03-22-2018, 08:05 AM
Regarding the more contoured, seamless tank on the '17 model, the one thing I can add is that every last non-member of cb1100forum.com who has seen my bike in person thought it looked totally classic and retro, and they loved the brilliant red tank. It's only the dyed-in-the-wool corksniffers here (myself included) in forums like this one who know, much less care, whether any given design is an exact replication of the vintage item. To the rest of the motorcycling world and the entirety of the non-motorcycling population, the '17 looks as "old school" and "authentic" as they come. Absolutely no one has said, "Yeah, well, if only it had tank seams and a more breadbox shape, like the '13 model."
We see the same thing in the guitar world. Other than the corksniffers who stand in studious silence as they dissect every last bit of the band's gear minutiae, no one in the audience knows or cares whether the dude onstage is playing a real '59 Les Paul, a '59 Reissue, a Japanese copy, or even a cheapo Epiphone SG or Squire Strat. All they know is it looks and sounds killer, and it's making them want to sing along and dance.
If you like it, then it's cool. If you don't like it, then it's not for you. Who cares what anyone else thinks? All that matters is what you think.
Obviously, I think the '17 tank looks tremendous. I also like the tanks on the previous models, but I definitely prefer the paintwork, larger capacity, and the absence of seams on my tank. I probably like the RS's tank even more, but only on the RS, with its lower bars, 17" cast wheels, blacked-out motor, more modern seat design, and gold-colored suspension bits. Those same tank stripes on my bike would look wildly out of place.
My tank doesn't look like the '13's tank, and neither tank looks like the original, and I'm fine with that. I have no requirement that every detail on my bike must match the original. My tank looks great on my bike.
Good enough for me.
We see the same thing in the guitar world. Other than the corksniffers who stand in studious silence as they dissect every last bit of the band's gear minutiae, no one in the audience knows or cares whether the dude onstage is playing a real '59 Les Paul, a '59 Reissue, a Japanese copy, or even a cheapo Epiphone SG or Squire Strat. All they know is it looks and sounds killer, and it's making them want to sing along and dance.
If you like it, then it's cool. If you don't like it, then it's not for you. Who cares what anyone else thinks? All that matters is what you think.
Obviously, I think the '17 tank looks tremendous. I also like the tanks on the previous models, but I definitely prefer the paintwork, larger capacity, and the absence of seams on my tank. I probably like the RS's tank even more, but only on the RS, with its lower bars, 17" cast wheels, blacked-out motor, more modern seat design, and gold-colored suspension bits. Those same tank stripes on my bike would look wildly out of place.
My tank doesn't look like the '13's tank, and neither tank looks like the original, and I'm fine with that. I have no requirement that every detail on my bike must match the original. My tank looks great on my bike.
Good enough for me.