Hello everyone,

Late last month I posted that I'd bought the $6,995 2014 STD at Newburgh Powersports in southwestern Indiana. I'd given then my Amex over the phone on June 30th so as to take advantage of the $2,000 in rebate money that was on the table at the time. Dealer cost on the 2014 Standard is $9,671 so that $6,995 represented $1,000 in Honda-to-buyer money, $1,000 in Honda-to-dealer money, and $676 in dealership losses.

The July 4th weekend I was in a crash at Laguna Seca that stretched my neck pretty far so I decided to pick up the bike this past weekend instead of doing another race. (I race a variety of crummy old cars and occasionally a new one.)

I arrived at Newburgh Powersports Saturday around noon expecting the worst. I figured they'd have some way to get some of that $676 back --- maybe a $599 "dealer cargo fee" or something like that. Nope. They handed me my paperwork and I was out in five minutes. The bike had one mile on it.



They had another one on the floor which they'd like to sell. The Honda money isn't as good as it was last month but if you want a zero-mile Standard from a no-BS dealer I can't recommend these guys enough. They didn't add a penny to the deal.

From Newburgh, I rode to Altamont, IL to meet a friend who was helping to run the Van Nationals event. Along the way I realized that the CB1100's range is, uh, a bit limited. But I refueled and finished the 171-mile ride.

My plan was to stay overnight in Altamont but there was a pretty major weather front coming in so I decided to ride the rest of the way to Powell, Ohio that night.



All told, I rode 527 miles in the 11 hours after taking delivery of the bike. Most of that was spent varying speeds for break-in purposes from 50-105mph on the freeway behind the "chase car" of the girl who took me to the dealership. To stay ahead of the storm we tried to average 80 miles per hour but at those speeds I was filling up every 120-130 miles and seeing about 2.9-3.1 gallons per fill.

I was pleasantly surprised at how strong the headlight was, I don't much care for riding after dark but the CB is fine for that.

All of you know the bike's virtues so I won't bother to go over them again. For this trip I'd have liked to have had a Vetter Windjammer on the front of the thing but I was amazed at how generally tolerable the wind was up to about 80mph after which I tucked-in behind the headlight like some hipster cafe-racer wannabe.

Got home tired but not too badly beaten. I hadn't planned to break the bike (and myself) in like this but it's a great way to get to know a motorcycle.



Glad to be part of the community, hope to see some of you on the road. If any of you need me, I'll be looking at those Samurider tank/sidepanel/wire wheel kits...

1) If I'm at a full stop and am still in second or third gear, it is generally impossible to downshift without some clutch work and it's annoying. I don't often get into that situation, but a quick stop can find me there. Am I doing something wrong? Everyone talks about the buttery transmission, but I'm not really feeling it. Often when I am slowing, it'll get stuck in third or second while still in motion, and then I'm fishing around for a gear and tweeking the clutch and trying not to hit the guy in front of me and that ain't right.
This is a '13 with the five speed.
2) I can't see a thing in the oil window. Maybe I need new glasses, but it is so small and it is too dark to tell whether there is oil in there or not. Even leaning it way over either way reveals nothing. Must be some oil, as it hasn't eaten itself yet. I tried a flashlight, but still can't be sure of anything. Suggestions?

Thanks for listening. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Looks plenty fast to me!

Hi,

I am a long time lurker and a first time poster. I had Triumph Scrambler in 2013 and now I have an urge to own a classic bike again. I think Honda CB1100 is a better bike than Triumph Scrambler/Bonneville line at its current discounted price at most dealers, but I am not sure with the current state of CB1100 in the US, if I should go for one. I see a few available on Craigslist and I think I am going to buy slightly used to save money.

Hence, I need your help to help me decide:

[li]If I understand correctly, Honda has discontinued CB1100 in the US. How hard will it be to get replacement parts and accessories for this bike going forward?[/li] [li]What's a good price (range) for a used 2014 CB1100 with less than 3K miles and a full aftermarket exhaust? I see a lot of new 2014 models listed for just under $8K at dealerships.[/li] [li]Is 2014 with 6th gear noticeably better than 2013 for highway riding or should I keep an eye out for both 2013 and 2014 models?[/li] [li]Any other reliability issues or anything else I should be aware of before I pull the trigger on one?
[/li]

Thanks in advance!

some nice photos from today's ride through the hills

Hi, has anybody got some play or slack in their DX or EX 6 gear model? I have slight play which can feel between gears which sure didn't get on the earlier model. Get a click at certain speeds. Maybe could lose it just by changing the oil type.

I don't think its anything to do with the chain tension (which is at it should be) or cush drive as that it pretty new. Guess it comes from the gears. Nothing particularly serious as usually get to drive around it.

Regards Landy

Hi Does anyone know if the speedo cushion rubber from a CB 900 F is the same as the 900 C.
Trev

So lately I've been looking at bikes. Actually, truth be told, Im always looking at bikes. It's not that I'm dissatisfied with the CB, but after looking at the VFR800, I keep thinking it'd be really nice to have real suspension, heated grips, cancelling turn signals, adjustable seat, a windscreen, and the roar of a V4. I haven't test ridden one yet or anything. And with my Pinzgauer 710M on the way, I'm not poised to be spending any more money for a while. But I keep thinking the VFR would make a super dope touring bike that my sport bike riding friends wouldn't totally run away from in the corners. I am worried though that the riding position is too low for long distances. Anyone else done any exploring of the latest gen VFRs?! Can anyone convince me that my lust is unjustified and the CB is far better? Haha

Sent from my Z30 using Tapatalk

One little aspect of the install not mentioned in the instructions is when you remove the headlight mounting bolts the little nut inside the headlight case will fall away, so disassembly of the headlight is necessary. Got 'er all put together in about an hour.

Rode at 80mph before and after the screen added with an open face helmet.

I gotta admit the all the screen seems to do is increase the velocity of the airstream up on the face and shoulders, with quite howly wind noise. I do like the way it looks and it oughta capture some bugs for me.

I've used the standard DART flyscreen on a MG V7 Stone, Triumph Scrambler with fair results. But I will need to ride with a full face helmet to cut the windblast on the face on this one.

Scott

Decided to ride the northwest part of the county to look for more old barns and houses. There was a nice rain last night and this morning was cool (75F) and damp.

Rode to Blackshear first and then went north to Guest Road which has recently been paved. Less than a mile on the new pavement and I found this old farm house and Tobacco barn across from a peanut field.













At the terminus of Guest Road stood an old barn at an abandoned dairy farm.



Heading north on 203 I pass through some lovely farms and find this crumpled old house.