12-01-2017, 02:42 AM
As a younger buyer (32), I have a different perspective as I did not grow up riding CBs and did not have prior experience with Honda bikes.
I spent several years riding a traditional sportbike (Ninja 636) and while I enjoyed the bike, I quickly got tired of how pointed and peaky the bike's character was. The only time I could really wring the bike out was on the track (a 4 hour, 200 mile, yearly sojourn), or out in the backroads of central FL, which don't offer much.
When I began looking for bikes towards the end of 2015, I found myself attracted to rides that hearkened back to a time when motorcycles looked and felt simple.
Plenty of options exist for a comfy, powerful ride, but not many combine the power, comfort, style, reliability, and price that the CB1100 offers. The XSR900 came close, but didn't feel as authentic. The R9T was in the running, but ultimately was too expensive (I wanted to spend double what I sold the 636 for, which ended up being ~$7K). Triumph bikes didn't have enough power, and some of the sporty standards looked like Transformers.
When I saw the CB1100, I was drawn to it. And I still am. I've added a few items (passenger backrest and rack, engine guards, small windscreen) and really like the ride I've put together. I flirted hard with selling the bike a few times, even going so far as to listing it online, but I never pulled the trigger.
And I'm glad I haven't. Every time I look at my bike, it breathes the essence of what riding is to me. The aural sensation of the road. The torquey nature of the engine. The rumble of the oh-so-out-of-place Two Brothers exhaust (came with it). It has it's faults (high idle fixed under extended warranty), it is a sled around the track (obviously), but for the vast majority of miles, it encapsulates the spark of why I ride. To me, the CB1100 is pure motorcycle.
I spent several years riding a traditional sportbike (Ninja 636) and while I enjoyed the bike, I quickly got tired of how pointed and peaky the bike's character was. The only time I could really wring the bike out was on the track (a 4 hour, 200 mile, yearly sojourn), or out in the backroads of central FL, which don't offer much.
When I began looking for bikes towards the end of 2015, I found myself attracted to rides that hearkened back to a time when motorcycles looked and felt simple.
Plenty of options exist for a comfy, powerful ride, but not many combine the power, comfort, style, reliability, and price that the CB1100 offers. The XSR900 came close, but didn't feel as authentic. The R9T was in the running, but ultimately was too expensive (I wanted to spend double what I sold the 636 for, which ended up being ~$7K). Triumph bikes didn't have enough power, and some of the sporty standards looked like Transformers.
When I saw the CB1100, I was drawn to it. And I still am. I've added a few items (passenger backrest and rack, engine guards, small windscreen) and really like the ride I've put together. I flirted hard with selling the bike a few times, even going so far as to listing it online, but I never pulled the trigger.
And I'm glad I haven't. Every time I look at my bike, it breathes the essence of what riding is to me. The aural sensation of the road. The torquey nature of the engine. The rumble of the oh-so-out-of-place Two Brothers exhaust (came with it). It has it's faults (high idle fixed under extended warranty), it is a sled around the track (obviously), but for the vast majority of miles, it encapsulates the spark of why I ride. To me, the CB1100 is pure motorcycle.