Exceptionally good review of the CB1100RS

[Ulvetanna_imp]

I came across this some time ago and have never seen a reference to it here.

I felt much the same way about my own 2013 after it'd been modded with Ikon shocks, the CB (Chip Beck) handlebars, a K&N air filter, and stainless steel Galfer brake lines/EBC HH pads.

[url=https://www.ridersdomain.com/magazine/motorcycles/reviews/2017-honda-cb1100rs/]2017 HONDA CB1100RS: A FEW INGREDIENTS SHY OF EXCELLENCE



Now, why didn't Honda bring this bike to North America? And why isn't it selling? The roads around here are thick with Triumphs of every stripe, XSR900s, various Ducatis of the Scrambler variety, and so on. Weight be hanged, I might have purchased one of these just based on this review.

[use2b_imp]

you ask why they are not selling ? this is my guess.
the drawing in this article is a bike that would have sold IMO . it really grabs a likeness to the motorcycle of the century and the only reason i even own a CB1100 is i found one that has such a close resemblance.
the new bikes look great but do not capture the past in a way that will bring buyers to pick one up and then there is the actual performance issue. I am old and like to go slow so the CB has all the power and speed i need .
the sketch with the duck back seat and 4 into 4's i think would have sold more than the fancy shocks = JMO

[Ulvetanna_imp]

you ask why they are not selling ? this is my guess.
the drawing in this article is a bike that would have sold IMO . it really grabs a likeness to the motorcycle of the century and the only reason i even own a CB1100 is i found one that has such a close resemblance.
the new bikes look great but do not capture the past in a way that will bring buyers to pick one up and then there is the actual performance issue. I am old and like to go slow so the CB has all the power and speed i need .
the sketch with the duck back seat and 4 into 4's i think would have sold more than the fancy shocks = JMO

Why didn't Honda give us the bike with the specs in the drawing? 900cc, 110/80-18 front with a 150/70-17 rear tire (same as the Triumph Street Twin/Bonneville), four pipes, and so on. That seems to be the problem, they didn't build the bike they originally intended. That bike would've come in with a sub-31" seat height, wheelbase at about 57.5", with very light handling and at a lower weight.

Maybe it's a bike that just can't find a real home. The new retro-styled Triumphs are selling like crazy, Royal Enfield has just announced a beautiful new 650 Twin, and the talk of the town seems to be the new Kawasaki.

The Triumphs, of course (as I myself pointed out) do have the fake fins (well, partially fake, as I understand it) but that sure doesn't detract from my enjoyment of my Street Cup, which has about 5,500 miles on it now. But maybe it looks the part better than the CB1100RS.

You are right, all that fancy gold stuff and forks and whatnot are perhaps not what the buyer of an 83 HP bike wants.

I've said myself that the stock bike with just a few mods is well up to the task.

Some like it soft and purely stock, and no doubt it works very well in that role.

I, and my riding buddy with his 2013, changed only shocks and a few other minor items as I mentioned, and we both loved bouncing the thing off the rev limiter and using every bit of brakes and cornering the bike has. As the Ferret has mentioned in another thread, he has stock shocks, set to the softest setting, and rarely exceeds 4,000 RPM. And he's racking up the big miles. So the CB1100 can be anything to any rider.

My question still remains, where are the buyers? That engine and general layout is just unmatched in terms of "authenticity" (lack of fake stuff, we may say) and nothing else out there looks as genuine.

Maybe it's just a spec-sheet thing; 540 pounds and 83 HP for that kind of dough is unappreciated, maybe? I never felt mine lacked for power.

I say to Honda, give us a CB900, under 500 pounds, air-cooled with the same gorgeous looks. I will buy it. That's the bike in the drawing, and that's the bike I want.

[Houtman_imp]

It is nice to see you back again !

[Hawkeye_imp]

Ulvetanna,

Great to "see," and/or read from you again!

By the way, thanks to you, and your helpful, informative forum contributions, I did a super sanitary BackOFF Brake Light Module install on my CB shortly after purchasing. I only sliced ~ ½" of the original wiring conduit, carefully soldered, and heat-shrinked everything, including the ½" incision to maintain/retain the original appearance and wiring as much as possible.

Hope all is well, thanks again, and wishing you, and all forum members a wonderful holiday season.

[alprider]

or
why sold honda in the first 3 years the CB only in asia and australia....?

[use2b_imp]

or
why sold honda in the first 3 years the CB only in asia and australia....?

very good point ! like the cb1300 super four that only made 100 HP with water cooling at that.
I am very happy with the beautiful CB1100 engine as it is traditionally air cooled and oil coolers were always popular in the south .
Honda knocked that out of the ball park and could have done so well by copying the silver engine , frame , pipes , seat , lines and even the tank decals of the original CB750K and then advertise the much improved Torque and HP as a selling point but instead we all scratch our heads wondering what in the world were they thinking ?
never liked the 750 super sport because of the black engine and odd looking tank and it never sold like the K did . Love this bike but it could have been so much more

[Cormanus]

An interesting review, Ulvetanna. Thanks for posting.

How Honda arrives at its decisions on where and where not to send bikes is anyone's guess.

I was going to suggest that one of the reasons the CB1100 has not been a mighty seller is precisely because of reviews like Melling's. They say it's wonderful but bland and I think that turns people off. However, it occurs to me that Jeremy Clarkson has described the VW Jetta as the most boring car ever built and there are plenty of them around. Maybe my thesis doesn't hold water.

[rboe]

Meh. It's a bit of a niche bike and the complaints are pretty darn minor and easily rectified by the owner with upgrades (not unlike what many, including me, have done to their CB's and to the tens of thousand CB's before). Unlike the previous CB's this is a very competent bike straight away.

He took what I consider to be high points and made them negatives. I'd say the bike is just not for him. He should get a Griso. I'm of two worlds about the RS coming here. On one hand I'd love it, on the other hand I'd have to buy it and I really don't need another CB.

So I'd like to see a modern version of the original CB-450 Black Bomber. That would make for a great coffee/city bike. Even better, a modern version of the GB (sorry, I'm a bit of a broken record there). Then I'd have a classic single, twin and I-4.h

[emptysea]

Posts taking about the "disappointing" or "meager" sales or asking why the bike is not selling are almost as frequent and twice as annoying as oil threads. At least with oil threads, you might be able to cull out a fact or two that may help you maintain your bike. There is no direct evidence that the CB1100 isn't selling to Honda's expectations since Honda not only refrains from publishing sales figures, but also steadfastly refuses to comment on sales expectations...of any of their bikes. Therefore we are left to speculate, but why are we not inferring that sales are at or above expectations by virtue of the fact that the CB1100 has been in continuous production since 2010 (I believe). Perhaps it was Honda's intention all along to bring the CB1100 to the US for 2 years to test market it a bit and sales were good enough for them to bring the model back in 2017. Perhaps. Perhaps not. I don't know. My point is that none of us know. Would it be cool to have a hopped up version of the CB1100 here in the States? Yes! Maybe we will get it next year. Maybe that's part of Honda's plan. Maybe not. Who knows? Not me. Not anyone, excepting the folks at Honda and they ain't talkin.