04-23-2018, 05:05 PM
I personally don't think that Honda would had of sold any more 2014 standards if they had kept the look of the 2013 standard. In fact, I believe that they likely would have sold fewer. It's been obvious to me that quite a few here on the forum are very happy with their 2014 standards, and the looks of the bike is one of the big reasons for their satisfaction. Most of us who were drawn to the looks of the red tank and the additional chrome had already ponied up for the 2013 model.
One only need look at how long a reasonably priced, low mileage CB1100 sits around on the used market before it's sold (whether it's a 2013, 2014 standard or 2014 deluxe) to realize that the buyer population for these bikes here in the United States just isn't that large. There just isn't that much demand here for a motorcycle like the CB1100. In hindsight, I think Honda had it pegged all along when they decided to bring this bike to North America at the prices they chose and with the relative lack of marketing they put forth. That's why I've come to look at this motorcycle's release here in N. America as a gift to those of us who are attracted to such a machine. Perhaps the only way that Honda was ever going to sell a lot of these bikes over here was if they had offered them up at ridiculously low prices. In my mind, that would have been a disservice to this motorcycle, especially given the respect that Honda themselves have for the bike. In discussions such as this, we always tend to forget that Honda never intended to sell the CB1100 here in North America when it was first developed and released.
One only need look at how long a reasonably priced, low mileage CB1100 sits around on the used market before it's sold (whether it's a 2013, 2014 standard or 2014 deluxe) to realize that the buyer population for these bikes here in the United States just isn't that large. There just isn't that much demand here for a motorcycle like the CB1100. In hindsight, I think Honda had it pegged all along when they decided to bring this bike to North America at the prices they chose and with the relative lack of marketing they put forth. That's why I've come to look at this motorcycle's release here in N. America as a gift to those of us who are attracted to such a machine. Perhaps the only way that Honda was ever going to sell a lot of these bikes over here was if they had offered them up at ridiculously low prices. In my mind, that would have been a disservice to this motorcycle, especially given the respect that Honda themselves have for the bike. In discussions such as this, we always tend to forget that Honda never intended to sell the CB1100 here in North America when it was first developed and released.