Here are some shots from today’s ride. The loop highlighted in blue is around 165 miles, and passes through some absolutely stunning Arkansas scenery. I was not able to get any pictures of the canyons that really would have done them justice, it truly is something you have to see firsthand. That, and I was having WAY too much fun carving up these roads to pull over and pull my phone out, lol. Anyway, 350 miles all in all for the day. My back is sore, my tummy needs beer, but I’d do it all again tomorrow in a heartbeat.

Stopped by Brookhaven, MS dealer to get some parts today and he mentioned he just ordered a black one and $ 7495 is the out the door price.
He does not add any prep, handling or documentary charges.
They are very easy to work with, honest and fair.
If anyone is interested or has a friend that is looking for one of these pm me and the dealer will hold it for you.

Hey folks, fairly new rider here shopping around for my 2nd bike, and fell deeply in lust with the CB when I was madly blowing manufacturer sites last year prior to getting my license. Apparently last year was my year to do all the things I’d missed out on in my 20s, turned 30 early last year and my now ex-wife moved out the next month (although non-acrimonious and mutual). Spent the next 9 months or so getting into auto racing, buying and restoring a BMW E30, and then finally getting on a motorcycle like I’d been wanting to since my late teens. Currently puttering around on a little BMW G310r, which while a lovely little bike is just not very suited for the amount of highway driving I’ve found myself unexpectedly doing.

So, CB. Looks like the 2017s have much more mild recommended maintenance intervals, meaning that besides regular chain cleaning, using the bike as a daily commuter shouldn’t mean too much work? Do spark plugs really need to be changed every 8k, and is it difficult to get to? Otherwise with oil changes every 8k it shouldn’t be any more then my Accord to keep running (we’ll just ignore tire costs...). I’ve seen the dirt/salt the crazy Aussie/ferret get on their bikes, is it a pain to clean after that level of dirt? They like to just dump salt everywhere the rare occasions it threatens snow around here.

I see some people say that they’ve never ridden a bike with cleaner airflow, and some still say they need a windscreen over 70. Here in the DC Metro I’m doing ~75 on the highways, and did feel a bit like a sail on the G310 until I got a MRA windscreen. I’m sure the 200lbs over the G310 would mean a much more stable highway ride, and I do see plenty of people using them for touring. Do you think this is more of a personal thing?

I see a couple of ‘14 DLXs have been put up for sale here at ~$7k. Not sure what the OTD would be on a ‘17 EX, probably ~$12k at least. If you were buying a CB today would you spend the extra?

I’m going to go sit on a leftover ‘14 base a local dealer has, ABS is an absolute must for me so this will be more of a “is this comfortable?” And “do I really like the look of this in the flesh?” Sort of thing. Everything I’ve read about this bike seems to indicate that it’s a super forgiving and easy going bike that would be a perfect all-rounder, with an exceptionally high build quality. Is there anything else you would tell somebody looking into a CB? For fitment reference I’m a nice average 5’10”, 185lbs.

Thanks!

Hi All,

Just finished installing the Hepco & Becker rear rack, side carriers, 40L Junior sidecases, and the 55L Junior topcase:











The install was pretty straightforward with the only difficult part being routing the rear signal wires. Just took time and patience though. I'm impressed with how solid everything feels on the bike. Definitely happy with my purchase. Bought everything through Motomachines.com and I was very pleased with their customer service. At some point down the road I'll be adding the backrest and top rack to the topcase.

First off, the first MotoGP of the 2018 season is Sunday at Qatar. You can see it on CH 620 BEin Sports on Direct TV. This year should be the most competitive in history with at least 10 riders capable of winning races. I can't wait.

Secondly, it was just announced Valentino Rossi has signed on for 2 more years with Yamaha.

I think I've put them on every bike I've had except maybe the first one.

its not many but at least 3 or 4 bikes have had one. I like'm.

Maybe the cb's horns are loud and I won't need one. (don't have the bike just yet)

Yes, they do come in handy!!!.

Ya'll that decided you needed one.....what did you get and where did you put it?

I've gotten them as a unit but this one looks interesting...making for a easier/cleaner location/install.
http://www.twistedthrottle.com/denali-so...e-air-horn

they all kinda look the same... Maybe they are made by the same factory in Asia somewhere and retailers just put different names on them. like a lot of stuff these days.

I thought I would throw some thoughts out there about helmets and protective gear for discussion. Back in the day we had to piece gear together from what little there was available, as I mentioned in my "Blast From The Past" thread, but now there is a lot of good gear to choose from. I certainly do not claim to be an expert on the subject, realize that some if not all of what I am posting here is already known to the reader, and consequently offer my thoughts as a food for thought sort of thing.

Helmets: When I was young and foolish, I occasionally rode without a helmet, just wearing sun glasses. Now, I would no more ride without my helmet on, than I would think of riding in shorts with flip flops on my feet. Yes I have seen people riding like that, and cringe every time I see it. For a long time I wore a 3/4 helmet, but got to the point where I wanted protection for my face. I tried a full face helmet, but in the Texas heat of summer, got hot and sweaty every time I stopped for a stop light or stop sign. Then I tried a modular, or flip face helmet. What a joy it is to get air on my face during stops for traffic signals, as well as keeping my helmet on with the chin bar raised when stopping for gas.

I learned a few things about modulars. My first modular was an HJC CL-Max, which at the time was about a $200 helmet. While modulars offer more protection than a 3/4 there is a bit less protection than a full face. This is due to the chin bar hinge, and latching mechanism. This is also why modulars are DOT certified, but the only SNELL certified modular at the moment is the Schuberth C-3. My HJC had a plastic latching system back then, and I should have paid more attention to that aspect. Current Schuberth and Shoei use an all stainless steel latching system. The newer HJC modulars may have an updated latching system now, but I cant verify that at the moment. On the upside and in addition to the air on the face during stops thing, by opening the chin bar first, a modular is easier to pull on and take off, just like a 3/4 helmet. In addition, once the helmet is pulled on and before I take it off, with the chin bar open, I can easily put on or take off my glasses. I have not found modulars to be particularly noisy, and wear ear plugs on longer rides anyway.

Currently, I have the new Shoei Neotec II modular on order. It is pricey, but my head is worth it. I had thought to buy a first version Neotec on close out, but then discovered something I had not previously thought about. I found a new first version Neotec on EBay at a substantial savings, but then asked the seller for the date of manufacture. The response was manufactured in 2013! Shoei warranties their helmets for 5 years from date of purchase, or 7 years from date of manufacture, whichever comes first. This seems to be pretty common, give or take for most helmet manufacturers. Then too, after 5-7 years the energy absorbing materials start to degrade. From what I have seen, all helmet brands have a date of manufacture sticker on the Styrofoam energy absorbing liner, under the padded cloth liner. This sticker can be seen without removing the cloth liner, by manipulating slots of the cloth liner around the inside of the helmet. So the bottom line is to check that date of manufacture sticker before using a new helmet ( enabling exchange or refund ), as there is no telling how long a helmet sat on a dealer shelf or in a warehouse.

Jackets: Back in the day, all we had was leather jackets. Now we have leather and textile jackets, with and without armor. My jacket is a textile and mesh hybrid, in order to adapt all the different temperature ranges Texas has. It came with a vest style zip in liner for cooler weather, but I was able to find the same brand full sleeve zip in liner on EBay. The choice between no liner, vest, or full sleeve liner fits most all temperature ranges where I live. The shoulders, elbows and fore arms have removable CE level 1 armor, and I replaced the foam back pad with a Forcefield Pro CE level 2 back protector. When it gets brutally hot, I use a Dianese armored vest instead of the jacket with long sleeve jersey and gloves. The vest has both chest and back armor, CE level 1.

Pants: Some old habits die hard, and I just like riding in jeans, as opposed to motorcycle pants, or over pants. So, I have a pair of Scorpion Covert Kevlar jeans, and a pair of Draggin Kevlar jeans. The Scorpion jeans came with pockets for soft hip and knee armor. I think the hip armor would stay in place in a crash because of the location and fit, but I have yet to see knee armor in those pockets in any pants that I thought would stay in position in a crash. I have also heard good things about Diamond Gusset Defender Kevlar jeans, but have not tried them yet. Diamond Gussets appeal is an extra piece, or gusset material added to the crotch to create more room and comfort in that area.

Boots: I had a hard time finding the right boots. I found that most brands I tried fit narrower feet than mine, and that seems to be a trend in most Italian and other European brands. I wanted leather, as opposed to synthetic, and I wanted TPU and Kevlar armor reinforcement. A good friend of mine lost a toe when he took a slide at speed, which ground through the leather of his un armored western boots. I settled on the Daytona Road Star GTX boots. Daytona is a water proof hand made Goretex and leather boot, made in Bavaria. There is TPU armor at the ankle bones, toe box, heel cup, and shin, as well as a Kevlar layer between the leather outer, and soft inner lining. It is also one of a very few brands that are available in narrow, standard, and wide widths. I usually wear a D width in most shoes, and the standard fit me perfectly. There are a lot of top rated boots out there, but Daytona was the only one that fit me correctly, comfortable right out of the box, and had all my parameters. They are pricey, but my feet are worth it.

Knees: I have been looking for something to add some knee protection for quite a while. Here, as in most gear, the best in the world is of no use if it is not comfortable, or a pain to put on/take off, and consequently lives un used in the closet. I have tried tube type pull on knee armor under my Kevlar jeans in the past, but I found that style to be hot, uncomfortable, and time consuming to put on and take off. Then too, as earlier mentioned, knee armor in pockets built into jeans did not seem likely to stay in place in a spill. Recently I discovered Icon Street Knee Guards https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/icon...nee-guards . This armor straps on OVER your pants. The outside has a TPU over the knee cap, and inside the guard textile carrier, is D30 molecular armor. The D30 armor is soft until there is an impact, which instantly turns it hard, then returns to soft after impact. The guards are held in place with one Velcro strap above the knee, and two criss-cross straps below the knee with quick release buckles. Qiickly, easily put on, quickly, easily taken off when off the bike and stowed in a back pack or saddle bag.

Gloves: Even in the hottest weather, I never ride without armored gloves. The natural reaction in any fall is to put a hand down to break the fall. There are a lot of very good glove choices out there. The gloves I use are Scorpion Klaw II. The Scorpion has armor at the knuckles and fingers, extra layers of leather at strategic points, and extra padding in the palms. Lots of gloves have similar features, but I just happen to like the Scorpions.

Ear Plugs: I used to ride with solid silicone ear plugs, but they cut out what I wanted/needed to hear, right along with what I did not want to hear. Now I use No Noise Motorsport Noise Filter ear plugs. These plugs use a ceramic filter that brings down noise to well below damaging levels, while at the same time the things that need to be heard like horns and ambulance sirens can still be heard. They come with an aluminum storage cylinder to carry in a pocket or attach to a key chain.

Once we got past being young and stupid, my old riding buddy's favorite saying became "never ride naked". I dont know anyone that has ever ridden a motorcycle for any significant length of time that has never laid a bike down, and I have laid a bike down a time or two in the 48 years I have ridden. Then too, a couple of times an ignorant car driver hit me through no fault of mine. Fortunately in every case, I was wearing the right gear, that did its job, and I was able to walk away un injured. My gear choices work for me, but may be something different for others, just dont ride naked. Food for thought?

Hi All,

I recently purchased a 2017EX and on several occasions have noticed the indicator flash that tells me I am not in gear. This usually happens when going back down into first and then mostly if I wait to long to shift when coming to a stop. It also happens when downshifing to other gears. It is embarrassing to be stopped at a light that turns green while trying to get it into first. Sometimes it looks like it is in, just does not feel right then the gear indicator blinks with that like. I'm thinking I am doing something wrong and just don't have a good feel for the bike. (I have only ridden a couple hundred miles, if that.) If I shift more aggressivley i.e. mash down on the shifter a bit it does not happen but I feel like I am abusing the machine when doing so since the rpms jump up a bit more when letting the clutch back out. Has anyone else experienced this or have input? It would be much appreciated.

Regards

I generally like to preserve the original look of my bikes, but once and a while a mod that serves a purpose is worth consideration. Back in the day we had rubber tank pads on most bikes to protect the paint from knee scrapes, but not anymore. I happened to stumble across Tech Spec pads for 2013-2017 CB1100, and am very impressed by the thought processes that go into them. It is a 3 piece set, both sides of the tank and a center piece. They are all die cut with self adhesive backing. The adhesive is not only release and re-position if necessary, but also leaves no sticky residue on the tank when removed. Although I have not purchased a set yet, it is on my "to do" list. Tech Spec also offers sheets of the material that can be cut to size and shape by the purchaser. The set can be purchased direct from techspecusa.com , where product overview, and application video can be seen. Twisted Throttle also carries the set, and has more pictures of the pads on a CB1100 than can be seen on the Tech Spec site. Here is a link to the Twisted Thottle page: http://www.twistedthrottle.com/techspec-...-piece-kit . Price for the 3 piece set is $69.95. Personally, for the sake of clean edges, and uniformity of shape, I think paying a bit of a premium for the die cut set is worth it, as opposed to saving a little money with the do it yourself cut to shape sheets. Enjoy!

After switching tanks (black to red) and installing a new pump in the new tank I have a very small leak near the rear of the pump close to the vent tube.
Does anyone have access to the torque specs for those 6 nuts holding the fuel pump gasket against the bottom of the tank

thanks