The true beauty of this motorcycle. (another LONG read)

[Guth_imp]

Also to pdese's point as I understand it.. The marked thing means normal to the person doing the describing. As in his example describe a bird, ... Small, covered in feathers, some color, flys, eats worms would be his description of a bird. Yet a penguin is also a bird.. Useless wings, doesn't fly, no feathers, no color, swims eats fish. Yes the penguin is a bird, but it's not what comes to his mind when asked to describe a bird. You may get the exact opposite if you ask an inuit lol

His norm or marked thingy for a motorcycle is sit up, round headlight, flat seat, no plastic...like a CB1100, yet a lay down, crotch rocket, low bars, covered in plastic is also a motorcycle... But it is not the norm that he would describe to someone.

You know I was big into archery. My father was a bowyer and tought me the craft. One day in the early 70's I bought one of the new fangled compound bows with wheels and cables and brought it home. My dad took a look at it and said what is that? I replied its a bow. And he snorted in derision thats not a bow. Truth is it was, but it didn't resemble the graceful wood long bows my dad was used to making and shooting, therefore he didn't recognize it as such. CB vs Ninja

Just another way of saying bias's or preferences.

Yep!

Also to pdese's point as I understand it.. The marked thing means normal to the person doing the describing. As in his example describe a bird, ... Small, covered in feathers, some color, flys, eats worms would be his description of a bird. Yet a penguin is also a bird.. Useless wings, doesn't fly, no feathers, no color, swims eats fish. Yes the penguin is a bird, but it's not what comes to his mind when asked to describe a bird. You may get the exact opposite if you ask an inuit lol

His norm or marked thingy for a motorcycle is sit up, round headlight, flat seat, no plastic...like a CB1100, yet a lay down, crotch rocket, low bars, covered in plastic is also a motorcycle... But it is not the norm that he would describe to someone.

You know I was big into archery. My father was a bowyer and tought me the craft. One day in the early 70's I bought one of the new fangled compound bows with wheels and cables and brought it home. My dad took a look at it and said what is that? I replied its a bow. And he snorted in derision thats not a bow. Truth is it was, but it didn't resemble the graceful wood long bows my dad was used to making and shooting, therefore he didn't recognize it as such. CB vs Ninja

Just another way of saying bias's or preferences.

Kind of, I would suggest MT attempts at explaining why one would prefer this or that.

Also to pdese's point as I understand it.. The marked thing means normal to the person doing the describing. As in his example describe a bird, ... Small, covered in feathers, some color, flys, eats worms would be his description of a bird. Yet a penguin is also a bird.. Useless wings, doesn't fly, no feathers, no color, swims eats fish. Yes the penguin is a bird, but it's not what comes to his mind when asked to describe a bird. You may get the exact opposite if you ask an inuit lol

His norm or marked thingy for a motorcycle is sit up, round headlight, flat seat, no plastic...like a CB1100, yet a lay down, crotch rocket, low bars, covered in plastic is also a motorcycle... But it is not the norm that he would describe to someone.

You know I was big into archery. My father was a bowyer and tought me the craft. One day in the early 70's I bought one of the new fangled compound bows with wheels and cables and brought it home. My dad took a look at it and said what is that? I replied its a bow. And he snorted in derision thats not a bow. Truth is it was, but it didn't resemble the graceful wood long bows my dad was used to making and shooting, therefore he didn't recognize it as such. CB vs Ninja

Just another way of saying bias's or preferences.

My goodness, something, somewhere, has definitely frozen over. The Ferret and I are in complete agreement! It is the province of academia to over-analyze and over-complicate things.

I have to say that is extraordinarily ironic give that the Honda CB1100 (as we see in the posts to follow from the designer himself) was designed very specifically to be a motorcycle that most folks would readily take as a simple, standard, easy to ride, easy to look at vehicle. Nothing at all pedantic, theoretical, arcane, or steeped in jargon.

Just the essential elements of a motorcycle.

Ride, enjoy. Smell cherry blossoms. Repeat.

In society, markedness, by its own definition, is necessarily fluid. We each have our own first experiences at different times. Therefore, the CB's of the 1970's, which many of us identify as "real motorcycles," can never be identified as "real motorcycles" to a teen growing up today. His influence, his reference point, is contemporary. Instead, the plastic-shrouded, tail-in-the-air street fighter will be his "real motorcycle," and our beloved CB's will appear as relics. I suppose in the same way that I view a Vincent or early BMW with a heavy Earles fork as a relic.

Well-said. Actually I have no idea what in heck we're talking about any more, but I'll say my Z900R is parked next to my Street Cup. Both have two wheels and an engine.

Not only of academia, but yes...and then it's their job to make something practical out of the theory. In linguistics, markedness theory is behind good foreign language textbook design...what vocab and grammar should be presented first, then next, what can wait, what can't, etc. It's a very practical application for language teachers.

Also to pdese's point as I understand it.. The marked thing means normal to the person doing the describing. As in his example describe a bird, ... Small, covered in feathers, some color, flys, eats worms would be his description of a bird. Yet a penguin is also a bird.. Useless wings, doesn't fly, no feathers, no color, swims eats fish. Yes the penguin is a bird, but it's not what comes to his mind when asked to describe a bird. You may get the exact opposite if you ask an inuit lol

His norm or marked thingy for a motorcycle is sit up, round headlight, flat seat, no plastic...like a CB1100, yet a lay down, crotch rocket, low bars, covered in plastic is also a motorcycle... But it is not the norm that he would describe to someone.

You know I was big into archery. My father was a bowyer and tought me the craft. One day in the early 70's I bought one of the new fangled compound bows with wheels and cables and brought it home. My dad took a look at it and said what is that? I replied its a bow. And he snorted in derision thats not a bow. Truth is it was, but it didn't resemble the graceful wood long bows my dad was used to making and shooting, therefore he didn't recognize it as such. CB vs Ninja

Just another way of saying bias's or preferences.

My goodness, something, somewhere, has definitely frozen over. The Ferret and I are in complete agreement! It is the province of academia to over-analyze and over-complicate things.

I have to say that is extraordinarily ironic give that the Honda CB1100 (as we see in the posts to follow from the designer himself) was designed very specifically to be a motorcycle that most folks would readily take as a simple, standard, easy to ride, easy to look at vehicle. Nothing at all pedantic, theoretical, arcane, or steeped in jargon.

Just the essential elements of a motorcycle.

Ride, enjoy. Smell cherry blossoms. Repeat.

In society, markedness, by its own definition, is necessarily fluid. We each have our own first experiences at different times. Therefore, the CB's of the 1970's, which many of us identify as "real motorcycles," can never be identified as "real motorcycles" to a teen growing up today. His influence, his reference point, is contemporary. Instead, the plastic-shrouded, tail-in-the-air street fighter will be his "real motorcycle," and our beloved CB's will appear as relics. I suppose in the same way that I view a Vincent or early BMW with a heavy Earles fork as a relic.

Well-said. Actually I have no idea what in heck we're talking about any more, but I'll say my Z900R is parked next to my Street Cup. Both have two wheels and an engine.

I added the boldface...hmmmm, we diverge here. I would argue that there's a large number of folks that do not think of the CB1100 as simple, easy to ride, easy to look at--that's why they didn't sell a large number of them. So markedness theory might have been used (consciously or not) by marketers and sales people to exclaim "whoa, we're gonna export how many '14 Standard CB1100s to the U.S? Are we sure about that number? Maybe we should export more of the '14 DLX because they are more in line with what our target audience wants." Hind sight, I know, but I could see two guys arguing which version would sell more: "everybody's buying blacked out bikes, man" vs. "you're crazy, they want the DLX because it looks 'more standard / nostalgic' and THAT'S the group we're trying to reach!"

Fun to talk about : )

Most definitely!

[VLJ_imp]

Interesting discussion going on here.

I gather that I approach this subject from a very different starting point than the majority of the people here. Growing up, I knew absolutely nothing about motorcycles. I grew up in L.A., and all I cared about was sports, girls, and history books. I never rode a dirtbike. No one in our neighborhood rode.

The first bike I ever had was a used Honda Hawk CB400 Hondamatic, with a two-speed (IIRC) automatic transmission. I didn't know that it was unusual for bikes to have automatic trannies. To me it was just cheap transportation, and that was it. I thought it looked cool in its aqua and orange livery, and I came to realize that girls thought it looked cool too. Good thing for me, they also had no idea that a 400 with an automatic transmission was not exactly the coolest bike on the block. They just thought it looked dangerous, plus it vibrated right where they liked to be vibrated.

Winnah!

Once I bought that bike, though, I was hooked. I immediately started looking into new bikes, and the first motorcycle I ever lusted after was the 1992 Suzuki Katana 1100. Not only did it look awesome to a young moron like me, it had an electrically adjustable windshield! Holy crap!

Remember, this is the pre-helmet-law era, so the idea of a windshield sounded awesome to me after one too many nights riding home at five a.m to the San Fernando Valley from my girlfriend's place in Canyon Country, wearing nothing but one of her borrowed scarves and a flannel shirt. I will always remember that damnable '28 degrees' reading on the local bank's outside ticker display, knowing it was going to be a whole lot colder than that at seventy mph in the rolling hills. Sure enough, yep, every time I'd crest a hill and drop down into some little dip in the mountains, it suddenly felt ten degrees colder.

By the time I got home one night, my bottom lip had frozen and split open, and my face was covered in frozen snot.

Yeah, the Katana 1110 looked like something out of The Jetsons to me.

Problem was, I couldn't afford one. Somehow, though, I was able to afford a brand-new leftover Yamaha FJ1200, which I cartwheeled at 140 mph on Hwy 58 in the Mojave desert when my tailpack worked its way over the seat and into the wheel area, locking up the rear wheel and sending me fishtailing until finally it tossed me down the road.

Undaunted, I continued to go Full Retard through a succession of ever-faster racy bikes: VFRs, CBRs, GSX-Rs, Ninjas, etc. Eventually I mixed in some sport-tourers so my two wives and a few different girlfriends could join me. I watched a couple of riders die right in front of me; one at Sears Point during a track day; the other, my best friend, on Hwy 49 near Auburn.

I lost my desire for track days. I had hit a plateau, and wasn't going to go any faster without a major change of commitment, which I wasn't about to give.

A few years later I had to undergo multiple neuro-spinal reconstructions, which put paid to my ability to ride anything with even the slightest forward lean. Just can't tilt my head into the required position now, which precipitated my recent spate of purchases of bikes with upright seating positions. My neck won't even allow me to do the Street Triple seating position now, so it's become Naked Standards Time for me.

Any guess as to which Naked Standard happens to be the most attractive to yours truly, who also happened to spend ten years as a Honda motorcycle dealer?

Marked vs unmarked? I don't know which style is really my bias. I know what I don't like, i.e., Japanese Transformers styling, and I want nothing to do with the whole world of cruiserdom. Otherwise, I like the look of classic Triumphs and Japanese UJMs, and I came of age as a motorcyclist, so to speak, during the era of Miguel DuHamel's domination of AMA Superbike, so I've always loved Superbikes, especially Hondas and GSX-Rs (Doug Polen and Kevin Schwantz).

With the exception of that first Honda 400 Hondamatic, what I've never had is a slow, non-sporty bike. My ST1100, ST1300, and V-Strom 1000 were the least sporty things I've ever owned, so my desire for this CB1100 is a complete departure for me.

I don't know, but somehow the CB1100 seems to be the perfect example of both a marked and unmarked motorcycle to me. Pick either direction, and it pegs the meter for me.

[Guth_imp]

Interesting discussion going on here.

I gather that I approach this subject from a very different starting point than the majority of the people here. Growing up, I knew absolutely nothing about motorcycles. I grew up in L.A., and all I cared about was sports, girls, and history books. I never rode a dirtbike. No one in our neighborhood rode.

The first bike I ever had was a used Honda Hawk CB400 Hondamatic, with a two-speed (IIRC) automatic transmission. I didn't know that it was unusual for bikes to have automatic trannies. To me it was just cheap transportation, and that was it. I thought it looked cool in its aqua and orange livery, and I came to realize that girls thought it looked cool too. Good thing for me, they also had no idea that a 400 with an automatic transmission was not exactly the coolest bike on the block. They just thought it looked dangerous, plus it vibrated right where they liked to be vibrated.

Winnah!

Once I bought that bike, though, I was hooked. I immediately started looking into new bikes, and the first motorcycle I ever lusted after was the 1992 Suzuki Katana 1100. Not only did it look awesome to a young moron like me, it had an electrically adjustable windshield! Holy crap!

Remember, this is the pre-helmet-law era, so the idea of a windshield sounded awesome to me after one too many nights riding home at five a.m to the San Fernando Valley from my girlfriend's place in Canyon Country, wearing nothing but one of her borrowed scarves and a flannel shirt. I will always remember that damnable '28 degrees' reading on the local bank's outside ticker display, knowing it was going to be a whole lot colder than that at seventy mph in the rolling hills. Sure enough, yep, every time I'd crest a hill and drop down into some little dip in the mountains, it suddenly felt ten degrees colder.

By the time I got home one night, my bottom lip had frozen and split open, and my face was covered in frozen snot.

Yeah, the Katana 1110 looked like something out of The Jetsons to me.

Problem was, I couldn't afford one. Somehow, though, I was able to afford a brand-new leftover Yamaha FJ1200, which I cartwheeled at 140 mph on Hwy 58 in the Mojave desert when my tailpack worked its way over the seat and into the wheel area, locking up the rear wheel and sending me fishtailing until finally it tossed me down the road.

Undaunted, I continued to go Full Retard through a succession of ever-faster racy bikes: VFRs, CBRs, GSX-Rs, Ninjas, etc. Eventually I mixed in some sport-tourers so my two wives and a few different girlfriends could join me. I watched a couple of riders die right in front of me; one at Sears Point during a track day; the other, my best friend, on Hwy 49 near Auburn.

I lost my desire for track days. I had hit a plateau, and wasn't going to go any faster without a major change of commitment, which I wasn't about to give.

A few years later I had to undergo multiple neuro-spinal reconstructions, which put paid to my ability to ride anything with even the slightest forward lean. Just can't tilt my head into the required position now, which precipitated my recent spate of purchases of bikes with upright seating positions. My neck won't even allow me to do the Street Triple seating position now, so it's become Naked Standards Time for me.

Any guess as to which Naked Standard happens to be the most attractive to yours truly, who also happened to spend ten years as a Honda motorcycle dealer?

Marked vs unmarked? I don't know which style is really my bias. I know what I don't like, i.e., Japanese Transformers styling, and I want nothing to do with the whole world of cruiserdom. Otherwise, I like the look of classic Triumphs and Japanese UJMs, and I came of age as a motorcyclist, so to speak, during the era of Miguel DuHamel's domination of AMA Superbike, so I've always loved Superbikes, especially Hondas and GSX-Rs (Doug Polen and Kevin Schwantz).

With the exception of that first Honda 400 Hondamatic, what I've never had is a slow, non-sporty bike. My ST1100, ST1300, and V-Strom 1000 were the least sporty things I've ever owned, so my desire for this CB1100 is a complete departure for me.

I don't know, but somehow the CB1100 seems to be the perfect example of both a marked and unmarked motorcycle to me. Pick either direction, and it pegs the meter for me.

I like to do as much of the mechanical work on my motorcycles as I can on my own. But when I decided to start modifying the suspension on my Hawk GT and it came time to start doing stuff like drilling holes in the damper rods and tuning the suspension components, i thought that it might be wise of me to look into getting some help. I found one mechanic that wouldn't mind me watching him while he worked on my Hawk (as long as I was willing to come in late on a Saturday). I jumped at the chance as I really wanted to learn first hand what was involved. [url=https://www.cycletunepdx.com/]Cycletune, the shop that agreed to this back then, remains to this day the only place I trust to touch my bikes other than myself (not that I totally trust myself if I'm being honest). The guy who owns the shop — Chris, is a Honda master mechanic and trained extensively with Honda Racing Corporation in Japan. Chris was Miguel DuHamel's lead technician during those years you came of age as a motorcyclist VLJ. He's also the guy that let me watch over his shoulder and ask far too many questions as he worked on my Hawk all those years ago (it just so happened that his wife had owned a Hawk GT as well). Great guy, and his shop is a considerably busier these days, lol.

Naturally, Cycletune was one of the first places that I stopped by with my CB1100 not long after I brought it home from the dealer. I knew that Chris as well as Rob, the other Honda master mechanic that works there, would likely appreciate the CB1100. For me, watching the smiles on their faces as they came walking out of the shop to look at my new CB was priceless. Then they started exploring all of the little details of the bike. They asked me a few questions about this and that and they told me a few stories of other Hondas they were reminded of by the way Honda went about things on the CB — some things that I knew and a few things that I wasn't aware of. A great day had got even better and I could have stayed there all day talking to them. Of course they had to get back to work and I had a new motorcycle to ride so a nice moment came to an end. But it was a good day nevertheless.

Those two guys probably know more about motorcycles in general, and about Hondas in particular, than anyone else that I'm likely to meet in my lifetime. They genuinely got a kick out looking over practically every square inch of this bike — motorcycle guys through and through. Needless to say, they both both definitely understood the true beauty of the CB1100. Just as I was getting ready to ride off, a customer who had walked over from the parking lot asked me if I had done the work on the bike. I wasn't sure what he was talking about and asked him what he meant. You have to keep in mind that my CB was brand spanking new then and I was one of the first ones (if not the first one) to take delivery of a CB1100 in the metro area. He was wondering if I had restored the bike and could tell him a bit about it as he wasn't familiar with this particular model. When I told him it was a brand new bike, he was blown away. His reaction probably speaks with as much volume as did those of Chris and Rob. Of course Chris and Rob weren't the only ones that would enjoy looking over the bike in great detail and the guy that wandered over from the parking lot wasn't the last one to ask me if I did the restoration work. I never get tired of those types of reactions to the bike — it is certainly worthy of them.

[LongRanger_imp]

VLJ, Guth, great posts. I love reading your stuff.

[VLJ_imp]

Guth, you actually got me to thinking over the question of which model-year CB1100 looks the best, and I've reluctantly come to the conclusion that I agree with your assessment that the original 2013 model is probably the purest fulfillment of the original design goals set forth by the product planners. I prefer the '14 Deluxe's and '17 EX's stitched seat and instrument cluster, and the '17's lack of tank seams. I also prefer the extra chrome bits on the '17 EX, as well as its improved suspension, additional power, and meaner-sounding engine snarl. The addition of the six-speed to the '14 Deluxe and '17 EX is a no-brainer preference for me. Stylistically, the smaller twin pipes do look better than the larger single pipe on the '13 and '14 Standard, but the weight-savings argument for the single pipe is difficult to ignore, particularly since Honda inexplicably opted against the much cooler 2+2 design from the original sketch.

Aesthetically, however, that's about it, in favor of the later models. Otherwise, the '13 has most of the other boxes checked. Seams aside (and they are pretty egregious, I have to say), I think the tank shape of the '13 and '14 Standard is superior to the '14 Deluxe and '17 EX, in that it looks more like a classic old CB tank. John Burns described the '17 EX's tank as looking like something off of an old Norton, which he loves, and so do I, but an old Norton isn't an old CB. The '13 and '14 Standard tank shape just nails it. It's slimmer, plus it's shorter, top to bottom. Also, that inset winged logo is just tremendous, and I want the green instrument faces, as well as those tubeless Comstar wheels. I think the '17 EX's spokes look better than the Comstars, but the tubeless Comstars look more correct, since the CB1100 looks less like an original '69 CB750 and more like a CB450 or CB900. Lastly, I prefer the single-color engine treatment of all other models to the 50-50 treatment on the '17 EX.

All in all, the '13 simply looks lighter and more purposeful than the '14 Deluxe or '17 EX, which both look a bit more like very pretty rolling couches.

Then there's the '17 RS, which offers two major styling improvements over the '17 EX: the single-color motor, and the stripes on the tank. Those stripes do a great job of slimming down the appearance of that taller tank. I might also say that the RS's piggyback shocks look better than the standard items on all other CB models, and the 43mm forks and radial-mounted brakes look more aggressive than the smaller, budget-based items on the other models. I'm not so sure about the gold fork legs and shock, though, except when they're paired with the gold tank version. Now that one looks amazing.

For me, the perfect CB would be a '17 EX (including more power and no limiters) with the '14 Deluxe's all-silver motor and green-faced clocks, tubeless spoked wheels with right-angle valve stems, a seamless version of the '13's tank punched out to 4.6 gallons, and triangle side covers (as opposed to the '14 Deluxe's extended frame-covering affairs) painted to match the red tank.

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Interesting discussion going on here.

I gather that I approach this subject from a very different starting point than the majority of the people here. Growing up, I knew absolutely nothing about motorcycles. I grew up in L.A., and all I cared about was sports, girls, and history books. I never rode a dirtbike. No one in our neighborhood rode.

The first bike I ever had was a used Honda Hawk CB400 Hondamatic, with a two-speed (IIRC) automatic transmission. I didn't know that it was unusual for bikes to have automatic trannies. To me it was just cheap transportation, and that was it. I thought it looked cool in its aqua and orange livery, and I came to realize that girls thought it looked cool too. Good thing for me, they also had no idea that a 400 with an automatic transmission was not exactly the coolest bike on the block. They just thought it looked dangerous, plus it vibrated right where they liked to be vibrated.

Winnah!

Once I bought that bike, though, I was hooked. I immediately started looking into new bikes, and the first motorcycle I ever lusted after was the 1992 Suzuki Katana 1100. Not only did it look awesome to a young moron like me, it had an electrically adjustable windshield! Holy crap!

Remember, this is the pre-helmet-law era, so the idea of a windshield sounded awesome to me after one too many nights riding home at five a.m to the San Fernando Valley from my girlfriend's place in Canyon Country, wearing nothing but one of her borrowed scarves and a flannel shirt. I will always remember that damnable '28 degrees' reading on the local bank's outside ticker display, knowing it was going to be a whole lot colder than that at seventy mph in the rolling hills. Sure enough, yep, every time I'd crest a hill and drop down into some little dip in the mountains, it suddenly felt ten degrees colder.

By the time I got home one night, my bottom lip had frozen and split open, and my face was covered in frozen snot.

Yeah, the Katana 1110 looked like something out of The Jetsons to me.

Problem was, I couldn't afford one. Somehow, though, I was able to afford a brand-new leftover Yamaha FJ1200, which I cartwheeled at 140 mph on Hwy 58 in the Mojave desert when my tailpack worked its way over the seat and into the wheel area, locking up the rear wheel and sending me fishtailing until finally it tossed me down the road.

Undaunted, I continued to go Full Retard through a succession of ever-faster racy bikes: VFRs, CBRs, GSX-Rs, Ninjas, etc. Eventually I mixed in some sport-tourers so my two wives and a few different girlfriends could join me. I watched a couple of riders die right in front of me; one at Sears Point during a track day; the other, my best friend, on Hwy 49 near Auburn.

I lost my desire for track days. I had hit a plateau, and wasn't going to go any faster without a major change of commitment, which I wasn't about to give.

A few years later I had to undergo multiple neuro-spinal reconstructions, which put paid to my ability to ride anything with even the slightest forward lean. Just can't tilt my head into the required position now, which precipitated my recent spate of purchases of bikes with upright seating positions. My neck won't even allow me to do the Street Triple seating position now, so it's become Naked Standards Time for me.

Any guess as to which Naked Standard happens to be the most attractive to yours truly, who also happened to spend ten years as a Honda motorcycle dealer?

Marked vs unmarked? I don't know which style is really my bias. I know what I don't like, i.e., Japanese Transformers styling, and I want nothing to do with the whole world of cruiserdom. Otherwise, I like the look of classic Triumphs and Japanese UJMs, and I came of age as a motorcyclist, so to speak, during the era of Miguel DuHamel's domination of AMA Superbike, so I've always loved Superbikes, especially Hondas and GSX-Rs (Doug Polen and Kevin Schwantz).

With the exception of that first Honda 400 Hondamatic, what I've never had is a slow, non-sporty bike. My ST1100, ST1300, and V-Strom 1000 were the least sporty things I've ever owned, so my desire for this CB1100 is a complete departure for me.

I don't know, but somehow the CB1100 seems to be the perfect example of both a marked and unmarked motorcycle to me. Pick either direction, and it pegs the meter for me.

If you are looking for sincere advice about what bike to buy, given your medical condition and other factors, you're going to really need to ride a CB1100 before you buy one. In your case, the T120 Bonneville would also seem an excellent choice. That bike is much lighter than a CB1100 and most certainly handles the curves better (I am assuming you still like spirited riding). It's also quite a bit "brisker" in acceleration.

I really can't think of any other machine that would be comparable to the Honda in terms of "retro" appearance and function. The bikes are quite different in many respects but in the last analysis, both satisfy a similar desire for simplicity, function, and enjoyment.

As my signature indicates, I am a previous owner of a 2013 CB1100. Like any bike I've owned, I rode it hard, and under all kinds of conditions. Call it a 10,000-mile test ride, if you want. My only modifications were for better performance, but none to the engine, as that's really a fruitless endeavor. That bike handles reasonably well if you get it set up right, and the later models, with better suspension, are likely a lot better right off the showroom floor. My next mod would've been the forks, but I think Honda have got that worked out now. I have a buddy with a '13 who rides the daylights out of it still.

All that said, my 2017 SV650 can outrun a CB1100 in a straight line, has a higher top speed, and as for cornering, well, no comparison. So you won't be able to keep up with anyone who has even a middleweight sporting machine, naked or otherwise. I say that only because it seems your "need for speed" is a permanent medical and psychological condition. I know mine is.

The top speed limiter is going to keep you very honest (112 mph). It can be deleted with a reflash, but I'd not recommend riding the bike any faster than that. The chassis really probably should not be subjected to it. I'd really say the same for any Bonneville-class bike, either T100 or T120, except a Thruxton. But the riding position on the Thruxton is not going to suit you, I think.

It's a boost to morale for a forum when folks think they may be getting a new member to the club, but judging from your posts, you are really here for one reason: to get some reasonably helpful information about buying your next bike. If it's a CB1100, you'll be sticking around, for a while, anyway.

If it's something else, you'll probably fade away.

I have no dog in this hunt; If I had the room and resources, I'd probably go get a 2017 EX tomorrow, just to see if I could stand the bike for one last round of ownership. But it wouldn't be my only bike, by any means.

In your case, you must choose wisely. Because resale on a slightly-used CB1100 is not what any of us had hoped.

[johnf514_imp]

Didn't realize the 2017 CB made a little more power. Good to know.

I'm curious, to those of you that dislike fuel tank seams, why is that? I rather like the 2014 EX shape of the tank, and I think the seams bring the shape to a point.

[the Ferret]

john some guys just really dislike tank seams. They think it looks cheap. For others it's no big deal. When I started hearing complaints about tank seams about 2 years ago, I actually had to walk out to the garage to see if my bikes had them That's after owning one of them for 7 years and the other for 2. I actually never noticed before. It is not something that bothers me. They both do, and I don't really care lol. Couldn't tell you if my brothers Bonnie has them, if my son's Ducati M696 or FJ-09 has them, if my one nephews NC700 has them, if the other nephew's SV650 or 690 Duke has them? It's not something even on my radar.

[Guth_imp]

You know VLJ, it might not be a bad idea to see if anyone in your area is selling a used CB1100. Riding any of the variations that Honda offered is going to give you a real solid idea of what this bike is all about. in the end, you might not end up caring for it at all. But on the other hand, I suppose there is a chance that you'd like it enough that you might consider buying a pre-owned bike at the right price. If you were up front with the seller about this I'm guessing that you'd actually have a better shot at a test ride than you would trying to snag a test ride of a current EX model at your local dealership (I know, that's both incredibly sad and pathetic) It's just such a shame that so many dealers simply won't allow test rides. No wonder the industry is in a bit of a pickle from the way things sound. There are enough folks on this forum that are into modifying their CBs that you might find others who are willing to swap out parts with you to achieve the combination that you're ultimately looking for (although it's probably highly unlikely that the 5-speed configuration would be to your satisfaction). I'm guessing that this has already been discussed with you elsewhere on the forum and I missed it. Oh well, just a thought.
Tank seems don't bother me at all. They are certainly appropriate on a bike that is meant to honor Honda's CB heritage. I you look at the handcrafted K10 tanks that Whitehouse produces, you'll see that they use them as well.

I think the new tank shape is really more about trying to tap into those folks who happen to like old Triumphs rather than anything to do with Honda's CB past — at least those CBs that I'm familiar with. Does anyone here know of a previous CB that didn't have the tank seams/flanges?

Interesting discussion going on here.

I gather that I approach this subject from a very different starting point than the majority of the people here. Growing up, I knew absolutely nothing about motorcycles. I grew up in L.A., and all I cared about was sports, girls, and history books. I never rode a dirtbike. No one in our neighborhood rode.

The first bike I ever had was a used Honda Hawk CB400 Hondamatic, with a two-speed (IIRC) automatic transmission. I didn't know that it was unusual for bikes to have automatic trannies. To me it was just cheap transportation, and that was it. I thought it looked cool in its aqua and orange livery, and I came to realize that girls thought it looked cool too. Good thing for me, they also had no idea that a 400 with an automatic transmission was not exactly the coolest bike on the block. They just thought it looked dangerous, plus it vibrated right where they liked to be vibrated.

Winnah!

Once I bought that bike, though, I was hooked. I immediately started looking into new bikes, and the first motorcycle I ever lusted after was the 1992 Suzuki Katana 1100. Not only did it look awesome to a young moron like me, it had an electrically adjustable windshield! Holy crap!

Remember, this is the pre-helmet-law era, so the idea of a windshield sounded awesome to me after one too many nights riding home at five a.m to the San Fernando Valley from my girlfriend's place in Canyon Country, wearing nothing but one of her borrowed scarves and a flannel shirt. I will always remember that damnable '28 degrees' reading on the local bank's outside ticker display, knowing it was going to be a whole lot colder than that at seventy mph in the rolling hills. Sure enough, yep, every time I'd crest a hill and drop down into some little dip in the mountains, it suddenly felt ten degrees colder.

By the time I got home one night, my bottom lip had frozen and split open, and my face was covered in frozen snot.

Yeah, the Katana 1110 looked like something out of The Jetsons to me.

Problem was, I couldn't afford one. Somehow, though, I was able to afford a brand-new leftover Yamaha FJ1200, which I cartwheeled at 140 mph on Hwy 58 in the Mojave desert when my tailpack worked its way over the seat and into the wheel area, locking up the rear wheel and sending me fishtailing until finally it tossed me down the road.

Undaunted, I continued to go Full Retard through a succession of ever-faster racy bikes: VFRs, CBRs, GSX-Rs, Ninjas, etc. Eventually I mixed in some sport-tourers so my two wives and a few different girlfriends could join me. I watched a couple of riders die right in front of me; one at Sears Point during a track day; the other, my best friend, on Hwy 49 near Auburn.

I lost my desire for track days. I had hit a plateau, and wasn't going to go any faster without a major change of commitment, which I wasn't about to give.

A few years later I had to undergo multiple neuro-spinal reconstructions, which put paid to my ability to ride anything with even the slightest forward lean. Just can't tilt my head into the required position now, which precipitated my recent spate of purchases of bikes with upright seating positions. My neck won't even allow me to do the Street Triple seating position now, so it's become Naked Standards Time for me.

Any guess as to which Naked Standard happens to be the most attractive to yours truly, who also happened to spend ten years as a Honda motorcycle dealer?

Marked vs unmarked? I don't know which style is really my bias. I know what I don't like, i.e., Japanese Transformers styling, and I want nothing to do with the whole world of cruiserdom. Otherwise, I like the look of classic Triumphs and Japanese UJMs, and I came of age as a motorcyclist, so to speak, during the era of Miguel DuHamel's domination of AMA Superbike, so I've always loved Superbikes, especially Hondas and GSX-Rs (Doug Polen and Kevin Schwantz).

With the exception of that first Honda 400 Hondamatic, what I've never had is a slow, non-sporty bike. My ST1100, ST1300, and V-Strom 1000 were the least sporty things I've ever owned, so my desire for this CB1100 is a complete departure for me.

I don't know, but somehow the CB1100 seems to be the perfect example of both a marked and unmarked motorcycle to me. Pick either direction, and it pegs the meter for me.

If you are looking for sincere advice about what bike to buy, given your medical condition and other factors, you're going to really need to ride a CB1100 before you buy one. In your case, the T120 Bonneville would also seem an excellent choice. That bike is much lighter than a CB1100 and most certainly handles the curves better (I am assuming you still like spirited riding). It's also quite a bit "brisker" in acceleration.

I really can't think of any other machine that would be comparable to the Honda in terms of "retro" appearance and function. The bikes are quite different in many respects but in the last analysis, both satisfy a similar desire for simplicity, function, and enjoyment.

As my signature indicates, I am a previous owner of a 2013 CB1100. Like any bike I've owned, I rode it hard, and under all kinds of conditions. Call it a 10,000-mile test ride, if you want. My only modifications were for better performance, but none to the engine, as that's really a fruitless endeavor. That bike handles reasonably well if you get it set up right, and the later models, with better suspension, are likely a lot better right off the showroom floor. My next mod would've been the forks, but I think Honda have got that worked out now. I have a buddy with a '13 who rides the daylights out of it still.

All that said, my 2017 SV650 can outrun a CB1100 in a straight line, has a higher top speed, and as for cornering, well, no comparison. So you won't be able to keep up with anyone who has even a middleweight sporting machine, naked or otherwise. I say that only because it seems your "need for speed" is a permanent medical and psychological condition. I know mine is.

The top speed limiter is going to keep you very honest (112 mph). It can be deleted with a reflash, but I'd not recommend riding the bike any faster than that. The chassis really probably should not be subjected to it. I'd really say the same for any Bonneville-class bike, either T100 or T120, except a Thruxton. But the riding position on the Thruxton is not going to suit you, I think.

It's a boost to morale for a forum when folks think they may be getting a new member to the club, but judging from your posts, you are really here for one reason: to get some reasonably helpful information about buying your next bike. If it's a CB1100, you'll be sticking around, for a while, anyway.

If it's something else, you'll probably fade away.

I have no dog in this hunt; If I had the room and resources, I'd probably go get a 2017 EX tomorrow, just to see if I could stand the bike for one last round of ownership. But it wouldn't be my only bike, by any means.

In your case, you must choose wisely. Because resale on a slightly-used CB1100 is not what any of us had hoped.

Honestly Ulvetanna, I find this comment offensive. I can handle people calling me names or telling me that they don't care for my motorcycle or how it looks. I don't encourage that kind of behavior and that's not how I want things to go down on this forum. But the reality is those things aren't nearly as big a deal to me as someone indicating that I would attempt to steer another person to the CB1100 just to pick up a new forum member in hopes that that they might stick around. I've made it perfectly clear that I am not concerned about the number of members we have or the volume of posts created.

In fact, I've already suggested to VLJ elsewhere on the forum that the CB1100 is likely not the bike that will keep him happy. Still he has a genuine interest in the bike and if he is willing to keep an open mind then I can obviously understand the attraction to the bike. I would think that if VLJ is totally honest with himself in considering the CB1100 that there might be a chance he could enjoy the bike for what it is. I would actually give him a greater chance of enjoying the bike than yourself if you were to take another chance on it. You spent an awful lot of energy trying to convince everyone here (and certainly yourself) that the CB1100 was a true sportbike. Eventually you figured out what most of us already knew from the beginning. I realize that there are plenty of things to like and admire about the CB1100. That doesn't mean that it's the right bike for everyone and that's okay.

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Whatever bike you get, VLJ, I really hope it works out well and you get a lot of enjoyment out of it. The CB1100 can certainly boast some excellent credentials in that direction. So good luck with everything.

That said, I think I've done all I can do to help with the post count and discussion here...I don't own a CB1100 any longer, and I find myself occupied with a lot of other activities and duties elsewhere. The Internet in all its forms can be distracting and often addicting. I've got to cut back.

If a few guys have gotten something other than a headache or heartburn from my participation here, I'm gratified.

For the rest, I suggest aspirin, an antacid, or a change in diet, lol!