11-04-2018, 01:10 PM
(11-02-2018, 02:52 PM)Cormanus_imp Wrote: There’s no accounting for taste. I stopped at the Mt Glorious Café when I was out for a ride this week. A group of older blokes of both genders was there having coffee. There was a Guzzi, a BMW, a Triumph T120 and a Suzuki 1400 at least. As I was leaving a couple of them came over and told me how much they liked the CB1100, what a lovely bike it was, how marvelous Hondas are and so forth.
I don’t much care if people don’t like the CB1100 or any other bike for that matter, but I do wonder why they feel the need to be so unpleasant about their dislikes. It’s almost a case of ‘methinks thou dost protest too much.’
I get the "awe 'n' wow" response all the time over the past four years of ownership at red lights, in traffic jams (yeah, fun), at gas stations and in parking lots. Most cases are people mistaking it for a late '70s CB and how "nicely it was restored". They are quite taken when they hear it is a 2014. It is quite amazing that people come up to me - never expected. Even some die-hard Bonnie owners express the unique quell the inline four brings and that they sometimes wished they had. Totally unexpected. Once I looked out the window at a country cafe restaurant only to see two Harley riders gawking (or poking fun?) at the CB. No seriously, they were still there when I was leaving and they liked the cycle. Maybe they had CBs when they were teenagers, or sumthin'. I have never had young riders give a hoot though. I have had cagers at red lights (maybe a caged rider?) say to me, "Man, that bike is quiet - like incredibly so".
(11-03-2018, 05:26 PM)Guth_imp Wrote:(11-02-2018, 11:45 PM)tinboatcapt_imp Wrote: Many years ago I was working at a place with a crew who all rode HD's. It was always some what confrontational when I would ride my BMW to work. The discussions were interesting in that they all had reasons for the HD that centered on what others thought of them and their rides. "BMW? Not cool". "I can't even hear it running. It sounds like a sewing machine". "Nerds ride them". And so on.
They had difficulty with the concept that I ride what gives me pleasure. I choose a machine that performs the kind of riding I wish to do. Finally, I often put on more miles in a weekend than they did in an entire riding season. And I did it in all sorts of weather. My choice of motorcycle was (and is) a tool. It is not bling; function not flash.
That said, I concede that one can choose a ride to meet one's own pleasure that seems to follow the crowd. The point I'm trying to make (badly) is: ride what gives you pleasure and realize that others just won't get what drives us.
jim
Somewhat ironically the CB1100 is one of the few things in life that I just knew I was going to purchase as soon as I saw it (or at least as soon as I knew it was finally going to be made available to me). My reasons for purchasing are almost just the opposite of tinboatcapt. When I learned that Honda was actually going to make a true retro, air-cooled engine and all, it made me a bit weak in the knees. But ultimately it was the looks of the actual production motorcycle that landed the knockout punch. Even if this bike featured less performance I'd probably still be crazy about it. I don't ride nearly as much as most around here and my needs aren't all that demanding. For that matter I already had a motorcycle that served my needs that I was crazy about. This purchase was all about the "bling and flash" for me. The fact that I actually enjoy riding it so much was just icing on the cake.
(11-02-2018, 11:45 PM)tinboatcapt_imp Wrote: Many years ago I was working at a place with a crew who all rode HD's. It was always some what confrontational when I would ride my BMW to work. The discussions were interesting in that they all had reasons for the HD that centered on what others thought of them and their rides. "BMW? Not cool". "I can't even hear it running. It sounds like a sewing machine". "Nerds ride them". And so on.
They had difficulty with the concept that I ride what gives me pleasure. I choose a machine that performs the kind of riding I wish to do. Finally, I often put on more miles in a weekend than they did in an entire riding season. And I did it in all sorts of weather. My choice of motorcycle was (and is) a tool. It is not bling; function not flash.
That said, I concede that one can choose a ride to meet one's own pleasure that seems to follow the crowd. The point I'm trying to make (badly) is: ride what gives you pleasure and realize that others just won't get what drives us.
jim
Now this is where we are in alignment. I've pretty much always followed my own path in life. More than anything else perhaps, the fact that I fell head over heels for the CB1100 was probably a solid indicator that sales in this country weren't going to generate big numbers, lol. The last motorcycle that I was this crazy about was the Hawk GT if that tells you anything. It doesn't stop at motorcycles by the way, there are any number of things where my attraction seemingly signifies subdued interest from the general population. Fortunately I'm not exactly worried what anyone else thinks. When it comes to the CB1100, the only possible true disappointment for me is if I wouldn't have been able to get my hands on one.
To each their own as they say.
(11-03-2018, 12:48 PM)Capo_imp Wrote: To be fair, the CB isn’t really unusual or rare. It’s definitely interesting. But I’d not take the criticism or opinions in a group aimed, perhaps, at more esoteric machinery, too seriously. And there are a number of Facebook groups dedicated to the CB, where the feedback loop and confirmation biases will be more to the good side.
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Leave it to a guy who got rid of his CB1100 to make perhaps the most sensible comment here, lol. Good points Capo.
Heh, when I first saw the CB1100 I touched and sat on it. I then thought, get me away from this! I was not needing a new bike at the time. I left hurt. A year passed, it happened again at another dealer. I wasn't looking at the CB1100, but I got seduced by the bike and could no longer get away. Incredibly, at the same time I was equally seduced by another girl, err, um bike: Motoguzzi Griso in green. Oh boy. Anyway, somehow the CB won the heart (and it cost a bit more).