01-14-2018, 04:11 AM
Great thread Guth, as well as input from everyone else. With almost 50 years of riding motorcycles under my belt, I get it. Before I pulled the trigger on my CB1100 EX, I did extensive homework, including reading every aspect of development listed here: http://world.honda.com/CB1100/engineer-talk/ . For years I had speculated among my riding friends, about whether or not Honda bringing back a modern version of the CB750 Four would be a winner or not ( I always thought it would be ). In scouring all the info contained in that link, I think Honda made it very clear that a major goal of the bike was for the rider to enjoy the simple pleasure of the ride. Mission accomplished in my humble opinion.
It seems to me that sometimes advances in the "latest and greatest" is a step backwards, but then without knowledge of what came before it, there would be nothing to use as a comparison to make that judgment. What I am talking about here is not necessarily on the technical side of so called advances, but rather the experience. How could anyone that had never ridden a CB750 Four back in the day possibly understand and compare it to modern offerings? I was disappointed for many years that the simple naked bike of the past was really not available, and that crotch rockets more suited for the track were all the rage.
In terms of riding enjoyment, riding position is a major consideration, based on experience with different riding positions. The forward crouch on a crotch rocket may offer good control, but I dont think I would want that position for commuting, a quick leisure ride, or a road trip, for comforts sake. The feet forward position I found with my Harley, is not one that gave me a feeling of natural control and balance either. In fairness, not all the Harleys are feet forward, but a large segment are. Once I got on my CB1100, seated upright, that natural feeling of balance and control came back to me. Over the years, even many of the pseudo retro bikes had a seating position semi slouched backwards, because the styling was emulating the Harley V twin.
As to the neutral indicator light, most of my early bikes didnt have it, so we got used to easing the clutch out slightly in neutral as a conformation we were actually in neutral before doing anything else, and it was just the way we were taught. The rev limiter doesnt bother me either. Back in the day we were taught that a two stroke would just top out, but a four stroke would keep running until it broke. I can remember getting my CB750 out on the freeway to see what it would do. At 95 mph I had to back off because even in a crouch, I was holding on for dear life, and thought getting blown off the bike was a real possibility. I was in my 20s at the time, and now at age 65, the CB1100 has more power than I will ever need, can do everything I want, and does it extremely well with pure enjoyment.
I would venture to guess that CB1100 fans, and perhaps the majority of the membership here, are older riders with many years of riding, and experience over those years with many different bikes. As the saying goes, there is no substitute for experience. That holds true here, because anyone that has never ridden an upright seating position classic naked bike, has no basis for comparison and no way of knowing what they are missing. I have heard some of the younger "nay sayer" riders describe the CB1100 as an "old mans bike". I always ask if they have ever ridden one, and to date have not found a single CB1100 skeptic that actually has ridden one. I just grin, and say that what the CB1100 really is, is a smooth, pure, enjoy the ride bike.
It seems to me that sometimes advances in the "latest and greatest" is a step backwards, but then without knowledge of what came before it, there would be nothing to use as a comparison to make that judgment. What I am talking about here is not necessarily on the technical side of so called advances, but rather the experience. How could anyone that had never ridden a CB750 Four back in the day possibly understand and compare it to modern offerings? I was disappointed for many years that the simple naked bike of the past was really not available, and that crotch rockets more suited for the track were all the rage.
In terms of riding enjoyment, riding position is a major consideration, based on experience with different riding positions. The forward crouch on a crotch rocket may offer good control, but I dont think I would want that position for commuting, a quick leisure ride, or a road trip, for comforts sake. The feet forward position I found with my Harley, is not one that gave me a feeling of natural control and balance either. In fairness, not all the Harleys are feet forward, but a large segment are. Once I got on my CB1100, seated upright, that natural feeling of balance and control came back to me. Over the years, even many of the pseudo retro bikes had a seating position semi slouched backwards, because the styling was emulating the Harley V twin.
As to the neutral indicator light, most of my early bikes didnt have it, so we got used to easing the clutch out slightly in neutral as a conformation we were actually in neutral before doing anything else, and it was just the way we were taught. The rev limiter doesnt bother me either. Back in the day we were taught that a two stroke would just top out, but a four stroke would keep running until it broke. I can remember getting my CB750 out on the freeway to see what it would do. At 95 mph I had to back off because even in a crouch, I was holding on for dear life, and thought getting blown off the bike was a real possibility. I was in my 20s at the time, and now at age 65, the CB1100 has more power than I will ever need, can do everything I want, and does it extremely well with pure enjoyment.
I would venture to guess that CB1100 fans, and perhaps the majority of the membership here, are older riders with many years of riding, and experience over those years with many different bikes. As the saying goes, there is no substitute for experience. That holds true here, because anyone that has never ridden an upright seating position classic naked bike, has no basis for comparison and no way of knowing what they are missing. I have heard some of the younger "nay sayer" riders describe the CB1100 as an "old mans bike". I always ask if they have ever ridden one, and to date have not found a single CB1100 skeptic that actually has ridden one. I just grin, and say that what the CB1100 really is, is a smooth, pure, enjoy the ride bike.