Harley-Davidson closing Kansas plant

[Ulvetanna_imp]

The Sportster actually played a role in the CB1100's history. SportsterDoc, et al., you might already be aware if this, but just in case...

Mitsuyoshi Kohama has noted that in 1998 when returned to Japan following his multi-year assignment in Europe he was ready to buy a new motorcycle. But Honda did not offer any models that appealed to him at that time. (He had owned a CB750F for many years prior to his European assignment and rode many different bikes while located there.) He desired a motorcycle that offered more than just speed or performance. The bikes that came to mind for him were the Ducati Monster and the Harley Davidson Sportster — larger displacement bikes that could be ridden with minimal effort and that epitomized their manufacturers even if the prices were considered to be on the high side. It was from this experience that his earliest ideas for the CB1100 were formed.

For that I am definitely grateful to Harley Davidson and the Sportster in particular.

Does not surprise me at all. I always thought of my CB1100 as another version of my Sportster Roadster. Weighs about the same, does about the same things, although I am not altogether sure the Roadster didn't handle a little better in the twisties. Low CG and all, and huge torque. But basically the same idea, a great do-everything bike that handles well and has big style.