10-31-2019, 09:31 AM
I have a slightly different perspective on the subject but it’s in the same vein.
I bought my cb1100 originally because I thought the retro look and build style would make a good platform for creating a custom modern retro build. And it did. Very easy to modify and work on.
In the process I ended up making quite a few performance upgrades. Performance was never my initial goal but each upgrade made such a noticeable difference I kept going. And it was just fun.
I ended up reducing the weight of the bike, adding hp with intake, exhaust, and fuel mapping mods, increasing acceleration with gearing and 17” wheels, upgrading to race level suspension. All that also required improving braking with ss lines and aggressive pads. The bike will flat out fly off the line and it’s able to handle aggressive turns safely.
I live in North Carolina and spend all of my time riding in the mountains on some of the the best and most challenging roads for sport bikes. As I learned how to push the bike further I realized just how much work it was taming all of that weight. Handling the power on it takes some finesse. Not nearly as much finesse as a modern super sport liter bike but I learned it was quite capable of losing rear grip if using too much throttle in a turn and it will power wheelie in first gear under hard acceleration.
But I find managing all that weight while trying to ride it like a sport bike is what seems like wasted effort. All that torque and power combined with the performance mods let me do things on it that it certainly wasn’t designed for and that I probably shouldn’t do anyway.
This year I set out to find a sport bike to satisfy my need for fun mountain riding that is appropriately suited for street and some highway riding.
My requirements were:
- sport or sport naked oriented design
- a more relaxed riding position than a super sport
- comfortable enough to do some touring
- enough power to be fun without requiring moto gp skills to handle
- enough acceleration at highway speeds to be safe from people driving mobile phone booths
- suspension that can handle twisty mountain roads
- something that won’t kill you for using most of the throttle
- least amount of weight that meets the other requirements
- preference for new over used
- under $10k
I looked at the 600cc and 800cc range of new bikes and I think from a power perspective I would have preferred an 800cc machine but the models I liked were sport tourers that weren’t light.
I ended up buying a 2019 Honda CBR650R and so far it’s been perfect. It seems to have a very usable power range that extends only just beyond reasonable fun. It doesn’t need electronic power control to keep you safe. Stock it weighs 450lbs and I have already been able to reduce that further. For comparison the 2017 CBR1000RR fireblade weighs 430lbs wet at nearly 200 hp. That’s insane when compared to the cb1100.
Riding the 650 on the same roads and at the same speed as the 1100 feels like gliding rather than keeping a barge in check. I have ridden an 8 hour day with no pain in my wrists or knees. And I feel confident and safe on the highway with its ability to accelerate out of harms way.
I definitely agree that there are bikes meant for the track out on the street for which there really is no safe way to use all available capabilities. Personally I wouldn’t put the cb1100 in that category but it certainly is possible to get it to do things it wasn’t intended to do with that big engine.
I’m loving the 1100 for what it does best and the 650 for spirited riding in the twisties. I’m a firm believer in the right tool for the job.
I can’t say the 650 is more fun than the 1100 across the board but it’s definitely more fun in super curvy roads.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I bought my cb1100 originally because I thought the retro look and build style would make a good platform for creating a custom modern retro build. And it did. Very easy to modify and work on.
In the process I ended up making quite a few performance upgrades. Performance was never my initial goal but each upgrade made such a noticeable difference I kept going. And it was just fun.
I ended up reducing the weight of the bike, adding hp with intake, exhaust, and fuel mapping mods, increasing acceleration with gearing and 17” wheels, upgrading to race level suspension. All that also required improving braking with ss lines and aggressive pads. The bike will flat out fly off the line and it’s able to handle aggressive turns safely.
I live in North Carolina and spend all of my time riding in the mountains on some of the the best and most challenging roads for sport bikes. As I learned how to push the bike further I realized just how much work it was taming all of that weight. Handling the power on it takes some finesse. Not nearly as much finesse as a modern super sport liter bike but I learned it was quite capable of losing rear grip if using too much throttle in a turn and it will power wheelie in first gear under hard acceleration.
But I find managing all that weight while trying to ride it like a sport bike is what seems like wasted effort. All that torque and power combined with the performance mods let me do things on it that it certainly wasn’t designed for and that I probably shouldn’t do anyway.
This year I set out to find a sport bike to satisfy my need for fun mountain riding that is appropriately suited for street and some highway riding.
My requirements were:
- sport or sport naked oriented design
- a more relaxed riding position than a super sport
- comfortable enough to do some touring
- enough power to be fun without requiring moto gp skills to handle
- enough acceleration at highway speeds to be safe from people driving mobile phone booths
- suspension that can handle twisty mountain roads
- something that won’t kill you for using most of the throttle
- least amount of weight that meets the other requirements
- preference for new over used
- under $10k
I looked at the 600cc and 800cc range of new bikes and I think from a power perspective I would have preferred an 800cc machine but the models I liked were sport tourers that weren’t light.
I ended up buying a 2019 Honda CBR650R and so far it’s been perfect. It seems to have a very usable power range that extends only just beyond reasonable fun. It doesn’t need electronic power control to keep you safe. Stock it weighs 450lbs and I have already been able to reduce that further. For comparison the 2017 CBR1000RR fireblade weighs 430lbs wet at nearly 200 hp. That’s insane when compared to the cb1100.
Riding the 650 on the same roads and at the same speed as the 1100 feels like gliding rather than keeping a barge in check. I have ridden an 8 hour day with no pain in my wrists or knees. And I feel confident and safe on the highway with its ability to accelerate out of harms way.
I definitely agree that there are bikes meant for the track out on the street for which there really is no safe way to use all available capabilities. Personally I wouldn’t put the cb1100 in that category but it certainly is possible to get it to do things it wasn’t intended to do with that big engine.
I’m loving the 1100 for what it does best and the 650 for spirited riding in the twisties. I’m a firm believer in the right tool for the job.
I can’t say the 650 is more fun than the 1100 across the board but it’s definitely more fun in super curvy roads.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk