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2014 CB1100 Standard ride review/XSR900 comparo
#31
(01-15-2018, 05:02 AM)Acrobat_imp Wrote:
(01-15-2018, 01:35 AM)Nortoon_imp Wrote: 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...

Very well put Acrobat — I really like that. I think this is exactly why someone like Ulvetanna is so conflicted with regards to the CB1100. He clearly needs to prove that, even though he's old, he's "still got it". I don't have a problem with that and I don't have a hard time believing that he's still plenty fast. If that's how he enjoys riding his bikes then more power to him. But unfortunately he got to the point that he felt had had to convince everyone on this forum that the CB1100 is something that it isn't. I get the distinct impression that he did so primarily to satisfy himself. When he couldn't accomplish this, he sold his CB1100.

VLJ clearly admits to the sporting nature of his riding style, but it strikes me that he's trying to look at the CB1100 in a more honest light than Ulvetanna did. While he is well aware of his own riding style he also realizes that he'll need to "bend" somewhat himself in order to make the CB1100 work for him with the hope that he might enjoy a long-term ownership experience. Most guys simply want to keep throwing more many at the machine rather than focusing on themselves. There is a big difference between the two approaches. Apparently VLJ's desire to own a CB1100 is great enough that he is giving much thought to the above and that's saying something.

As someone who spent many years (and far too much money) on the guitar merry-go-round, I know how hard it can be to kick such a buying habit. In the end I figured out that the answer for me was to focus more on my own happiness with myself while I was playing rather than solely on the guitar that I found in my hands. Even then I still ended up with a bunch of guitars that I still own to this day, but it's now been over five years since I've bought/sold/traded a guitar and that is a huge record for me. If VLJ is similarly conflicted when it comes to motorcycles, then I'm not exactly confident that a CB1100 would remain in his garage long-term. But then I also doubt that any bike currently available would do the trick for that matter. If I were VLJ, I'd probably wait for the CB1000R to come along and try it out before making a decision. But I'm not VLJ and he's stated plenty of good reasons for wanting a CB1100. He surely has a better idea than myself whether or not he truly thinks this bike could make him happy and I wish him nothing but the best with his decision.
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#32
VLJ, I'm curious by something you posted earlier, regarding your local Honda dealer. Considering your location, don't you have other options within, say, 100 miles? A dealer in SF / Oakland / Stockton would be less convenient for you but certainly doable, correct?
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#33
(01-15-2018, 06:19 AM)LongRanger_imp Wrote: 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.

+1

pb
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#34
Guth, believe it or not, probably the only sure-thing bike I can think of right now that would do everything I want (within reason) and do so for the foreseeable future is a properly-spec'd R1200RT. Even there, I'd need to see whether I get along with its huge, adjustable windshield. If it wasn't too noisy for me, yeah, that bike would do it. I just can't afford one.

As for the CB1000R, it will be the same scenario for me as the CB1100. Like LongRanger mentioned, I'd need to see about finding a dealer in the Bay Area that would be willing to give me a test ride. My local dealer certainly won't.

There is one big difference, however. Unlike the CB1100, which offered questions only a test drive could answer, all but one of my questions regarding the CB1000R will easily be answered simply by sitting on one at my local dealership. Namely, how severe is the forward lean? That's one of only two functional questions I have regarding that bike, the other being whether it has any of the same sort of fueling issues that afflict the Z900RS, the original GSX-S1000, and a number of recent Yamahas. I'll be able to glean my answer to that question after reading enough ride reviews. If the bike has a noticeable problem, a consensus will be apparent in the early reviews.
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#35
The 3 CB 1100 's I have at the moment will probably be my last new bikes I bought but I never told my wife "this is the last bike I will ever buy"
However I did tell her in 1974 when we got married that she will be the last women I would ever marry . Also happened to be the first one !
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#36
Hmmmmmm...interesting thread.

I'll stick to what makes me happy about my '13 CB.

1. It makes me smile! Not so much when in repose, unlike so many others. In the battle of form over function, I am much more enamored with the new Triumph 120, or even the BMW R-NineT. For looks alone, though, the Thruxton R does it for me. But I still bought the CB. Go figure.

2. It is a bike that lends itself to performance improvements without breaking the bank. I re-flashed the ecu, added a Power Commander V, full Yosh exhaust, Ohlins rear shocks, and RaceTech forks. Didn't shed any weight, but gained a plush and more-spirited ride. In addition, I get to listen to the wonderful sound the engine makes through that pipe. Not obnoxious by any means, it just reminds me how well that engine is working to push me along.

3. The "attitude" of the CB seems to suit me more often than my other two street bikes. Although I enjoy them both, it is "The CB" that makes me feel just a little like Benjamin Buttons when I am putting on my gear. I hardly ever get on the bike with a destination in mind. It's more of a feeling like "It's time to ride The CB." The rides are almost always longer than I imagined. And I pull into my garage thinking "That was fun...I need to do it more often!"

Fortunately, it got up to sixty degrees in Seattle today.

Sorry! ;-)
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#37
(01-15-2018, 07:41 AM)Houtman_imp Wrote: The 3 CB 1100 's I have at the moment will probably be my last new bikes I bought but I never told my wife "this is the last bike I will ever buy"
However I did tell her in 1974 when we got married that she will be the last women I would ever marry . Also happened to be the first one !

My wife hates it when I refer to her as "my first wife". It's true, though!
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#38
This...

(01-15-2018, 07:51 AM)Olyrider_imp Wrote: Hmmmmmm...interesting thread.

I'll stick to what makes me happy about my '13 CB.

1. It makes me smile! Not so much when in repose, unlike so many others. In the battle of form over function, I am much more enamored with the new Triumph 120, or even the BMW R-NineT. For looks alone, though, the Thruxton R does it for me. But I still bought the CB. Go figure.

2. It is a bike that lends itself to performance improvements without breaking the bank. I re-flashed the ecu, added a Power Commander V, full Yosh exhaust, Ohlins rear shocks, and RaceTech forks. Didn't shed any weight, but gained a plush and more-spirited ride. In addition, I get to listen to the wonderful sound the engine makes through that pipe. Not obnoxious by any means, it just reminds me how well that engine is working to push me along.

3. The "attitude" of the CB seems to suit me more often than my other two street bikes. Although I enjoy them both, it is "The CB" that makes me feel just a little like Benjamin Buttons when I am putting on my gear. I hardly ever get on the bike with a destination in mind. It's more of a feeling like "It's time to ride The CB." The rides are almost always longer than I imagined. And I pull into my garage thinking "That was fun...I need to do it more often!"

Fortunately, it got up to sixty degrees in Seattle today.

Sorry! ;-)


Followed by this...

Quote:I re-flashed the ecu, added a Power Commander V, full Yosh exhaust, Ohlins rear shocks, and RaceTech forks.

Big Grin
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#39
This kind of thread reminds me how passionate we are about motorcycles. That's a good thing.
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#40
(01-15-2018, 07:57 AM)VLJ_imp Wrote: This...

(01-15-2018, 07:51 AM)Olyrider_imp Wrote: Hmmmmmm...interesting thread.

I'll stick to what makes me happy about my '13 CB.

1. It makes me smile! Not so much when in repose, unlike so many others. In the battle of form over function, I am much more enamored with the new Triumph 120, or even the BMW R-NineT. For looks alone, though, the Thruxton R does it for me. But I still bought the CB. Go figure.

2. It is a bike that lends itself to performance improvements without breaking the bank. I re-flashed the ecu, added a Power Commander V, full Yosh exhaust, Ohlins rear shocks, and RaceTech forks. Didn't shed any weight, but gained a plush and more-spirited ride. In addition, I get to listen to the wonderful sound the engine makes through that pipe. Not obnoxious by any means, it just reminds me how well that engine is working to push me along.

3. The "attitude" of the CB seems to suit me more often than my other two street bikes. Although I enjoy them both, it is "The CB" that makes me feel just a little like Benjamin Buttons when I am putting on my gear. I hardly ever get on the bike with a destination in mind. It's more of a feeling like "It's time to ride The CB." The rides are almost always longer than I imagined. And I pull into my garage thinking "That was fun...I need to do it more often!"

Fortunately, it got up to sixty degrees in Seattle today.

Sorry! ;-)


Followed by this...

Quote:I re-flashed the ecu, added a Power Commander V, full Yosh exhaust, Ohlins rear shocks, and RaceTech forks.

Big Grin


Followed by this...

Quote:I re-flashed the ecu, added a Power Commander V, full Yosh exhaust, Ohlins rear shocks, and RaceTech forks.

Big Grin
Expected that response from someone, just wasn't sure who would throw it out there.

I bought a used 2013 with less than 1,000 miles. Would be more than happy to compare receipts with you, and the two bikes, after you purchase a new 2017.

To each his own...
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