+- The CB1100 Community Forum (https://cb1100forum.net/forum)
+-- Forum: Honda CB1100 Discussions (https://cb1100forum.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=5)
+--- Forum: General Discussion (https://cb1100forum.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=6)
+--- Thread: Sharp tool or a Leatherman - bikes, not knives (/showthread.php?tid=3136)
Pages:
1
2
Sharp tool or a Leatherman - bikes, not knives - rboe - 03-25-2015
Got the new Motorcyclist today, hot topic is the new Yamaha R1 an R1M. Cutting edge MotoGP bike for the road use (not really for the masses).
Which got me to thinking on why I like and choose the CB1100: It's not such a focused cutting edge hooligan tool. The R1 may bring in customers like Corvettes bring guys into the Chevy dealerships - and buy Impala's. Unless you can own several bikes and therefore afford to have a narrowly focused tool in your kit.
This got me to thinking, it seems the market is way too focused on crotch rockets and less so on standard proper motorcycles. I suppose that is what sells bikes but I like think that to get new and younger riders hooked on motorcycles, good looking standard non-threatening motorcycles. A CB550 or baby CB1100 would be very cool. Well, it would be cool if the CB1100 had been a sales success.
Ah, just rambling thoughts of an aging rider.
Sharp tool or a Leatherman - bikes, not knives - grover_imp - 03-25-2015
I agree. The CB is a great all-rounder. Fast enough to smoke a new Vette, cool enough to get that nod from most anyone, and comfortable enough for the commute to work. That's why it's my 1 and only!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
RE: Sharp tool or a Leatherman - bikes, not knives - geosar_imp - 03-25-2015
And it encouraged me to substitute the CB for a perfectly good Wee-strom. It is totally counterintuitive to by another bike when I have a perfectly good Suzuki.
But it is a Honda and I did.
RE: Sharp tool or a Leatherman - bikes, not knives - Rebel73_imp - 03-25-2015
I'm not that old at 42, but crotch rockets have never really appealed to me. I look at my CB and I see a pure, true motorcycle. I ride up to the canyons on occasion and cringe at how a lot of those sporty guys ride up there. I'm not looking to become a statistic like many of them do. I enjoy a spirited ride, but darn, they're just tempting fate.
RE: Sharp tool or a Leatherman - bikes, not knives - Pterodactyl_imp - 03-25-2015
Nice post Rboe. I'd go with the Leatherman analogy. The CB is a good all-round motorcycle. It does everything I want a motorcycle to do and looks great, like a real motorcycle.
But your average youngster wants a little more action, the most available or affordable. I am not one of these blokes who reckon the next generation, or in my case the following generations, are not what they used to be. I reckon they are much the same as they used to be. I completed high school in 1961. I rode a 125cc BSA Bantam (without a licence, I was a naughty boy). This pulled something like a massive 5hp (dunno if the that was at the rear wheel or not) and I am sure it went over 30mph. I can't confirm that 'cause the speedo was stuffed. I had a mate who had a matchless 350cc. Reluctantly, and after much pleading, he would let me ride it. Wow - what an eye opener! That year the the Triumph Bonneville T120 was released. That machine was a real rocket. Imagine 120mph (on the speedo at least). The oldies were saying a machine that powerful should not be made available to young blokes. They were suicide machines! The world was coming to an end! I wanted one but had no hope. If I had a credit card then I would have had one. In '93 I finally got one. It was very tame next to the 'Blade. And is very tame (apart from being under braked and it's ill tempered handling) next to the CB. The world goes round.
Cheers mate.
RE: Sharp tool or a Leatherman - bikes, not knives - rboe - 03-25-2015
I get the reason some guys have bikes to maniac in the canyons with, but it's such a small part of what motorcycling can be (and back in the day, was, before things became so specialized). I guess I'm a bit of a generalist (could explain why I got a degree in physics instead of one of the engineering programs where you have to specialize) and tend to use one bike for a lot of things.
Now I do have the Griso which is good for canyon carving (it prefers fast sweepers though), the CB for town work and the 650L for dirt (but also excells in canyon work) and if I can sort the seat, I'll tour on that XR! With tweaking, any of my three bikes can be pressed into service for city commutes, gravel roads or touring; it's just that some will be a bit better than the others. I dare say the XR would be the better all arounder, but the CB would be a bit more fun (well, a different kinda fun) and I do love the throb of the big twin on the Griso. Between the inline four and the Guzzi twin I tend to prefer the twin in most cases. I must say, a buddies old KZ900 with a Kerker sounds great in anger; those fours have a nice (or I should say, can have a nice sound) when wound out. The Honda does not - but then again, I prefer it that way. The Griso does sound pretty good when pushed, but with after market pipes; it just gets to be bit much. Stock is loud enough for me. The big 650L just sounds too much like a Briggs & Stratton. This is not good.
If I was told to pick one of my bikes tomorrow, and only one. I'd have a really hard time choosing. Real hard. I'd regret my choice too.
The R1 sounds like a great machine, but can't imagine touring on it, or commuting or gravel roads. oiy!
RE: Sharp tool or a Leatherman - bikes, not knives - flynrider - 03-25-2015
(03-25-2015, 10:32 AM)Rboe_imp Wrote: Got the new Motorcyclist today, hot topic is the new Yamaha R1 an R1M. Cutting edge MotoGP bike for the road use (not really for the masses).
Which got me to thinking on why I like and choose the CB1100: It's not such a focused cutting edge hooligan tool. The R1 may bring in customers like Corvettes bring guys into the Chevy dealerships - and buy Impala's. Unless you can own several bikes and therefore afford to have a narrowly focused tool in your kit.
This got me to thinking, it seems the market is way too focused on crotch rockets and less so on standard proper motorcycles. I suppose that is what sells bikes but I like think that to get new and younger riders hooked on motorcycles, good looking standard non-threatening motorcycles. A CB550 or baby CB1100 would be very cool. Well, it would be cool if the CB1100 had been a sales success.
Ah, just rambling thoughts of an aging rider.
Since the mid 80s, the U.S. market diverged into mostly crotch rockets and cruisers. Not something I was happy about since I've only owned standard bikes. I happen to appreciate the utility of a single bike that can do whatever you want it to. When I started riding, just about every street bike you could buy was a standard bike, dag nabbit! (obligatory old geezer remark).
The market here in the states is still pretty much split along those lines, even though the major manufacturers still sell standard bikes in other markets, where motorcycles are used as real transportation. Every time they've tried to sell a standard bike here, it's been a dud. I wish new riders would be interested in something like a midsize standard (the CB400 Super Four would be fantastic), but in reality, even new riders want something that either looks like a Harley, or a plastic covered sportbike.
RE: Sharp tool or a Leatherman - bikes, not knives - Pterodactyl_imp - 03-25-2015
The CB400 sells well in Oz so maybe all is not lost.
Cheers
RE: Sharp tool or a Leatherman - bikes, not knives - rboe - 03-26-2015
dag nabbit!
hakecane:
RE: Sharp tool or a Leatherman - bikes, not knives - the Ferret - 03-26-2015
Whereas the UJM was made, or modified, to do everything and nothing particularly well (Swiss Army Knife is a good description Rboe), since 1986 the market has evolved into niche markets where the bikes are designed to do only 1 thing, but do that one thing particularly well. Tourers, Sport tourers, sport bikes, cruisers, off road bikes, motocross bikes, supermoto bikes,and the latest craze, adventure bikes (although the adventure bike category seems to be softening into really big do anything "standard" type bikes meant more for the street/sport touring rider than for really travelling offroad... sort of like how cars became SUV's) Many consider the new ADV bikes to be the equivalent of the UJM of the past.
Just went to Honda's website and they list Street, Cruiser, Touring, Sport, Adventure, Supersport and Dual Sport as their "street" category breakdowns, with further breakdowns such as off road and competition under the dual sport header. When I talked to my buddy who runs the Honda Yamaha shop, he said if he stocked just ONE of every model/color Honda makes for 2014 he would have to stock over 200 units on the floor.