top speed, quarter mile

[Mike Bee_imp]

I'm not far off this opinion, but would not say the CB1100 is peerless. I am still in the frame of mind that makes me look forward to a ride on my GSX-R 750 first, followed by the FZ8, and then the CB1100, which I rank right alongside my F700GS. It has earned a place in my garage because it delivers the quintessential experience of riding a lovely, well-sorted inline four better than any other bike I know. And that's something I need from time to time to remind me there are other reasons to ride than to see how far I've worn down the tires.

I have to say, this is literally the first forum I have ever visited where users WELCOME their brand new motorcycles being LIMITED. I can't believe what I am reading, has anyone read my previous post here? My mind is completely blown.

Part of owning and riding a motorcycle is taking responsibility for the dangers and power that you have at your wrist. You are giving up that responsibility by letting them cap you with a limiter.

For those of you who never do three digits and say 'oh it doesn't affect me so I don't care', then you have no reason to post in this topic or the right to an opinion, because it (as you said) does not affect you. I'm all for safety, but good god what happened to your motorcycling spirit?

If you feel Honda should limit you for your own good, you really shouldn't be riding. or driving. Hell, you should just go to a place where they wipe your butt and feed you through a tube for maximum knowledge of 'what is best for you'.

What are your thoughts on the fact that all motorcycles are speed-limited to a mere 186 mph? Personally, I am fine with the fact my GSX-R 750 can only do 167 mph and doesn't have a speed limiter, but if I buy an S1000RR/HP4, I know that bike will do well over 200 mph but the damned execrable gubment is just tying me down.
The execrable German government - it's a bloody conspriacy!

~ The Bee

[flynrider]

Not all of them. The MV Agusta F4 312 (for 312kph) doesn't have a speed limiter. The 300 kph limit is an agreement between the Japanese manufacturers. The Agusta claims a top speed of 194 mph.

[dBuster_imp]

At what point does the flux capacitor kick in?

[SanPete_imp]

At what point does the flux capacitor kick in?

LOL

[cbdtran_imp]

Yea...i'm not near smart enough, but if one person is smart enough to make something, someone else is smart enough to work around it.

Thing is, lets say you found a way to bypass it, chances are you'd gain between 13 to 23 mph on top end ( can't imagine this bike being good for more than 125-135 unrestricted) and relative to other offerings, you'd still have a very slow dog in a very fast pack.

BTW I went over to the UK CB 11 site which I am also a member of which is older ( but not as active) as this site, and typed "speed limiter" into the search engine, and either they are not aware, or they don't care, as there were no responses to the search.

+1 on all of the above.

Gentlemen,

I started riding on the street when I was 14 years old. Over the last 43 years I have never been without a street legal motorcycle and I have spent countless thousands of hours riding both on road and off-road. During those thousands of hours I am equally certain that less than five minutes have been spent at speeds above 112 mph and I was as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof during those brief periods of time. A trip to the drag strip would be about the only time that the speed limiter would be a hindrance as the top speed of this bike can be achieved in less than 1/4 of a mile.

As a drag strip weapon the CB1100 would be a dull blade with or without a speed limiter. In it's element however, the big CB is brilliant. Last night in the cool desert air north of Scottsdale, Arizona my CB1100 shot me from corner to corner in a most satisfying display of power and poise. It's Staintune exhaust note provided a fine soundtrack as well. Any enthusiast who can appreciate an air cooled Porsche 911 with all of its quirks and idiosyncrasies would have to love this bike as well.

When it comes to the type of performance that I find exciting and that always leaves me looking forward to the next ride, the CB1100 is peerless.

Chip

I put in 1K miles a month on the CB, more than anything else I had in the past, the reason: it is so easy to ride due to low speed power and smoothness. It is air cooled so the engine noise is not as tight as water cooled. I don't like riding fast due to wind; city riding is very good, so is hiway riding, I ride it for daily errands instead of car, but hate to put on my helmet everytime and lock up my gas tank bag riding a motorcycle.

[rjk555_imp]

I have to say, this is literally the first forum I have ever visited where users WELCOME their brand new motorcycles being LIMITED. I can't believe what I am reading, has anyone read my previous post here? My mind is completely blown.

Part of owning and riding a motorcycle is taking responsibility for the dangers and power that you have at your wrist. You are giving up that responsibility by letting them cap you with a limiter.

For those of you who never do three digits and say 'oh it doesn't affect me so I don't care', then you have no reason to post in this topic or the right to an opinion, because it (as you said) does not affect you. I'm all for safety, but good god what happened to your motorcycling spirit?

If you feel Honda should limit you for your own good, you really shouldn't be riding. or driving. Hell, you should just go to a place where they wipe your butt and feed you through a tube for maximum knowledge of 'what is best for you'.

Hello all,

i understand people have strong feelings on the limiter. However, it's not clear to me how a neutral position on the limiter equates to a lack of motorcycle spirit, or a belief that the neutral party welcomes the limiter. May I suggest that's a pretty strong position to take.

We buy bikes that move us. If the mix of features on the CB1100, as determined by Honda's business strategy, meet a rider's needs, he or she will buy it. This includes the 112 mph limit, or Honda's decision to export the bike with a blacked out engine instead of a silver one. The many satisfied riders posting glowing trip reports on this forum show the CB1100 moves their motorcycling spirit. Certainly it moves mine. If that mix doesn't meet a rider's needs, then he or she won't buy it. Motorcycling spirit manifests itself through many bikes.

I also respectfully disagree that Honda exported the bike-plus-limiter with a Big Brother intent to protect the US public from itself. For example. Honda didn't modify the initial Japanese version to add a limiter to the US version where none existed. The limiter is a piece of legacy equipment from the Japanese market. If Honda thinks a bike's intended audience wants something faster than 112 mph, Honda will export it. The CBRs easily exceed 150 mph, for example. For the CB1100, Honda (accurately, I think) determined that most riders wouldn't care about the 112 mph limit and thus didn't incur the time and expense of removing it. Its a business strategy, not a "Big Brother" moral one.

Lets all ride the bikes that move us.

[Mike Bee_imp]

I seriously doubt Honda left the speed limiter installed as a "legacy" piece of equipment. Never seen that written up anywhere except on this forum. If the company can afford to modify the CB1100 to meet widely different government regulations, change paint colors on tanks, engines & wheels, they could remove or re-program the limiter on some of their exported CB1100's. We know the company manufactures many motorcycles that will exceed 112 mph. The limiter (and oil cooler) is there to manage engine heat under extreme conditions - nothing else. Properly enrich the fuel mixture, and this precaution would be unnecessary.

~ The Bee

[rjk555_imp]

I seriously doubt Honda left the speed limiter installed as a "legacy" piece of equipment. Never seen that written up anywhere except on this forum. If the company can afford to modify the CB1100 to meet widely different government regulations, change paint colors on tanks, engines & wheels, they could remove or re-program the limiter on some of their exported CB1100's. We know the company manufactures many motorcycles that will exceed 112 mph. The limiter (and oil cooler) is there to manage engine heat under extreme conditions - nothing else. Properly enrich the fuel mixture, and this precaution would be unnecessary.

~ The Bee

Thanks for your response. By "legacy equipment" I mean the limiter existed in prior versions of the bike, as opposed to subsequently being added onto the US version only.

Certainly Honda has the technical expertise to remove the limiter or make other changes to the original version. And it makes business sense to retool the bike to meet US regulatory requirements (won't be allowed here otherwise), and so forth. The question is whether it makes similar business sense for Honda to remove the limiter on the US version. It costs money and resources to retool a bike. If Honda thought the majority of the intended US audience for the CB1100 wanted to go faster than 112 mph, they would have incurred that expense and removed the limiter in the US version. If their business projections didn't perceive such a desire, the limiter doesn't get removed. This assumes the idea of the limiter even approached Honda's radar at all. As many posters to this thread noted, its only this forum where the limiter issue came up. Not on anyone else's radar. I hope this clarification helps.

[Totoro_imp]

Just out of curiosity, how many of you guys who wish for a non-limited CB1100 have ever been to the track to go fast?

Full disclosure: I have not been to a track day, nor have I raced. I've thought about a track day to learn more about the handling limits of my bikes, but not really interested in all out speed. Seems like it would be a good experience and nice knowledge to have.

I used to race a Yamaha 250 back in the day, took a break from '69 until '09 when I got a CBR1000RR. Did a few track days just to clear the cobwebs out, then traded it for the CB1100 because my wife wouldn't ride on the CBR. Soooo, I'm making the 1100 into a cafe wannabe and seriously eyeing the '14 Buell RX for the serious work.
But I will remove the limiter on the 1100, I just don't like the idea of it being there. On the other hand I haven't checked the tires on the 1100 to see what speed rating they have and its mighty windy above 100 on the 1100.

[the Ferret]

Just out of curiosity, how many of you guys who wish for a non-limited CB1100 have ever been to the track to go fast?

Full disclosure: I have not been to a track day, nor have I raced. I've thought about a track day to learn more about the handling limits of my bikes, but not really interested in all out speed. Seems like it would be a good experience and nice knowledge to have.

I used to race a Yamaha 250 back in the day, took a break from '69 until '09 when I got a CBR1000RR. Did a few track days just to clear the cobwebs out, then traded it for the CB1100 because my wife wouldn't ride on the CBR. Soooo, I'm making the 1100 into a cafe wannabe and seriously eyeing the '14 Buell RX for the serious work.
But I will remove the limiter on the 1100, I just don't like the idea of it being there. On the other hand I haven't checked the tires on the 1100 to see what speed rating they have and its mighty windy above 100 on the 1100.

If you figure out how to remove it, please let us know. Several on here would be interested. So far no one has figured out a suitable way to bypass it.