05-04-2018, 01:58 AM
Where is "here beyond the Zion curtain"? Utah?
America never received any 2018 CB1100s, so if you're in Utah you had to be looking at a 2017 model. The tank you saw is 4.44 gallons, so a half gallon larger than your 2014, unless you have a '14 Deluxe, in which case your Deluxe's tank is only 0.16 gallons larger. The turnsignals on the '17 are of a different shape but the plastic is likely of the same thickness as the '14's. Same goes for the thickness of the '14 and '17 exhaust headers. The '17's canister is smaller, is all.
Yes, the '17's headlight cover is plastic, as it is on nearly all LED headlights from every manufacturer, cars or motorcycles. The '17's LED headlight is also much better than the halogen headlight on the '14.
Bottom line, the materials used on the '14 are no better than those used on the '17, or the '18 in other parts of the world. Where there are differences, such as the headlight, or the extra bits of aluminum or stainless steel, the '17's parts are an upgrade.
Edit: I'm at my Honda dealer right now, standing beside an unsold '14 Standard. The headlight lens is plastic, not glass. The plastic on the turnsignals is the same as the '17's. The exhaust headers are smaller than the '17's, since the '17's are double-walled, like the '14 Deluxe's.
America never received any 2018 CB1100s, so if you're in Utah you had to be looking at a 2017 model. The tank you saw is 4.44 gallons, so a half gallon larger than your 2014, unless you have a '14 Deluxe, in which case your Deluxe's tank is only 0.16 gallons larger. The turnsignals on the '17 are of a different shape but the plastic is likely of the same thickness as the '14's. Same goes for the thickness of the '14 and '17 exhaust headers. The '17's canister is smaller, is all.
Yes, the '17's headlight cover is plastic, as it is on nearly all LED headlights from every manufacturer, cars or motorcycles. The '17's LED headlight is also much better than the halogen headlight on the '14.
Bottom line, the materials used on the '14 are no better than those used on the '17, or the '18 in other parts of the world. Where there are differences, such as the headlight, or the extra bits of aluminum or stainless steel, the '17's parts are an upgrade.
Edit: I'm at my Honda dealer right now, standing beside an unsold '14 Standard. The headlight lens is plastic, not glass. The plastic on the turnsignals is the same as the '17's. The exhaust headers are smaller than the '17's, since the '17's are double-walled, like the '14 Deluxe's.