01-15-2018, 06:49 AM
(01-15-2018, 05:02 AM)Acrobat_imp Wrote:(01-15-2018, 01:35 AM)Nortoon_imp Wrote: I think a person's riding style has a lot to do with how they judge the CB.
Like it or not this is an old man's bike. You have to be at least 60 to remember the CB750 and appreciate it looks. This is confirmed every time I stop for breakfast or lunch. It always the mature gray haired gentlemen that are attracted to this machine.
She is a porky motorcycle and very top heavy compared to most bikes, except touring motorcycles and large cruisers. That is reason I call mine Miss Piggy.
Don't get me wrong, I like my CB1100 and had to wait 3 years to be able to buy one. I love the looks of the machine, and she fits my riding style perfectly. I like sweeping through the corners, but at 71 years of age my knee dragging days are far behind me. I have yet to scrape the center stand or a foot peg on my EX, and that is fine with me. I ride my CB strictly for pleasure on lonesome scenic back roads on week days to avoid the traffic.
Except to pass most of my time is spent at 3500 RPMs or less. I know the power is there beyond that, but I don't really need it for my riding style. I prefer a smooth and relaxed sweep through the corners. At my age racing a heavy motorcycle through the corners on the edge of safety would be exhausting and perilous.
Nortoon , with all respect I don't think that CB is an old man's bike . You maybe 71 and i am almost 52 , but I am sure you feel , as I do , like 16. And this motorcycle enhances this feeling. Did you ever consider why you ride? I ride because I envy the birds flying. So my opinion is that CB1100 is for riders that have nothing to prove...
Very well put Acrobat — I really like that. I think this is exactly why someone like Ulvetanna is so conflicted with regards to the CB1100. He clearly needs to prove that, even though he's old, he's "still got it". I don't have a problem with that and I don't have a hard time believing that he's still plenty fast. If that's how he enjoys riding his bikes then more power to him. But unfortunately he got to the point that he felt had had to convince everyone on this forum that the CB1100 is something that it isn't. I get the distinct impression that he did so primarily to satisfy himself. When he couldn't accomplish this, he sold his CB1100.
VLJ clearly admits to the sporting nature of his riding style, but it strikes me that he's trying to look at the CB1100 in a more honest light than Ulvetanna did. While he is well aware of his own riding style he also realizes that he'll need to "bend" somewhat himself in order to make the CB1100 work for him with the hope that he might enjoy a long-term ownership experience. Most guys simply want to keep throwing more many at the machine rather than focusing on themselves. There is a big difference between the two approaches. Apparently VLJ's desire to own a CB1100 is great enough that he is giving much thought to the above and that's saying something.
As someone who spent many years (and far too much money) on the guitar merry-go-round, I know how hard it can be to kick such a buying habit. In the end I figured out that the answer for me was to focus more on my own happiness with myself while I was playing rather than solely on the guitar that I found in my hands. Even then I still ended up with a bunch of guitars that I still own to this day, but it's now been over five years since I've bought/sold/traded a guitar and that is a huge record for me. If VLJ is similarly conflicted when it comes to motorcycles, then I'm not exactly confident that a CB1100 would remain in his garage long-term. But then I also doubt that any bike currently available would do the trick for that matter. If I were VLJ, I'd probably wait for the CB1000R to come along and try it out before making a decision. But I'm not VLJ and he's stated plenty of good reasons for wanting a CB1100. He surely has a better idea than myself whether or not he truly thinks this bike could make him happy and I wish him nothing but the best with his decision.