06-15-2018, 01:21 AM
VLJ, thanks for sharing your impressions and for keeping your write up intellectually honest. It wasn't preachy, condescending, or mean spirited. My evaluation is pretty close to yours. I think it's great to be a rider during this time. There are so many excellent bikes (and mods) that you can essentially have the bike you really want. If horsepower, razor sharp handling, and a stiffer frame were higher on my list of priorities, I wouldn't have a CB1100. At one time in my life, those were more important. At this stage in my life, they're not as important to me as the characteristics you mentioned in the first part of your post. Now, if they made a Repsol version of the CB1100... 
About what one values in a motorcycle: An employee at our local Costco commutes by motorcycle. He rides a CBR in Repsol livery. He always has a Barbie doll strapped to the back of his seat. I guess it's his girlfriend. Cool. For the past couple of weeks, I've noticed that the CBR has been replaced by a BMW S1000RR, parked in the same spot with the same Barbie strapped on. What a shame. I mean, I understand that from a power perspective, the BMW dominates. But everyone who can afford one has one. It's cliche'. And to commute on one??!! The CBR was beautiful in it's orange-red-white clothes, with orange rims. The dark blue-gray-black of the BMW--it looks like a bass boat. At least the barbie is still pretty...
About what one values in a motorcycle: An employee at our local Costco commutes by motorcycle. He rides a CBR in Repsol livery. He always has a Barbie doll strapped to the back of his seat. I guess it's his girlfriend. Cool. For the past couple of weeks, I've noticed that the CBR has been replaced by a BMW S1000RR, parked in the same spot with the same Barbie strapped on. What a shame. I mean, I understand that from a power perspective, the BMW dominates. But everyone who can afford one has one. It's cliche'. And to commute on one??!! The CBR was beautiful in it's orange-red-white clothes, with orange rims. The dark blue-gray-black of the BMW--it looks like a bass boat. At least the barbie is still pretty...