Kawasaki Z900RS

[Ulvetanna_imp]

It's a small market compared to India. This country still has it's share of disposable income and while moto purchases are down there are still quite a number of bikes being sold / year. I'm not sure if it's worth sending or what the costs involved in sending say, 300 bikes of a specific model are but the Thrux's sure are selling (@ 16k I might add). I can't believe that the US couldn't produce 300 buyers for the RS.

I'm sure I could be wrong. I'm a proven idiot.

The only dog I have in this hunt is one with the following placard hangin' around its neck:

WHY DON'T HONDA BRING THE CB1100RS TO THE US OF A?

There are plenty of guesses but most don't add up. The difference in monthly payment between the CB1100EX, RS and any competitor is really small. Buyers are convinced to purchase expensive service contracts, GAP insurance, thousands of dollars worth of accessories quite easily.

I'm seeing many, many examples of RNineT's on the road, lots of ADV bikes much more expensive, and sports bikes and supernakeds out there. It's not too hard to qualify for those loans.

I think Honda has other reasons not to bring the RS to the USA and they are somehow related to their longer-term business plan.

Truthfully, I speculate Honda have another air-cooled retro in the works with around 900cc displacement, ranging into the 95-100 brake horsepower range, and coming in at under 500 lbs.

I think this bike is going to be out in less than two years (by MY2020), and Honda want to sell off all its existing stock of USA CB1100s before bringing in any more examples. That strategy would help insure a huge hit and big advance interest and orders. A bike like that would put all competition into the weeds, so to speak. What could compare to it? Nothing. I'd rather, even now, have a CB1100RS in my garage just to look at than a Kawasaki Z900RS, or any European retro bike, even at the same price. Honda like to win, they are not going to sit back and let Kawasaki come out with something they know they can beat hands-down. They are working ceaselessly to win this market and the stature that comes with it.

This new bike, let's call it a CB900F, is going to be a phenomenal machine based on all that Honda know about these things. No radiator, it'll look very much like the superbikes of the early 1980s and call to mind Freddie Spencer, et. al. Right now I think the CB1100RS is the best-looking bike in the world, it's my desktop. Honda are getting reactions to the bike all over the world and I figure this new bike will look almost exactly like it, with the same 17" wheels, aluminium swingarm and overall profile and features.

It isn't about the money, or the market. It's about a new model and Honda wants to clear the path for maximum sales and marketing stature when this new machine hits the showrooms.

That's my guess.

So at this point I'm just going to sit back and wait, and ride what I have. Maybe by the end of 2018 we'll know more. Because I think that such a bike would crush the RNineT and other pseudo-retros by being the real deal, with real power, handling, and looks. I think Honda are well-capable of producing about ~90 rear wheel HP from 950cc of air-cooled might from Kumamoto. And awesome looks as well.

And bear in mind that the bike I just imagined is in fact exactly the bike that Honda's engineers had in mind when they first went about designing the CB1100.



And the concept bike in three dimensions:


Here's the original concept of the CB1100F, which is what I think we'll be seeing in a 900cc version:


[url=http://world.honda.com/CB1100/engineer-talk/]I think anyone who really wants to discuss the CB1100 series of bikes with any level of knowledge just has to read all nine articles in this series:



As a once-famous First Officer liked to say, they are "Fascinating".