2017 CB1100

[ChipBeck_imp]

Besides all the extra chrome and aluminum, the main differences for the '17 EX are the forks, shocks, wheels, inlets, tank, headlight, and tail light.

Which btw is why perhaps they are still sitting in the showrooms and being discounted and the new Harley bikes are black and dark chrome. Dark is in even at harley Davidson.

Which btw is why perhaps they are still sitting in the showrooms and being discounted and the new Harley bikes are black and dark chrome. Dark is in even at harley Davidson.
I'm of the opinion that there are so many 2014 CB1100 standards left over because they are murdered out vs. silver and chrome like the DLX. People would probably be willing to live without the DLX features if the standards had come in something other than Model T black.

+1 on the above. Too many of the bikes details are lost on that all black standard.

Chip

[Guth_imp]

I personally don't think that Honda would had of sold any more 2014 standards if they had kept the look of the 2013 standard. In fact, I believe that they likely would have sold fewer. It's been obvious to me that quite a few here on the forum are very happy with their 2014 standards, and the looks of the bike is one of the big reasons for their satisfaction. Most of us who were drawn to the looks of the red tank and the additional chrome had already ponied up for the 2013 model.

One only need look at how long a reasonably priced, low mileage CB1100 sits around on the used market before it's sold (whether it's a 2013, 2014 standard or 2014 deluxe) to realize that the buyer population for these bikes here in the United States just isn't that large. There just isn't that much demand here for a motorcycle like the CB1100. In hindsight, I think Honda had it pegged all along when they decided to bring this bike to North America at the prices they chose and with the relative lack of marketing they put forth. That's why I've come to look at this motorcycle's release here in N. America as a gift to those of us who are attracted to such a machine. Perhaps the only way that Honda was ever going to sell a lot of these bikes over here was if they had offered them up at ridiculously low prices. In my mind, that would have been a disservice to this motorcycle, especially given the respect that Honda themselves have for the bike. In discussions such as this, we always tend to forget that Honda never intended to sell the CB1100 here in North America when it was first developed and released.

[Nortoon_imp]

I don't understand why people keep saying the CB1100 is overpriced. The base price of a 2017 CB1100 EX is US$12,300. The base price of a comparable Triumph 80 HP 1200cc T120 Bonneville is $11,800, but if you add the two-tone fuel tank it is US$12,300.

There are people that are not interested in retro-styled motorcycles. So they would find fault with either of these motorcycles. Similarly if you chose a Triumph, you probably find fault with the CB1100 EX, and vice versa. It's only natural to defend what you purchase and ride.

Five years ago when I decided to return to motorcycling after a 25 year hiatus, the Triumph Bonneville was what I intended to purchase. But I rode in an era when a Bonneville was CDN$1300 out the door. So a CDN$13,000 base price was a shock to me. The Triumph Forum made things worse by complaining about the poor brakes, poor suspension, and balky fuel injection. Obviously these people never rode a British motorcycle in the '60s.

Ended up buying a Honda CB55XA for $6800 out the door. It was a great motorcycle that I thoroughly enjoyed. Also got a good trade-in price 3 years later when I bought my CB1100 EX.

The CB1100 EX is a beautiful well made motorcycle. A little porky with a high center of gravity, but that disappears as soon as you leave first gear. The weight actually makes the CB more stable on the highway on windy days. And the inline 4 motor and exhaust note make riding enjoyable either cruising or sweeping through the corners.

[VLJ_imp]

Guth, judging by their low resale value, as well as their discounted selling prices, I'd say a lower initial msrp would not only have not been a disservice to the model, it would have been a more accurate reflection of reality.

Also, judging a bike's popularity by the glowing comments from its owners here on this forum is indicative of nothing. Of course the few, the proud, are going to stand up for the bike they purchased. The proof, however, is in the pudding. The black units didn't sell, on a monumental scale. When they did sell, it was usually many years later, at wildly discounted prices. If someone tries to sell one now, or trade one in, they're going to recoup next to nothing for it.

The stripped-down, murdered-out look clearly hurt the '14 Standard. Also hurting its cause was the existence of the far more desirable, same-year Deluxe. For not much more money a buyer could get ABS, much greater fuel capacity, period-correct dual pipes/stitched seat/green dials, more chrome and overall bling, an all-silver motor, and that gorgeous red paint with matching red side covers.

For most people, the choice was clear.

[Capo]

Right now, my 2006 Triumph Bonneville is worth as much or more than my 2013 CB1100. The market has decided what these bikes are worth. Doesn't matter to those of us who love them or will keep them. They are worth what they are worth to you. But the reality is, no matter what the contributing factors are, that based on resale value or demand, the CB1100 is not a well- loved motorbike in the US market.

[pdedse]

I don't understand why people keep saying the CB1100 is overpriced. The base price of a 2017 CB1100 EX is US$12,300. The base price of a comparable Triumph 80 HP 1200cc T120 Bonneville is $11,800, but if you add the two-tone fuel tank it is US$12,300.

There are people that are not interested in retro-styled motorcycles. So they would find fault with either of these motorcycles. Similarly if you chose a Triumph, you probably find fault with the CB1100 EX, and vice versa. It's only natural to defend what you purchase and ride.

Five years ago when I decided to return to motorcycling after a 25 year hiatus, the Triumph Bonneville was what I intended to purchase. But I rode in an era when a Bonneville was CDN$1300 out the door. So a CDN$13,000 base price was a shock to me. The Triumph Forum made things worse by complaining about the poor brakes, poor suspension, and balky fuel injection. Obviously these people never rode a British motorcycle in the '60s.

Ended up buying a Honda CB55XA for $6800 out the door. It was a great motorcycle that I thoroughly enjoyed. Also got a good trade-in price 3 years later when I bought my CB1100 EX.

The CB1100 EX is a beautiful well made motorcycle. A little porky with a high center of gravity, but that disappears as soon as you leave first gear. The weight actually makes the CB more stable on the highway on windy days. And the inline 4 motor and exhaust note make riding enjoyable either cruising or sweeping through the corners.

This is actually why I came back to a CB1100 much sooner than I ever imagined. I briefly tried a Triumph Street Twin, and missed the stability of the CB1100 at 70mph with cross winds.

[Roper_imp]

It was a Harley-esque approach to marketing: Offer a basic black model that riders could customize and make their own, and offer a model with beautiful paint and chrome. Honda is not Harley, and the market didn't take off. But that's all for Honda to figure out. As for me, I love everything about my '14 std. I love the basic black platform I can build on. I love the cast wheels and the 4-into-1 exhaust. I love that it I bought it for thousands of dollars less than MSRP because it sat at the dealer for two years. That left me a lot of money for buying gear and farkles. It all depends on what you want to do, I guess--leave the deluxe pretty much as it is, or mod the standard. C'mon, tell me this isn't cool. And that's just tank, side panels, and fenders.

[SportsterDoc]

I do not care much about resale value.
Few used bikes are good for resale.
Even chrome laden Harleys rarely bring what the owner has "invested" in them.

When I get too old to safely ride (safety of others), I may park it in the garage, remove license and stop insurance, so I can look at it, maybe even sit on it and make vroom, vroom sounds.

Besides all the extra chrome and aluminum, the main differences for the '17 EX are the forks, shocks, wheels, inlets, tank, headlight, and tail light.

Which btw is why perhaps they are still sitting in the showrooms and being discounted and the new Harley bikes are black and dark chrome. Dark is in even at harley Davidson.

Which btw is why perhaps they are still sitting in the showrooms and being discounted and the new Harley bikes are black and dark chrome. Dark is in even at harley Davidson.
I'm of the opinion that there are so many 2014 CB1100 standards left over because they are murdered out vs. silver and chrome like the DLX. People would probably be willing to live without the DLX features if the standards had come in something other than Model T black.

+1 on the above. Too many of the bikes details are lost on that all black standard.

Chip

Each to their own:

Re 2014 standard model:
• I prefer the 4 into 1 exhaust for appearance, lighter weight, chain access and nostalgia for my 1976 CB750F.
• a steel fuel tank, although I like the style and extra capacity of the aluminum 2017 tank
• alloy wheels, which are easier to clean and mush easier to deal with a tubeless tire puncture on the road
• and the black/chrome appearance, with reminds me of my first bike, when I was 16

...and, the Model T did not have as deep a gloss!

In late 2002, I was ready to buy a Honda 750 NightHawk, but although the previous year was black, the new (and last) model year was red. I've had a few red bikes, but I was in the mood for black. I ended up with a new 2003 H-D Sportster XLH883, in "Vivid Black". Good bike, it was one (of many) that I should have kept.

[pdedse]

Guth, judging by their low resale value, as well as their discounted selling prices, I'd say a lower initial msrp would not only have not been a disservice to the model, it would have been a more accurate reflection of reality.

Also, judging a bike's popularity by the glowing comments from its owners here on this forum is indicative of nothing. Of course the few, the proud, are going to stand up for the bike they purchased. The proof, however, is in the pudding. The black units didn't sell, on a monumental scale. When they did sell, it was usually many years later, at wildly discounted prices. If someone tries to sell one now, or trade one in, they're going to recoup next to nothing for it.

The stripped-down, murdered-out look clearly hurt the '14 Standard. Also hurting its cause was the existence of the far more desirable, same-year Deluxe. For not much more money a buyer could get ABS, much greater fuel capacity, period-correct dual pipes/stitched seat/green dials, more chrome and overall bling, an all-silver motor, and that gorgeous red paint with matching red side covers.

For most people, the choice was clear.

VLJ...with all due respect, do you have access to import numbers or general import practices? These are not meant to be facetious questions. My understanding is that Honda does not release this info.

Without concrete numbers, I don't think one can objectively say either of your lines I've quoted is true, unless Honda has released total U.S. import numbers of each '14 model, and the total number of the '14 Standard sold.

For example, suppose 1000 DLXs were imported--we know they all sold. Suppose 2000 '14 standards were imported, and let's suppose 1000 were sold. Obvisouly, that would mean they are equally popular.

The only thing we really know for sure is that there are (lots of?) '14 Standards available, and they are rightly not close to selling at MSRP, nor should they--they are 4 year old bikes.

The only thing we can conclude with left-over '14 models still available, is that Honda over-estimated the popularity it would have in the U.S. market.

Now, if there were a poll here that asked "which '14 model did you buy: the DLX or the Standard?" and it were limited to those bought during the first year after both were first made available, that would give us a better look at which was more popular. (the first year limitation would have made the comparison fair, before prices on the Standard began to fall). But such a poll still would not be precise because it would reflect only those on this site and only those who chose to report--but it would be a hard number.

Without such numbers, I don't believe it's accurate to say one '14 model was more popular than the other...nor is it accurate to conclude that the blacked-out look hurt the Standard's sales.

Bottom line: Honda introduced too many '14 Standards.

[VLJ_imp]

The bottom line isn't simply that Honda produced too many '14 Standards. The market has declared that Honda overpriced them, as well. The market (both new and used) has also declared that Honda came closer to hitting the features/value bullseye with the '14 Deluxe, although Honda hedged their bet there by producing very few Deluxes, which skewed the market for that model, both new and used.