honest opinions: lowering a CB1100

[Henrik_imp]

My nephew who is new to motorcycling, and is not very tall, was looking for a good bike to start out with. I had narrowed it down to the SV650, and actually had a go on it myself to see. I thought it was the perfect bike and tried to convince him.

Alternatively I suggested the Kawasaki W800, another bike I have tried and really like. Low, very easy to ride, great looks etc.

He ended up going for a Honda CMX500 Rebel. He loves it, and is extremely happy with his choice. Yes, it has a cruiser look to it, but at least the footpegs are pretty straight down. To be honest, I would not have recommended it as I personally do not like them, but if he is happy...

As to lowering the CB1100, I would not try to do that. As you have pointed out, there are a lot of things that will have to be changed that are also likely to upset the perfect balance of the bike. With the high centre of gravity, it is still likely not to be particularly easy to handle even after the changes.