thinking of a cb1100 - opinions from bonnie owners?

[canyonwlf7_imp]

Keep the Bonnie, you will regret selling it, these 2 bikes are different enough to completely justify owning both!!
I love both my Scrambler and CB, with a few simple upgrades the Triumph has plenty of power IMHO, just work harder and find a way to keep both, yolo

[Uberjason_imp]

I had a 2013 Bonnie T-100, beautiful bike. I put 5000 miles on mine in just the one summer. Longed for a touring bike so traded in the old girl. Then ended up missing a standard type bike so that's what led me to the CB1100. Larger bike, i'd say a little better fit and finish, but not as completely retro as the Bonnie. Every bike has a different soul, there will always be things I miss about that Bonneville, then again there are things I miss about every bike i've ever owned.

[Papa Weeley_imp]

As a present owner of both a '13 CB and a '12 mag-wheel Bonnie, I figured I'd weigh in:
I love my Bonneville, but the CB looks and feels superior, and has much more power than the difference in sticker price and specs would reflect.
The Bonnie has "soul", but the CB feels like it's been sculpted from a solid block of metal. The finish of everything on the CB is jewel-like and perfect. The Triumph feels more like a '70s British twin or UJM twin to me, with all that that implies.
There isn't all that much difference in weight, but the CB feels 100+ lbs. heavier to me, and it also feels like it's carrying it a lot higher - i.e., a much higher center of gravity. It's not felt as much when moving, but at slow speeds it can be very dicey to manuever.
Both handle quite well at speed, though. The Bonnie is just a lot more "flickable", however.
The Bonnie is a bike you just get on and ride without a second thought. It's as easy and comfortable as your favorite old pair of Levis. The CB feels a lot more solid, and the ride is MUCH more comfortable - I mean, like a day and night difference - but again, I notice the weight a lot, and am more "aware" of what I'm doing, and everything to do with my riding experience.
For two-up riding...I know a lot of people do it, but I can't even imagine it on the Bonnie. It just doesn't seem like the bike for it. With the CB I wouldn't even give a second thought to it. It's roomier, has a lot more power, and just seems better suited to the task. It wouldn't take much to make it a nice day-tourer, in my opinion.
Neither of these bikes are powerhouses, mind you, but the CB feels like it has at least 50% more (and I've done a fair share of performance mods to my Bonneville).
For two retro/vintage-ish models in what is often considered the same class, they couldn't be much more different.
To me (and the reason I still have both), they are two very different bikes for two very different moods and kinds of riding. Both great bikes. Just different.

[canyonwlf7_imp]

I haven't noticed a huge difference in power between the 2 bikes quite honestly, but the CB isn't even broken in yet, so maybe it will improve.

[the Ferret]

Technically on dyno charts I have seen rate a Bonnie at 60 rwhp and 44 ft lbs of torque, while a CB has 84 rwhp and 66 ft lbs of torque ironically both at about the same rpms ( both by same testing facility MotorcycleUSA.com) Quite a substantial advantage for the CB.

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/117/16722/...-Ride.aspx

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/93719/Moto...rison.aspx

[canyonwlf7_imp]

I'm sure your right, just seat of the pants doesn't feel night and day or 50% more power as some feel, I'm happy with the power of both, with the Arrow exhaust and some other mods I think I have my Scrambler down to 470, vs. 540 for the CB
All I'm saying is it would be hard for me to pick 1 over the other but that's me, happy to own both

[rboe]

I've ridden two Bonnies. The first, a T100, no character (perhaps you'd call it souls) and not flickable. The second was not a T100, it was their base model with after market pipes. Much more character and more flickable. That one "could" in theory, replace the CB1100, but I think not.

But hey, still a good bike and it has plenty of happy riders so who cares.

[the Ferret]

There are things that are measurable, like horsepower, torque, weight, seat height, fuel capacity, wheelbase, mechanical action of clutches, transmissions, braking distances, acceleration rates, how switches funtion, etc and there are things that are not measurable, how a bike looks, or makes exhaust sounds, or vibrates , whether one has character or soul, how much latent desire one has for a given marque or engine design, how one feels when riding a particular motorcycle.

A lot of people make purchases based on the measurable, and some buy them based on the immeasurable. neither way is necessarily "right", it's only right for the individual buying.

[canyonwlf7_imp]

One thing I can no longer do is own an ugly motorcycle, but basically I think you are saying, go with your head or go with your heart!!!

[VOZZA_imp]

I've had three injected Bonnies, a T100 and 2 alloy wheeled ones. I loved them all, very retro and quick and agile enough for today's roads without the oil leaks.
Then in 2013 I had a CB1100 which was a little less retro but pulled the right strings for me mainly because of the extra power and the very full engine area when looked at in profile. I loved this bike marginally more than the Bonnies but felt it lacked the 6th gear for motorways (highways) and wire wheels.
This was dealt with by the CB1100EX in 2014 and I knew straight away I had to have one. I had only just got a new Fat Bob at the time but after 6 months I had to get the CB1100EX so the Fat Bob went.
Comparing the Bonnie to the CB basically I find the CB heavier to handle than the Bonnie but it is a price worth paying because everything else is in a different league as well as the overall build quality.
There is nothing better than a ride on my CB on a sunny day along a good road.