I'll probably never be able to do the full 4.44 gallons my tank supposedly holds. Still, this was the first time I was able to add four gallons, so at least I know it holds more than the tank on the previous models, the '14 DLX excepted.

The main thing is that as I was riding those beautiful back roads yesterday I was asking myself, "What would I rather be riding right now? Is there anything?"

I knew the XSR wasn't the answer. I was wondering how the Ninja 1000 would feel on that same ride, before deciding that the CB's seating position and the cockpit visuals are just so much more pleasing. In the end, the only possibility I came up with was the R1200RT. That bike remains the one motorcycle I still really want, or I think I really want, anyway, mainly as a no-excuses, hardbags-equipped, shaft-drive, huge gas tank/great range, serious tourer.

Other than that one, and maybe the Z900, there is nothing else I'd rather ride now, and the Z900 would look like a gargoyle sitting beside Monica.

Once I arrived home and shut her off, I reluctantly hopped off. I couldn't walk away, either. I felt compelled to walk around her, taking in all her pretty details. I fired her right back up and blipped the throttle, just to hear her seductive little growl. Her motor looked so good, as did all that shining chrome. The tank was positively resplendent in all its dazzling red brilliance.

What a deeply beautiful thing, the CB1100. On the bike, off the bike...doesn't matter. Her beauty is so much more than skin-deep.

I just replaced my clutch and brake levers and when I put the bike on a stand to check that the front wheel wasn't binding in the brake calipers I was surprised at how little free spin there was.

With a hard spin I think it may go an entire revolution if that. You can definitely hear the brake pads lightly rubbing on the rotors.

I assume that's normal?

I don't recall ever trying this before so I'm not sure when to start looking at cleaning the caliper pistons and checking the master cylinder. I have 26k miles on it now.
Found a video that has about the same about of drag as what I experienced.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58WpeeG6xTc

I guess that's normal?