06-15-2018, 01:11 AM
To all those who are recommending higher seats and lower pegs, all I can say is, nope, I'm not touching her. I like that low seat height, and lowering the pegs mean reduced cornering clearance.
I'm leaving her bone stock. I love her the way she is. As I mentioned, I can simply dangle my feet for a spell whenever I need to, and I'm good.
pdedse, considering the fuel mileage I'm enjoying now, I'd say you are are correct in noting Honda's design goals for sixth gear, and stating that it's not a flaw. With that being said, it's not as if fourth or fifth gears allowed her to storm up those elevated grades with any degree of pulse-pounding alacrity either. Nope, such elevations robbed her of what little leeway in power she has, making even lower-gear runs a less-than-satisfying affair. Much of Monitor Pass is ridden in third gear, hard on the gas like a banshee out of every corner before clicking up into fourth and fifth for the faster sections. Down at lower elevations, on Hwy 49 west of Downieville, for instance, those same antics produce very spirited if not piped XSR levels of thrills. At elevation, however, the CB just won't pick up the revs quickly enough, so it won't accelerate.
I'm definitely with you, regarding the usefulness of that OD sixth gear. In the end, however, HP and torque still rule the high mountain passes, and the CB1100 simply needs more of both up there. She certainly needs more sheer grunt out of the corners, but the bigger thing is she desperately needs to rev more quickly in response to a big handful of throttle.
I'm leaving her bone stock. I love her the way she is. As I mentioned, I can simply dangle my feet for a spell whenever I need to, and I'm good.
pdedse, considering the fuel mileage I'm enjoying now, I'd say you are are correct in noting Honda's design goals for sixth gear, and stating that it's not a flaw. With that being said, it's not as if fourth or fifth gears allowed her to storm up those elevated grades with any degree of pulse-pounding alacrity either. Nope, such elevations robbed her of what little leeway in power she has, making even lower-gear runs a less-than-satisfying affair. Much of Monitor Pass is ridden in third gear, hard on the gas like a banshee out of every corner before clicking up into fourth and fifth for the faster sections. Down at lower elevations, on Hwy 49 west of Downieville, for instance, those same antics produce very spirited if not piped XSR levels of thrills. At elevation, however, the CB just won't pick up the revs quickly enough, so it won't accelerate.
I'm definitely with you, regarding the usefulness of that OD sixth gear. In the end, however, HP and torque still rule the high mountain passes, and the CB1100 simply needs more of both up there. She certainly needs more sheer grunt out of the corners, but the bigger thing is she desperately needs to rev more quickly in response to a big handful of throttle.