(06-12-2013, 01:56 AM)oldyaler_imp Wrote:

(06-12-2013, 01:46 AM)meowguy_imp Wrote: Quote:One the strong points of this bike is that you can run it in about any gear. It has enough power for you to be in any gear without lugging.
I agree with that pretty much, but I keep reaching for another gear. The engine has an enormous amount of power and it is always there.

If you want to put a set of saddle bags on it that will be a challenge. There are not a lot of options for that.

I don't really know if all modern bikes are made as nicely as this one. Reading the shop manual I can say it is very well made and it looks like they have thought of everything you could possibly need in a bike like this. I shopped the Triumph Bonneville, Suzuki V-Strom, and Triumph Tiger 800. I no doubt would have gotten the Bonneville if it had ABS, because I like the retro style. I stopped by the Honda dealer one night and there was the CB.

When I am not riding the CB1100 sometimes I just sit and look at it...it is that gorgeous. I think my wife is getting jealous.

That's how you know you've picked the right one.

(06-14-2013, 08:38 AM)ApathyCurve_imp Wrote: 1. I reach for sixth occasionally out of habit, but it's not a big deal. At the limiter there's still a significant gap to redline, and the bike has torque to spare across the entire range.

2. I'm in the Houston area; the heat and high humidity here are legendary. So far, no problems with it, but we've yet to get into the Slightly-Warmer-Than-The-Ninth-Plane-of-Hell days that come along in August. However, I have several friends who ride large displacement Yamahas that are air-cooled and they've never had issues. The one exception, of course, is if you're stuck in stop-and-go traffic. No air cooled bike is gonna do well in those circumstances. Best find a place to bail out or park it and wait a while for the traffic to move on.

3. Why you no like 3?! You mean to 3!

4. I don't do ABS on bikes. Ever. Don't particularly like it on cars, for that matter. In my experience it robs you of control, provided you know how to ride/drive. (Don't even get me started on traction control systems. Grrrr. Fortunately I can turn it off with a switch on my Mustang...) Personal thing, of course. Some people really like it, but none for me thanks.

5. I don't. I'm happy to chat with them. I realize you're asking tongue-in-cheek, of course. But it honestly is one the best things about the bike. My latest was a guy at a stoplight in a mini-truck next to me. Got my attention and asked me how I'd retrofitted rear discs to my old Honda... I explained that I only wish I possessed that level of mechanical skill.

As for the trip lengths, 200 miles is all you'll want to do on this one. A long Saturday ride for me is 120 miles, about a tank. Beyond that, fatigue starts to set in. If you're a younger buck than I, however, you can probably push it further. It's not a distance cruiser; I'm past that phase. But it can stretch a bit if you want to ride with cruiser friends for the day. It's not a sport bike, but you can carve corners with far greater agility than a cruiser. It's a great compromise, and that's probably the greatest compliment for this bike. It does many things "good enough." And, of course, it's drop-dead gorgeous. Good looks will get you a long way in life... or so I've been told.

(06-12-2013, 01:46 AM)meowguy_imp Wrote: Quote:One the strong points of this bike is that you can run it in about any gear. It has enough power for you to be in any gear without lugging.
I agree with that pretty much, but I keep reaching for another gear. The engine has an enormous amount of power and it is always there.

If you want to put a set of saddle bags on it that will be a challenge. There are not a lot of options for that.

I don't really know if all modern bikes are made as nicely as this one. Reading the shop manual I can say it is very well made and it looks like they have thought of everything you could possibly need in a bike like this. I shopped the Triumph Bonneville, Suzuki V-Strom, and Triumph Tiger 800. I no doubt would have gotten the Bonneville if it had ABS, because I like the retro style. I stopped by the Honda dealer one night and there was the CB.

When I am not riding the CB1100 sometimes I just sit and look at it...it is that gorgeous. I think my wife is getting jealous.

(06-14-2013, 08:38 AM)ApathyCurve_imp Wrote: 1. I reach for sixth occasionally out of habit, but it's not a big deal. At the limiter there's still a significant gap to redline, and the bike has torque to spare across the entire range.

2. I'm in the Houston area; the heat and high humidity here are legendary. So far, no problems with it, but we've yet to get into the Slightly-Warmer-Than-The-Ninth-Plane-of-Hell days that come along in August. However, I have several friends who ride large displacement Yamahas that are air-cooled and they've never had issues. The one exception, of course, is if you're stuck in stop-and-go traffic. No air cooled bike is gonna do well in those circumstances. Best find a place to bail out or park it and wait a while for the traffic to move on.

3. Why you no like 3?! You mean to 3!

4. I don't do ABS on bikes. Ever. Don't particularly like it on cars, for that matter. In my experience it robs you of control, provided you know how to ride/drive. (Don't even get me started on traction control systems. Grrrr. Fortunately I can turn it off with a switch on my Mustang...) Personal thing, of course. Some people really like it, but none for me thanks.

5. I don't. I'm happy to chat with them. I realize you're asking tongue-in-cheek, of course. But it honestly is one the best things about the bike. My latest was a guy at a stoplight in a mini-truck next to me. Got my attention and asked me how I'd retrofitted rear discs to my old Honda... I explained that I only wish I possessed that level of mechanical skill.

As for the trip lengths, 200 miles is all you'll want to do on this one. A long Saturday ride for me is 120 miles, about a tank. Beyond that, fatigue starts to set in. If you're a younger buck than I, however, you can probably push it further. It's not a distance cruiser; I'm past that phase. But it can stretch a bit if you want to ride with cruiser friends for the day. It's not a sport bike, but you can carve corners with far greater agility than a cruiser. It's a great compromise, and that's probably the greatest compliment for this bike. It does many things "good enough." And, of course, it's drop-dead gorgeous. Good looks will get you a long way in life... or so I've been told.

(07-07-2013, 12:24 AM)HondaJon_imp Wrote: Don't worry about the heat, I live in Riverview FL and she seems just fine. The CB stays surprisingly cool for an air cooled machine. Since she is fuel injected, you don't have to worry about the lean factory carb jetting that caused most of the carb bikes produced in the past 10 years to run crazy hot.

Gearing is fine, shifting is pretty optional.

I like that the bike confuses most folks, they all think it is a restored CB of old......