Okay, mickey, you're wearing me down!

[VLJ_imp]

Sounds to me as if the T-120 would make you happier. Quit torturing yourself and head to the Triumph dealership. Might be able to wrangle a deal on a 2017 left over.

Both fine motorcycles, you can't go wrong.

Interesting comparo here . the dyno chart is particularly interesting for someone worried about power

http://www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs/ret...otout-2017

mickey, that dyno comparo is one of the primary reasons I'm worried that the Honda will just be too slow and unresponsive to satisfy me. Notice that the lighter, much shorter-wheelbase Triumph is stronger than the Honda everywhere, both HP and torque (quite a bit more torque), except for those final couple-few thousand RPM where the T120 won't go—and where the Honda is electronically limited in the top gears. Anywhere on the Triumph's tach, it's making more power and torque than the Honda.

And here's the thing. Having ridden it three times, I know the Triumph is only barely powerful enough to avoid being boring to me. For all the talk of its big punch down low, it still feels as slow as November mud to me, compared to the XSR900, or even the BMW. I'm not just talking on top, either. Even down low, the XSR absolutely obliterates the Triumph, so I can only imagine how anemic the heavier/longer wheelbase/less powerful Honda would feel to me.

If Honda uncorked the CB1100 and let it rev out to its full potential, things might be very different. As delivered, however, yep, I worry that the Honda will simply wallow too much and touch down too easily in the corners, and have zero zip exiting those same corners. I'm also slightly worried that it might be a bit annoying on the freeway, with the I4 buzz. My FJ1200, CBR600F4i, ZX-6, ZX-9R, GSX-R750, GSX-R1000, and Bandit 1200S were all buzzier and slightly more bothersome on the freeway than my Boxer Twins, V-Strom 1000, SV650, SV1000, and V4 Hondas. Even my Triumph and Yamaha Triples had a more relaxing cadence than the I4s.

The CB1100 with the six-speed might be an outlier, though. While many say it's still somewhat buzzy, many others—most others, really—say it's uncannily butter-smooth...smoother than practically anything.

And it's just so damn gorgeous. Killer build quality, as well. Those are the two things that pull me to the Honda. It's the whole pride of ownership thing. I know what the CB1100 is, what it represents, and the meticulous engineering involved in its design and construction.

I just love that sh*t.



Man, if only Honda offered test rides, I could answer all my questions with one ten-minute stint up and down the freeway.