Honda CB1100 with Pipemasters 4 into 4 Polished Stainless SteelExhaust

[the Ferret]

DESIGNER CHAT

Unique vintage look with all the mod cons of a new bike



IT JUST HAD TO BE AN AIR COOLED ENGINE


Instant acceleration has its appeal, as does modern styling that conveys the swiftness of the bike. But there’s a lot more to the path of motorcycle evolution.

I found myself thinking along these lines for the first time when I returned to Japan after several years in Europe. It was also at this time that I grabbed a pencil and quickly sketched the drawing shown on this page.

Tires. Engine. Frame. Tank. Seat. I thought about how to craft all the necessary elements beautifully and combine them in a perfect whole.

A simple and efficient double cradle frame embraces the air-cooled inline-4 engine which secured Honda’s status as the 4-cylinder pioneer and the creator of the CB750 Four and the CB400 Four.

Building on this proud tradition, the approach to the new bike strives for beauty, craftsmanship, ease. In other words, I wanted to create a beautiful motorcycle with artisan-level handiwork that’s also approachable and easy to ride.

“Why are you giving that new engine air-cooling when you know its performance won’t be as good? You had better have a pretty convincing explanation!”

That’s the kind of thing people said when we began the development process. And I could understand that thinking. Going with an air-cooled engine was bound to seem “retro” to people at Honda, which had long favored liquid-cooled systems in the pursuit of maximal performance.

When asked to explain my choice, I could only say: “My only reason is that a lot of customers like air-cooled engines.”


I like the metallic sound the engine makes as it cools… A motorcycle’s engine should have oil in it, not water… Just looking at the cooling fins inspires me… There is something about an air-cooled engine—a feeling you simply can’t get from the liquid-cooled engine in a high-performance bike. To me, a bike rider and a bike fan, a future without air-cooled engines just didn’t seem right. And I was certain I wasn’t the only one who felt this way!

Based on my sketch, this “bike that defies logic and just demands to be ridden” became a reality: We displayed the CB Four concept model at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1999, and I was extremely thankful for the enthusiastic response it received there. In 2007, aiming to create a bike that fulfilled fans’ vision even more fully, we displayed a new concept model at the Tokyo Motor Show, the CB1100F. Eventually, this concept model became the production model known as the CB1100.


This is the sketch the designer drew after his return from Europe. Based on it, the CB Four concept model was born.

see sketch at bottom of this page

https://www.totalmotorcycle.com/motorcyc...CB1100?d=1