(04-11-2016, 08:01 AM)Capo_imp Wrote: Nicely done, and a great capture of living in the moment. The CB certainly works to your favor. As for the title of the thread, I have different ranking of criteria, but essentially the same list. But with a shed load of bikes, I don't feel as strongly about the CB11 as the 'one.' In fact, I would grab my Tiger, Speed Triple, or Ducati SS if a spirited ride were the goal. None look as good as the CB, but for my style of riding, fit much much better, and I've come to smile much more inside the helmet on them than on the CB. I'm getting my Thruxton R this week, and I have a hunch it's going to have a high smile and satisfaction quotient as well. But yes, there is a richness to the look and the basic competence of the CB that make it gratifying to own. Good stuff, Chip.


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(04-11-2016, 04:08 AM)ChipBeck_imp Wrote: Gentlemen,

We all have a different set of standards. Capability, beauty, function, type, reliability, nostalgia, comfort, etc. At last light yesterday I found myself up at Saguaro Lake about 40 minutes northeast of Scottsdale staring out over the water. It was the last day of Arizona Bike Week but few motorcycles were out on the road as it had rained hard most of the day. It let up at 4 o'clock and by 5:00 the roads were dry enough for me to venture out. The temperature was cool but not uncomfortable at my 75 mph pace up the Beeline Highway. My three-year-old CB11 hummed like a sewing machine until I opened it up to pass other vehicles when it growled like an angry cat through the Staintune exhaust.

Owning several different motorcycles and switching off between them never fails to impress upon me what a wonderful motorcycle CB11 is. Turning away from the lake to look at it I asked myself if I would've enjoyed this ride as much had I been on a Yamaha FZ-09 or a Triumph Speed Triple? The answer was no. The aesthetics would be all wrong as those bikes don't look right to my eye. Had I been on my Harley-Davidson Sportster 48 would I have enjoyed it as much? No again. The Sportster is every bit as beautiful and proper looking as the CB11 but it's an un-faired crude brute that's more tiring to ride. None of my other motorcycles put it all together while riding solo quite like the Honda CB1100. It handles great, it's comfortable, it's fast, it feels good, takes me back in time, and displays timeless beauty from any angle. My final thought before donning my helmet to ride back home was that my time here, in the grand scheme of things, is as brief as a light bulb flash. Of all the billions of years that have been and all the billions of years that will be in the future, my moment is right now and I'm really enjoying it. I'm thrilled to be alive and this is going to be a great ride home on a great motorcycle. The air had grown colder but even it's bite felt good. Yeah baby!

Chip

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