2014 CB1100 Standard ride review/XSR900 comparo

[the Ferret]

well VLJ if you're not looking at it as a last bike, what the heck go for it. If it doesn't suit you and you can't slow down, you can always get something else. I thought you said you were looking for a last bike. That changes everything.

[egleaves_imp]

Wow. Some of you here could be writing feature articles and reviews with your passion and attention to detail. I'm impressed by the reviews and debates I read here. I'm not as long-winded (long-fingered?) of a writer, but I'll try to get all of the important thoughts out of my head.

Anyway, yesterday was a blast and I'm glad Van got some seat time on the CB. I was happy to provide the opportunity, and I had fun trying out the XSR. First thing I noticed was how tall the thing is. It struck me as an ADV bike stripped down to it's bones. One look at the tires told me otherwise....this was definitely a sport bike.

I'm nearly 6' 2"......I felt like I was on top of the world sitting in that saddle. Van even commented at one point that I looked 10 feet tall in his mirrors. I'm not used to sitting that high, but at no point did I feel uncomfortable on the XSR. I fit well on the bike and from the moment we pulled out into traffic I felt very comfortable operating this new (to me) machine.

No doubt the XSR is a much sportier bike than the CB. I don't think anyone doubted that really, but I cherish first-hand experience. I would say STD mode most closely emulates the throttle response of the CB and that's where I rode mostly. B mode made the throttle just a bit sloggy...not much, but enough to where I could see it being useful either in slippery conditions or splitting lanes through stopped traffic where you just want easy, predictable throttle response.
I rode a little bit with A mode....it's not crazy explosive, but there is a very noticeable difference from the other modes.

The suspension was great. I think Van said he set it a bit on the soft side for me. I found that my foot position on the pegs placed my heels (left more so than right) on the top of the swing arm. With my toes on the pegs and heels on the swing arm I could feel the rear suspension "float" across the road surface, but I didn't have a corroborating sensation from anywhere else to tell my brain that there was any shock to absorb. The bike rode very smooth. So smooth, in fact, that at times I didn't even know the road was bumpy.

Speaking of smooth, the transmission was incredibly smooth and precise. The XSR seems designed to be run up and down through the gears all day. (Side note: when Van mentioned me likening the CB trans to a Soviet farm implement I was actually referring to my old XS1100) I often use the word "smooth" to describe my CB, but I found the XSR to be even more so when I came to the ride and shifting.

Overall I think it's a great bike that I felt comfortable riding. There are some cosmetic things I'm not a fan of. The single instrument pod is too busy and the blocky font of the digital spedo makes it hard to tell the difference between say 35 and 55 at a glance. And man, it that thing bright at night! Even on the dimmest setting I found it distracting and almost blinding. I had moths trying to keep up on the highway. The turn signal switch is too small for something that is meant to be used frequently. I imagine one would get used to it after a while. One more thing that bothered me a little was the asymmetry of the cockpit. The instrument pod, ignition, and gas cap are all off-center. That just didn't feel right, but I can write that off to OCD.

Van is a helluv a rider. Quite a bit more aggressive and skilled than I am, but willing to put up with a slower rider without giving me the feeling that he's being held back. I pushed myself a bit trying to keep up, but knowing that wasn't actually going to happen when we rode Mosquito Ridge Road I slowed it down and concentrated on my own skill development rather than pushing the envelope. (Note: we were back on our own bikes by this point) It was still a thrill ride for me. Many thanks to Van for showing me some new roads that are right in my backyard!
Quote:Nortoon Wrote:
Lie it or not this is an old man's bike. You have ot be at least 60 to remember the CB750 and appreciate it looks.

Eric is only forty, and I'm fifty-three. While I can't speak in full for Eric, I do know that he loves the look of his bike. That was its main selling feature to him. For my part, I think the CB1100 is the most beautiful regular-production motorcycle available today. I have never ridden an original CB750 from the '60s, but I sure do appreciate and admire its looks, just as I love the looks of this new one.
I'm only 40, but I was born at a very young age.....

[Acrobat_imp]

I think a person's riding style has a lot to do with how they judge the CB.

Like it or not this is an old man's bike. You have to be at least 60 to remember the CB750 and appreciate it looks. This is confirmed every time I stop for breakfast or lunch. It always the mature gray haired gentlemen that are attracted to this machine.

She is a porky motorcycle and very top heavy compared to most bikes, except touring motorcycles and large cruisers. That is reason I call mine Miss Piggy.

Don't get me wrong, I like my CB1100 and had to wait 3 years to be able to buy one. I love the looks of the machine, and she fits my riding style perfectly. I like sweeping through the corners, but at 71 years of age my knee dragging days are far behind me. I have yet to scrape the center stand or a foot peg on my EX, and that is fine with me. I ride my CB strictly for pleasure on lonesome scenic back roads on week days to avoid the traffic.

Except to pass most of my time is spent at 3500 RPMs or less. I know the power is there beyond that, but I don't really need it for my riding style. I prefer a smooth and relaxed sweep through the corners. At my age racing a heavy motorcycle through the corners on the edge of safety would be exhausting and perilous.

Nortoon , with all respect I don't think that CB is an old man's bike . You maybe 71 and i am almost 52 , but I am sure you feel , as I do , like 16. And this motorcycle enhances this feeling. Did you ever consider why you ride? I ride because I envy the birds flying. So my opinion is that CB1100 is for riders that have nothing to prove...

[VLJ_imp]

mickey, yes, I suspect it will be my last bike, but if it turns out not to be, I feel that I will still have benefited from the experience more than I would benefit from having owned yet another sportbike.

I'm 100% serious about a couple of things here. One, I truly, deeply love the CB1100. It appeals to me in non-spec-sheet ways that no other bike ever has, other than the original ST1100, back when I knew next-to-nothing about bikes. As it stands now, the CB1100 is probably the only bike that gives me the near-certain feeling that if I owned one, I would finally stop looking at other bikes. (I have a guitar buddy who is nodding his head in approval right now, having been through this same constant-swapping penchant of mine far too many times, regarding guitars. It wasn't until I took the plunge and grabbed a way-too-pricey-for-me Gibson ES-335 and a perfect white Suhr Strat that I was finally able to get off the guitar-swapping merry-go-round, which he absolutely hated.) I would accept the CB1100 and love it for what it is, knowing that I've already scratched the speed itch for many years. The second thing is that I absolutely see it as a benefit that the CB would force me to slow down and begin a safer, less retarded phase of my motorcycling life. EmptySea can say what he wants about the CB's ability to keep up with sportbikes on the types of roads and rides I favor, but I know better. I know it can't, and if I were to try to make it do so, I would be dipping too far into the margin of safety I try to maintain when riding those speeds on dedicated sportbikes.

At some point here I expect Eric to chime in with his thoughts. I suspect that after our little stint on Mosquito Ridge yesterday he will confirm that the CB would, in fact, slow me down up there; or, at the very least, that it ought to slow me down up there, if I value my hide.

I already feel that my XSR needs suspension work in order to maintain a proper safety margin under certain circumstances, at the pace I tend to ride. It's okay enough, but it could stand to handle stutter bumps better when leaned all the way over, hard on the gas. 10,000 RPM in second or third gear on the XSR equates to hellacious acceleration, and those roads are mighty narrow in spots, leading to cliff dives to the Point of No Return. Go over the edge up there, and no one will ever find you.

So, yes, a greater margin for error would be a welcome addition, if I'm going to keep ripping around up there.

Or, I could stop being a monkey and just slow the eff down, like a semi-responsible person ought to be doing by now...right?

The problem there is I can't stand cruisers, and I can't afford and probably wouldn't want a Gold Wing. If I'm to slow down, I still need something to keep me interested in the ride. For me, that something is my irrational love for the whole CB1100 concept, from the history behind the bike, to its painstaking execution, and definitely its unmatched beauty and pride of ownership.

I'm looking for a trade here: long-lasting love in place of short-term exhilaration; permanent satisfaction instead of fleeting competition.

I don't see the Z900 providing me with any degree of permanence. It feels strictly like another short-term affair. The CB1000R? Possibly. The pride of ownership would definitely be there, and it should certainly satisfy the exhilaration half of the equation. I just don't see it being comfortable enough for my neck, and I know I would go even faster on it, since it has a sportier riding position and better suspension.

Not good. Not what I need to be shooting for here.

The CB1100 is all good. Even its negatives are good, if I'm willing to be smarter about things.

[LongRanger_imp]

Analysis paralysis. You seem so tormented by a relatively trivial, inconsequential, and easily reversible decision. If you love the bike for how it moves you, listen to your heart and buy one. Enjoy it for what it is and expect nothing more. That's one secret to happiness.

That said, I don't think you'd slow down but instead become frustrated and unfulfilled. While the CB's siren call can be irresistible to some, it really sounds like your expectations would be better served elsewhere. If you had the maturity and temperament to do so, you could continue riding your current bikes in a more relaxed manner, without having to bump off the rev limiter or ride 100 mph on public roads. They'll go just as slow as the CB.

[emptysea]

It was physics-teacher's last bike, too.

[3rdbike_imp]

I'm just gonna repeat an old adage: it is better to ride a slow bike fast than ride a fast bike slow.

[CA200_imp]

I always used to tell my wife " this will be my last bike" . I remember I said in 1985 when
I bought my first and last BMW. I had maybe 20- or 30 bikes by then. I said it when I
bought my Gold wing in 96. And on and on. After 49 years I no longer tell my wife that.
At 69 they make me feel younger. Maybe that's why I bought a Versys 300 last summer.

[VLJ_imp]

Analysis paralysis. You seem so tormented by a relatively trivial, inconsequential, and easily reversible decision. If you love the bike for how it moves you, listen to your heart and buy one. Enjoy it for what it is and expect nothing more. That's one secret to happiness.

That said, I don't think you'd slow down but instead become frustrated and unfulfilled. While the CB's siren call can be irresistible to some, it really sounds like your expectations would be better served elsewhere. If you had the maturity and temperament to do so, you could continue riding your current bikes in a more relaxed manner, without having to bump off the rev limiter or ride 100 mph on public roads. They'll go just as slow as the CB.

They will, but they won't be happy doing so, and I won't be happy making them do it. You don't buy a Ferrari just to take it to Costco, and you don't date Megan Fox just to have someone nice to bring home to Mom.

As for my expectations, I think the '17 EX would serve them just fine. I don't expect a CB to behave like a sportbike, nor do I want it to, or I'd just want another sportbike. A large part of the reason I want the CB is because I know I ought to slow down, and I think the CB is the one bike (along with the T120, to a lesser degree) that would make me slow down and not feel frustration over having to do so.

To your other point, which mirrors Ulvetanna's, I agree. More and more, I think the answer is the obvious one: scratch the itch, because, well, why not? What have I got to lose? Worst-case scenario, I eventually have to swap bikes again? Yeah, so? I've done so a million times before, so what's one more swap?

At least I will have owned a CB1100. That's a definite plus in anybody's book.

I'm just gonna repeat an old adage: it is better to ride a slow bike fast than ride a fast bike slow.

Bam.

[ohiorider_imp]

VLJ, I certainly enjoyed reading your ride report. I picked up a 2014 CB1100 Standard (all black - 4 into 1 exhaust) last April and to date have approx 3000 miles on the odometer. I was glad to see that you and I agree on one of the few gripes I have with my bike. That is the suspension. I copied and pasted two of your comments I'm trying to address with mine.
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- Our girl needs to go on a major diet, and she needs to tone up those legs. A soft-riding bike of this sort needs to be plush. That's the expected trade-off one accepts for a soft, heavy-handling, laid-back, comfortable bike. The problem here is she isn't particularly plush. Yes, she's soft, but square-edged bumps overwhelm her suspension and transmit a sharp jolt that saps one's confidence heading into a fast corner.

- Even if I slow down, I still want a competent, plush ride. This bike's suspension, especially its forks, need a lot of help in that area.
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1. I've swapped out the OEM shocks for a set of Ikons, that still feel sprung too stiff. Once the garage warms up, I may pull them and send them to Ikon in Pennsylvania for lighter springs. Better for me than the stockers, but not quite there yet.

2. I've replaced the front fork springs and damper rods with a kit from Traxxion Dynamics that has also helped, but she's still too stiff over square edged bumps or frost heaves. The kit also provides a Race Tech cartridge emulator. I had a good conversation with a Race Tech rep who is willing to work with me to hopefully arrive at what you and I call a 'plush' ride. I mentioned that I'll accept an under sprung ride in place of a harsh fork. Hopefully I can get the supension where I want it. I've ridden older BMWs for years, and yes, they deserve the German nickname of "Gummikuh" or "Rubber Cow." But their suspension always worked for me personally, right out of the crate.

Bob (Ohiorider)