Ride opinion for potential CB1100 owners

[1973cb750]

I’m posting this to share my experience with my 2013 CB1100 which I purchased in excellent condition with only 8k miles. I installed new Dunlop tires after the purchase, that’s all it needed. For some background I’m 52 years old, ride both street and dirt, and have been riding motorcycles since I was in middle school. I have owned many bikes of all styles including American, Italian, European, and Japanese.

Overall opinion: the CB looks beautiful but is a terrible bike to live with.

Riding experience: very top heavy, the bike seems to weigh a ton, inadequate mushy suspension, especially with a passenger, excessive fork dive when braking, and is unbearably uncomfortable after 40 minutes of riding. Everything about the seat is wrong for the driver, and the passenger seat is not stepped and too narrow, so the passenger view and experience are terrible as well. Yes, I tried another seat, Corbin, it helped a bit but not enough.

Fit and finish: The wheels are beautiful, as is the bike in general, but the odd 18” rear tire size really limits your tire choices, not to mention tire cost. The wheels started to loose their finish in multiple spots, which I have not seen on other Hondas. The exhaust is beautiful looking when new, however my header pipe completely discolored and looked terrible as it is unfinished stainless steel of some unknown quality. In contrast my 1994 CB1000 header still looks brand new and shiny at almost 30 years old.

Now the worst part, the engine. The driveline lash is sloppy and annoying. The valve clearance adjustment intervals are at 8k miles. This is completely unacceptable. Even worse, this is a shim under bucket design require pulling the cams to adjust, which is a huge job and completely unnecessary. 1984 Honda Nighthawks had a similar motor with similar redline, but had hydraulic valve adjusters meaning they never needed adjustment. Why Honda? You couldn’t open your 30 year old Nighthawk engine manual to see how this is done? Maybe it would have added a half inch to the engine height? Even if you insisted on manual adjustment, give us home mechanics some screw type adjusters. This is not a race motor and doesn’t demand expensive shim adjusters. A minor complaint was the five speed transmission, which in top gear was still running more RPMs than necessary for the torque of this engine. I understand the ‘14 got a six speed, but it also got crappy hand controls in the process.

Ok, the engine starts and runs just fine and has decent power for what it is. No complaints in the engine performance department.

I am a Honda fan to say the least, my current Honda bikes include an 89 CB400F, 89 Hawk GT 650, 1990 NSR250SP, 1991 CBR600F2, 1994 CB1000, and a 2006 ST1300. That might sound excessive but they are mostly low dollar investments, I enjoy tinkering, and I enjoy different riding experiences. I was excited to buy the 2013 CB, even tried a Corbin seat, but after trying to live with the CB, it had to go. My 94 CB1000 remains and is better in every way than the 13 CB1100 which I thought would replace it.

This can’t be just my opinion. Almost every CB1100 I see for sale has less than 10k miles on it. This is not a coincidence. The uncomfortable nature of these bikes will ensure low miles.

I usually don’t post in forums after I no longer own the bike, but I wish someone would have let me in on this secret when I was looking to buy a CB.

I disagree with almost everything you said all bikes have drive line slop, does not feel top heavy to me, most Hondas recommend valve lash to check at every 8 k but from experience once their in spec its at east 25k miles before lash needs adjusted on almost all dohc shim under bucket engines. if you hate it so much sell to some one who will love it you sound like a bmw rider anyways also suspension on mine a 2014 is fine and the 5 and 6 speeds are more than enough a 4 cylinder needs rpm to make good power and if its not geared to your liking change the sprockets 1st is low anyways. the seat is hard but so are the oem seats on a lot of bikes

[2017EX_imp]

You can please some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time. Yes, I have had to iron out some bugs with my CB, but after all the different machines I have owned over the years, I have yet to experience any machine that is perfect from the get go and stays that way for as long as it is owned. This is evidenced by various problems discussed and many times resolved here in the Forum.

Different strokes for different folks, as others have pointed out here. That said, I am wondering if the OP did a proper test drive before buying the CB. I wish I had a nickel for the number of times a test drive on a bike or in a car revealed that it was not the right vehicle for me. The CB1100 is a great bike for what it is supposed to be, a sit back and enjoy the ride machine.

[Houtman_imp]

I had a 1994 and 1995 CB 1000 and yes they did have a better handling but still 18 inch tires but wider . I put Corbin seats on my CB 1100 's and Ohlin shocks (as I did on my CB 1000's ) and the road holding was a lot better , especially with the 2017 forks which I also put on the 2014. The CB 1100 is not perfect but it was/is perfect for ME ! Starting /brakes are great and a nicer look than the water cooled engine on the CB 1000.

[pdedse]

Hello PaulBWatertownCT. When a member's first post is to summarize the CB1100 as "terrible to live with", it's not surprising that others will disagree with you.

So if I may...

I’m posting this to share my experience with my 2013 CB1100 which I purchased in excellent condition with only 8k miles. I installed new Dunlop tires after the purchase, that’s all it needed. For some background I’m 52 years old, ride both street and dirt, and have been riding motorcycles since I was in middle school. I have owned many bikes of all styles including American, Italian, European, and Japanese.

Overall opinion: the CB looks beautiful but is a terrible bike to live with.

Riding experience: very top heavy, the bike seems to weigh a ton, inadequate mushy suspension, especially with a passenger, excessive fork dive when braking, and is unbearably uncomfortable after 40 minutes of riding. Everything about the seat is wrong for the driver, and the passenger seat is not stepped and too narrow, so the passenger view and experience are terrible as well. Yes, I tried another seat, Corbin, it helped a bit but not enough.

Fit and finish: The wheels are beautiful, as is the bike in general, but the odd 18” rear tire size really limits your tire choices, not to mention tire cost. The wheels started to loose their finish in multiple spots, which I have not seen on other Hondas. The exhaust is beautiful looking when new, however my header pipe completely discolored and looked terrible as it is unfinished stainless steel of some unknown quality. In contrast my 1994 CB1000 header still looks brand new and shiny at almost 30 years old.

Now the worst part, the engine. The driveline lash is sloppy and annoying. The valve clearance adjustment intervals are at 8k miles. This is completely unacceptable. Even worse, this is a shim under bucket design require pulling the cams to adjust, which is a huge job and completely unnecessary. 1984 Honda Nighthawks had a similar motor with similar redline, but had hydraulic valve adjusters meaning they never needed adjustment. Why Honda? You couldn’t open your 30 year old Nighthawk engine manual to see how this is done? Maybe it would have added a half inch to the engine height? Even if you insisted on manual adjustment, give us home mechanics some screw type adjusters. This is not a race motor and doesn’t demand expensive shim adjusters. A minor complaint was the five speed transmission, which in top gear was still running more RPMs than necessary for the torque of this engine. I understand the ‘14 got a six speed, but it also got crappy hand controls in the process.

Ok, the engine starts and runs just fine and has decent power for what it is. No complaints in the engine performance department.

I am a Honda fan to say the least, my current Honda bikes include an 89 CB400F, 89 Hawk GT 650, 1990 NSR250SP, 1991 CBR600F2, 1994 CB1000, and a 2006 ST1300. That might sound excessive but they are mostly low dollar investments, I enjoy tinkering, and I enjoy different riding experiences. I was excited to buy the 2013 CB, even tried a Corbin seat, but after trying to live with the CB, it had to go. My 94 CB1000 remains and is better in every way than the 13 CB1100 which I thought would replace it.

This can’t be just my opinion. Almost every CB1100 I see for sale has less than 10k miles on it. This is not a coincidence. The uncomfortable nature of these bikes will ensure low miles.

I usually don’t post in forums after I no longer own the bike, but I wish someone would have let me in on this secret when I was looking to buy a CB.

It weighs 560lbs give or take a few. Many here have noted the weight is felt when having to move the bike around in the garage and at low speeds. But the same people observe that at normal riding speeds, the weight disappears. I like its weight. I've had a few lighter bikes at 450-475lb range, and found that when I'm on the open roads with cross winds, I get blown about, but the CB1100 provides a quite solid feel.

I’m posting this to share my experience with my 2013 CB1100 which I purchased in excellent condition with only 8k miles. I installed new Dunlop tires after the purchase, that’s all it needed. For some background I’m 52 years old, ride both street and dirt, and have been riding motorcycles since I was in middle school. I have owned many bikes of all styles including American, Italian, European, and Japanese.

Overall opinion: the CB looks beautiful but is a terrible bike to live with.

Riding experience: very top heavy, the bike seems to weigh a ton, inadequate mushy suspension, especially with a passenger, excessive fork dive when braking, and is unbearably uncomfortable after 40 minutes of riding. Everything about the seat is wrong for the driver, and the passenger seat is not stepped and too narrow, so the passenger view and experience are terrible as well. Yes, I tried another seat, Corbin, it helped a bit but not enough.

Fit and finish: The wheels are beautiful, as is the bike in general, but the odd 18” rear tire size really limits your tire choices, not to mention tire cost. The wheels started to loose their finish in multiple spots, which I have not seen on other Hondas. The exhaust is beautiful looking when new, however my header pipe completely discolored and looked terrible as it is unfinished stainless steel of some unknown quality. In contrast my 1994 CB1000 header still looks brand new and shiny at almost 30 years old.

Now the worst part, the engine. The driveline lash is sloppy and annoying. The valve clearance adjustment intervals are at 8k miles. This is completely unacceptable. Even worse, this is a shim under bucket design require pulling the cams to adjust, which is a huge job and completely unnecessary. 1984 Honda Nighthawks had a similar motor with similar redline, but had hydraulic valve adjusters meaning they never needed adjustment. Why Honda? You couldn’t open your 30 year old Nighthawk engine manual to see how this is done? Maybe it would have added a half inch to the engine height? Even if you insisted on manual adjustment, give us home mechanics some screw type adjusters. This is not a race motor and doesn’t demand expensive shim adjusters. A minor complaint was the five speed transmission, which in top gear was still running more RPMs than necessary for the torque of this engine. I understand the ‘14 got a six speed, but it also got crappy hand controls in the process.

Ok, the engine starts and runs just fine and has decent power for what it is. No complaints in the engine performance department.

I am a Honda fan to say the least, my current Honda bikes include an 89 CB400F, 89 Hawk GT 650, 1990 NSR250SP, 1991 CBR600F2, 1994 CB1000, and a 2006 ST1300. That might sound excessive but they are mostly low dollar investments, I enjoy tinkering, and I enjoy different riding experiences. I was excited to buy the 2013 CB, even tried a Corbin seat, but after trying to live with the CB, it had to go. My 94 CB1000 remains and is better in every way than the 13 CB1100 which I thought would replace it.

This can’t be just my opinion. Almost every CB1100 I see for sale has less than 10k miles on it. This is not a coincidence. The uncomfortable nature of these bikes will ensure low miles.

I usually don’t post in forums after I no longer own the bike, but I wish someone would have let me in on this secret when I was looking to buy a CB.

I found it comfortable, but I did add a bleacher pad mainly to raise the height because I'm tall... and cheap. 40 minutes of riding and unbearable? I used my '14 CB1100 to do a long trip from OR to Illinois and back, about 7000 miles over 3 weeks. I didn't find the stock seat inadequate in any way, excepting height as mentioned. At 75-100 miles I stopped for the obvious: gas, food, bathroom breaks and, sure, to stretch, which is what I would do on my tall bike, my KLR650. Average was around 425 miles per day over 15 some actual riding days. I don't doubt that there are more comfy rides out there, but during the trip I wasn't thinking that the CB1100 was bad for long distance riding; rather, that it was great.

I’m posting this to share my experience with my 2013 CB1100 which I purchased in excellent condition with only 8k miles. I installed new Dunlop tires after the purchase, that’s all it needed. For some background I’m 52 years old, ride both street and dirt, and have been riding motorcycles since I was in middle school. I have owned many bikes of all styles including American, Italian, European, and Japanese.

Overall opinion: the CB looks beautiful but is a terrible bike to live with.

Riding experience: very top heavy, the bike seems to weigh a ton, inadequate mushy suspension, especially with a passenger, excessive fork dive when braking, and is unbearably uncomfortable after 40 minutes of riding. Everything about the seat is wrong for the driver, and the passenger seat is not stepped and too narrow, so the passenger view and experience are terrible as well. Yes, I tried another seat, Corbin, it helped a bit but not enough.

Fit and finish: The wheels are beautiful, as is the bike in general, but the odd 18” rear tire size really limits your tire choices, not to mention tire cost. The wheels started to loose their finish in multiple spots, which I have not seen on other Hondas. The exhaust is beautiful looking when new, however my header pipe completely discolored and looked terrible as it is unfinished stainless steel of some unknown quality. In contrast my 1994 CB1000 header still looks brand new and shiny at almost 30 years old.

Now the worst part, the engine. The driveline lash is sloppy and annoying. The valve clearance adjustment intervals are at 8k miles. This is completely unacceptable. Even worse, this is a shim under bucket design require pulling the cams to adjust, which is a huge job and completely unnecessary. 1984 Honda Nighthawks had a similar motor with similar redline, but had hydraulic valve adjusters meaning they never needed adjustment. Why Honda? You couldn’t open your 30 year old Nighthawk engine manual to see how this is done? Maybe it would have added a half inch to the engine height? Even if you insisted on manual adjustment, give us home mechanics some screw type adjusters. This is not a race motor and doesn’t demand expensive shim adjusters. A minor complaint was the five speed transmission, which in top gear was still running more RPMs than necessary for the torque of this engine. I understand the ‘14 got a six speed, but it also got crappy hand controls in the process.

Ok, the engine starts and runs just fine and has decent power for what it is. No complaints in the engine performance department.

I am a Honda fan to say the least, my current Honda bikes include an 89 CB400F, 89 Hawk GT 650, 1990 NSR250SP, 1991 CBR600F2, 1994 CB1000, and a 2006 ST1300. That might sound excessive but they are mostly low dollar investments, I enjoy tinkering, and I enjoy different riding experiences. I was excited to buy the 2013 CB, even tried a Corbin seat, but after trying to live with the CB, it had to go. My 94 CB1000 remains and is better in every way than the 13 CB1100 which I thought would replace it.

This can’t be just my opinion. Almost every CB1100 I see for sale has less than 10k miles on it. This is not a coincidence. The uncomfortable nature of these bikes will ensure low miles.

I usually don’t post in forums after I no longer own the bike, but I wish someone would have let me in on this secret when I was looking to buy a CB.

Your assumption is that all who sell CB1100s with low mileage do so because they are uncomfortable. Likely true for some; others sell because of financial reasons. Many riders simply don't ride all that much. Other sell because they like a new bike every 2-3 years. But what to say to the members here that have high miles on their bikes? What of those who say "I'll never sell this bike" and "Best (or one of the) bike I've owned"?

The point is simply that several of the negative comments you mention are subjective. Your conclusion is "terrible to own"; others conclude "awesome to own".

I’m posting this to share my experience with my 2013 CB1100 which I purchased in excellent condition with only 8k miles. I installed new Dunlop tires after the purchase, that’s all it needed. For some background I’m 52 years old, ride both street and dirt, and have been riding motorcycles since I was in middle school. I have owned many bikes of all styles including American, Italian, European, and Japanese.

Overall opinion: the CB looks beautiful but is a terrible bike to live with.

Riding experience: very top heavy, the bike seems to weigh a ton, inadequate mushy suspension, especially with a passenger, excessive fork dive when braking, and is unbearably uncomfortable after 40 minutes of riding. Everything about the seat is wrong for the driver, and the passenger seat is not stepped and too narrow, so the passenger view and experience are terrible as well. Yes, I tried another seat, Corbin, it helped a bit but not enough.

Fit and finish: The wheels are beautiful, as is the bike in general, but the odd 18” rear tire size really limits your tire choices, not to mention tire cost. The wheels started to loose their finish in multiple spots, which I have not seen on other Hondas. The exhaust is beautiful looking when new, however my header pipe completely discolored and looked terrible as it is unfinished stainless steel of some unknown quality. In contrast my 1994 CB1000 header still looks brand new and shiny at almost 30 years old.

Now the worst part, the engine. The driveline lash is sloppy and annoying. The valve clearance adjustment intervals are at 8k miles. This is completely unacceptable. Even worse, this is a shim under bucket design require pulling the cams to adjust, which is a huge job and completely unnecessary. 1984 Honda Nighthawks had a similar motor with similar redline, but had hydraulic valve adjusters meaning they never needed adjustment. Why Honda? You couldn’t open your 30 year old Nighthawk engine manual to see how this is done? Maybe it would have added a half inch to the engine height? Even if you insisted on manual adjustment, give us home mechanics some screw type adjusters. This is not a race motor and doesn’t demand expensive shim adjusters. A minor complaint was the five speed transmission, which in top gear was still running more RPMs than necessary for the torque of this engine. I understand the ‘14 got a six speed, but it also got crappy hand controls in the process.

Ok, the engine starts and runs just fine and has decent power for what it is. No complaints in the engine performance department.

I am a Honda fan to say the least, my current Honda bikes include an 89 CB400F, 89 Hawk GT 650, 1990 NSR250SP, 1991 CBR600F2, 1994 CB1000, and a 2006 ST1300. That might sound excessive but they are mostly low dollar investments, I enjoy tinkering, and I enjoy different riding experiences. I was excited to buy the 2013 CB, even tried a Corbin seat, but after trying to live with the CB, it had to go. My 94 CB1000 remains and is better in every way than the 13 CB1100 which I thought would replace it.

This can’t be just my opinion. Almost every CB1100 I see for sale has less than 10k miles on it. This is not a coincidence. The uncomfortable nature of these bikes will ensure low miles.

I usually don’t post in forums after I no longer own the bike, but I wish someone would have let me in on this secret when I was looking to buy a CB.

What secret? The implication of this statement is that there exists a high number of unsatisfied (ex) CB1100 owners. As with any bike there are some. But what is your motiviation for stating this on a forum where owners generally really like the bike? To warn others considering buying one? To warn of some secret...which is that you find the bike terrible?

Ok...if you're reading this and considering buying the CB1100, please don't!!! It's terrible!

Facetiousness aside: I think I have a legit reason for disliking the bike because I was one of the unfortunate to experience the high/low idle difficulty on my '14. But after trading-in that bike, I missed the CB1100 and purchased another, the CB1100EX. I think you would find that it deals better with the suspension issues that you brought up. Honestly, between the '14 and '17, I can't tell a great deal of difference with the suspension, but others speak of a noticeably improved difference.

From your post no. 2: ...

I’m posting this to share my experience with my 2013 CB1100 which I purchased in excellent condition with only 8k miles. I installed new Dunlop tires after the purchase, that’s all it needed. For some background I’m 52 years old, ride both street and dirt, and have been riding motorcycles since I was in middle school. I have owned many bikes of all styles including American, Italian, European, and Japanese.

Overall opinion: the CB looks beautiful but is a terrible bike to live with.

Riding experience: very top heavy, the bike seems to weigh a ton, inadequate mushy suspension, especially with a passenger, excessive fork dive when braking, and is unbearably uncomfortable after 40 minutes of riding. Everything about the seat is wrong for the driver, and the passenger seat is not stepped and too narrow, so the passenger view and experience are terrible as well. Yes, I tried another seat, Corbin, it helped a bit but not enough.

Fit and finish: The wheels are beautiful, as is the bike in general, but the odd 18” rear tire size really limits your tire choices, not to mention tire cost. The wheels started to loose their finish in multiple spots, which I have not seen on other Hondas. The exhaust is beautiful looking when new, however my header pipe completely discolored and looked terrible as it is unfinished stainless steel of some unknown quality. In contrast my 1994 CB1000 header still looks brand new and shiny at almost 30 years old.

Now the worst part, the engine. The driveline lash is sloppy and annoying. The valve clearance adjustment intervals are at 8k miles. This is completely unacceptable. Even worse, this is a shim under bucket design require pulling the cams to adjust, which is a huge job and completely unnecessary. 1984 Honda Nighthawks had a similar motor with similar redline, but had hydraulic valve adjusters meaning they never needed adjustment. Why Honda? You couldn’t open your 30 year old Nighthawk engine manual to see how this is done? Maybe it would have added a half inch to the engine height? Even if you insisted on manual adjustment, give us home mechanics some screw type adjusters. This is not a race motor and doesn’t demand expensive shim adjusters. A minor complaint was the five speed transmission, which in top gear was still running more RPMs than necessary for the torque of this engine. I understand the ‘14 got a six speed, but it also got crappy hand controls in the process.

Ok, the engine starts and runs just fine and has decent power for what it is. No complaints in the engine performance department.

I am a Honda fan to say the least, my current Honda bikes include an 89 CB400F, 89 Hawk GT 650, 1990 NSR250SP, 1991 CBR600F2, 1994 CB1000, and a 2006 ST1300. That might sound excessive but they are mostly low dollar investments, I enjoy tinkering, and I enjoy different riding experiences. I was excited to buy the 2013 CB, even tried a Corbin seat, but after trying to live with the CB, it had to go. My 94 CB1000 remains and is better in every way than the 13 CB1100 which I thought would replace it.

This can’t be just my opinion. Almost every CB1100 I see for sale has less than 10k miles on it. This is not a coincidence. The uncomfortable nature of these bikes will ensure low miles.

I usually don’t post in forums after I no longer own the bike, but I wish someone would have let me in on this secret when I was looking to buy a CB.

Now I do take exception to the line... "I do wish that there were a few more folks on the forum with real life reviews rather than just lauding the good points." This makes me think 1) you didn't read many of the reviews here (member VLJ comes to mind--excellent and thourough reviews with pos/neg critique) where owners do bring up the weight, tire size, valve adjustment period and access, and suspension. I really think it was all there for those willing to read.

And 2) you're not considering the likelihood that others, with considerble "real life" time on the bike would come to a different conclusion than yours. That reads as if you think most who ride the CB1100 must come to the same opinions that you do.

I think this is what rubs people (me, at least) the wrong way.

[Labrador12_imp]

Im 71, I find it hard to get comfortable on my CB after a short time. In my twenty's I rode a water Buffalo to Edmonton and back for a couple of years. I've riden a 350F from Olympia Was to Ft St John in BC. I'm 6 3 and 270. I enjoy this bike. I bought it right and I really enjoy it. I had it in Alaska with me and enjoyed the 45 miles of twisties and mtns and eagles between towns. I get stiff, but I get stiff casting my flyrod too! I doubt I could find a bike that would do me any better. It puts a smile on my face.. I've owned it since Nov of 2016 and have about 3000 miles on her. I daresay, my CB is going to be my last bike!

[Sparky80_imp]

I like this thread.... sparks controversy and yet is thought provoking and there hasn't been name calling or online bullying (I guess that's a thing) yet.

I'm sure Paul is a mature man, being 52, and will be mature and respond... if he is inclined to.

Couple questions....

How long did you own the CB for? how many miles did you put on it? Was your expectation of replacing the CB1000 (water cooled, MUCH faster bike) really a good one?

I agree with you on the suspension. The front end (and I have a '14 DLX, so "better" than the std) flat our SUCKS! It might be the worse front end of any bike I've owned, cruisers included. I fixed that with a Traxxion AR-25 kit and is now good, but not as good as a cartridge type front end, RSU or USD.

In my limited time here, I don't shy away from my opinion that the CB is a much more inferior bike than my FJR. A really unfair comparison by my standards (which would lead me to question EVERYTHING the ferret says... ), but the more seat time I put on the CB, the more i enjoy it.

It's similar to my wife's 2008 CR-V. It's not fast, really exciting or does anything exceptionally well, but does everything I ask it to within the limits of what it can do.

I currently have mine for sale after owning it for 3 months and 1k miles on it. I'm not actively or trying to sell it, and won't hurt my feelings if I never sell it. It just doesn't speak to me like my FJR, or is as practical as my Zuma 125. Yes, my scooter is more practical than the CB.

But.... the CB, especially the '14 Deluxe is a beautiful looking bike and does a good job remembering and paying homage to the old school CB's. That, to me, is almost worth keeping it for.

[NovaCB1100_imp]

The CB is my only Honda and like most modern classics it seeks to rekindle the simplicity of its heritage, for better and worse. I think the CB1100 does that extremely well. It feels like a really refined take on a modern classic...definitely not a tourer, nor sport bike but some elements of both.

I will say that my only gripe with the CB is the suspension, which now that I've squeezed more power and sound out of the engine, now feels even more deficient especially the brake dive. But for most CB owners, they probably dont care. I am mulling doing a CBR1000RR USD fork swap, clips ons and wheels now that my CB is no longer pulling touring duty - I have a Super Tenere for that now. But, perhaps just cartridges and shocks would be okay.

I will say that despite having three bikes, my CB has been my go-to bike since I got it. I've done day, overnight and week long trips on it and there are certainly compromises, but it seems to do everything pretty well but nothing exceptionally. But that in itself is the charm.

[bioman_imp]

Interesting how the CB1100 provides such a different experience to different riders.

In my case, I have a different opinion on almost all your critical points:
I find it NOT top-heavy, and my bike seems to me very agile and easy to manoeuvre. Suspension is not great but also not bad at all (for 1 rider - I can not comment on how it rides with a passenger). Seat is pleasant enough. True: after an hour or so I want to stretch my legs but I have that on all bikes. Wheels & tire sizes are fine. I replaced my exhaust so cannot comment on wear & tear of the OEM system. My (2016) bike has 6 gears and so that is fine as well. Regarding the 8km valve adjustment interval and shims: surely you knew that before buying?

If I have any critical notes, funnily enough I have to disagree with your only positive comment: its "decent power". I think that I would have liked a bit more aggression coming from its engine. It is a bit lazy. I feel that I have to push the bike a bit to convince it to give 100%.
Then again: I have to admit that I bought this bike only for its looks, and I am very happy with it.

[the Ferret]

I like this thread.... sparks controversy and yet is thought provoking and there hasn't been name calling or online bullying (I guess that's a thing) yet.

I'm sure Paul is a mature man, being 52, and will be mature and respond... if he is inclined to.

Couple questions....

How long did you own the CB for? how many miles did you put on it? Was your expectation of replacing the CB1000 (water cooled, MUCH faster bike) really a good one?

I agree with you on the suspension. The front end (and I have a '14 DLX, so "better" than the std) flat our SUCKS! It might be the worse front end of any bike I've owned, cruisers included. I fixed that with a Traxxion AR-25 kit and is now good, but not as good as a cartridge type front end, RSU or USD.

In my limited time here, I don't shy away from my opinion that the CB is a much more inferior bike than my FJR. A really unfair comparison by my standards (which would lead me to question EVERYTHING the ferret says... ), but the more seat time I put on the CB, the more i enjoy it.

It's similar to my wife's 2008 CR-V. It's not fast, really exciting or does anything exceptionally well, but does everything I ask it to within the limits of what it can do.

I currently have mine for sale after owning it for 3 months and 1k miles on it. I'm not actively or trying to sell it, and won't hurt my feelings if I never sell it. It just doesn't speak to me like my FJR, or is as practical as my Zuma 125. Yes, my scooter is more practical than the CB.

But.... the CB, especially the '14 Deluxe is a beautiful looking bike and does a good job remembering and paying homage to the old school CB's. That, to me, is almost worth keeping it for.

Now Sparky..... I never said the FJR was inferior to the CB 1100. I bought a 2018 FJR new and put 34,500 miles on it in 20 months. Great bike. I enjoyed mine a lot and still miss it. For specific uses an FJR is superior in many ways to a CB 1100. Weather protection, storage, amenities, power, shaft drive. If going cross country an FJR would be my choice every time over a CB 1100, although I have toured on mine, as have many others. One member has ridden through all of the lower 48 states on his.

For 90% of MY daily riding though, riding solo, country curvy backroads with a 45-55 mph speed limit, the CB 1100 is superior imo. It's lighter, gets better gas mileage, handles better, and is easier on tires. I don't think the suspension sucks at all, and the seat is ok too. Like I mentioned, I rode my 2014 Deluxe straight home from the Arkansas rally in 2017... 698 miles in 12 hours, only stopping for gas (and eating an energy bar and drinking a Gatorade at one of the gas stops), rode along with Empty Sea on his 2013 CB 1100, who continued on to Chicago. That's a lot of hours sitting on that seat.

But like you said, unfair comparison. One is a $16,000 dollar dedicated sport tourer, one is a $10,000 dollar naked retro roadster. The FJR and the CB are both great motorcycles. Having owned and ridden them both I can certainly attest to that. There are lots of other great motorcycles out there as well. I would assume none of them are perfect for everyone, otherwise aftermarket windshield, seat, bar risers, footpeg, lever, grips, suspension, brake pads and lines etc manufacturers wouldn't exist, much less thrive.

As far as bullying and name calling, that's not permitted here. One can disagree, but if they become disagreeable, one of the moderators (myself or Cormanus) will step in and either moderate their post, delete it, lock up the thread and if necessary, ban the offending party (ies). It doesn't happen often but it has. That's the way we roll around here.

[LongRanger_imp]

I don’t agree with the OP’s opinion, but that’s fine. One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor. In my experience, some of the most popular bikes you see on the road are poorly engineered, loathsome, and simply suck, but their owners would likely disagree. That’s fine too.

Anyone buying the CB for its performance or touring capabilities would likely be disappointed if comparing it to a more focused sport or touring bike, though personally I thought my DLX was brilliant.