08-08-2014, 06:45 PM
This is an interesting, and reassuring thread. I have always felt that Honda make quality bikes, and my Z50 from 1972 is a perfect example of that quality. It may be a tiny motorcycle, but it also has what may just be the best motorcycle engine ever made. Having looked at Chinese imitations of this bike this fact becomes all the more evident.
Over the years I have had a few Hondas, and most of them were great. An Africa Twin I had for a few years was incredibly well built, and the VFR800 I then got was a real gem. I found that every detail of that bike was perfection, and loved it until it was stolen. Then I got a Varadero, and I was faced with the fact that everything Honda makes is not perfect. Although a good bike, it lacked the quality of detail that I had gotten used to. You could tell that many of the smaller details were "cheap", probably in an attempt to keep prices down.
I then went many years riding Italian bikes, and to be honest I really did find them much better than their reputation. Certainly they require a level of care to remain pristine, and there will always be a moment at some point that they would have an electrical failure. The thing is, there was a level of quality in the details that I loved. An earlier post mentioned that Hondas were more reliable than Swiss watches, and that is really the truth. Italian bikes are more like Swiss watches in that they have beautifully made details, but they need care and maintenance to work properly.
When I started looking at the CB1100 I was hopeful that Honda had decided to make this a top quality bike. The price certainly indicated this since it falls in a range of bikes that have considerably more bells and whistles. There are no electronic aids on it, the chassis is simple and the suspension has nothing exotic. The engine is a pure and simple air cooled in-line 4, and everything else may just seem a bit plain on paper. So, in order to justify such a price, my hope was that Honda had decided to put all their expertise in to building an immaculate and top quality bike.
Well, they have! It oozes quality, and I honestly can't think of anything I would change on it to improve it. And this thread basically provides further proof that I am not the only one who feels this way.
Over the years I have had a few Hondas, and most of them were great. An Africa Twin I had for a few years was incredibly well built, and the VFR800 I then got was a real gem. I found that every detail of that bike was perfection, and loved it until it was stolen. Then I got a Varadero, and I was faced with the fact that everything Honda makes is not perfect. Although a good bike, it lacked the quality of detail that I had gotten used to. You could tell that many of the smaller details were "cheap", probably in an attempt to keep prices down.
I then went many years riding Italian bikes, and to be honest I really did find them much better than their reputation. Certainly they require a level of care to remain pristine, and there will always be a moment at some point that they would have an electrical failure. The thing is, there was a level of quality in the details that I loved. An earlier post mentioned that Hondas were more reliable than Swiss watches, and that is really the truth. Italian bikes are more like Swiss watches in that they have beautifully made details, but they need care and maintenance to work properly.
When I started looking at the CB1100 I was hopeful that Honda had decided to make this a top quality bike. The price certainly indicated this since it falls in a range of bikes that have considerably more bells and whistles. There are no electronic aids on it, the chassis is simple and the suspension has nothing exotic. The engine is a pure and simple air cooled in-line 4, and everything else may just seem a bit plain on paper. So, in order to justify such a price, my hope was that Honda had decided to put all their expertise in to building an immaculate and top quality bike.
Well, they have! It oozes quality, and I honestly can't think of anything I would change on it to improve it. And this thread basically provides further proof that I am not the only one who feels this way.