07-02-2017, 10:17 PM
to review: Omarj loves the retro looks of the CB, but is just starting out and lives in the metropolitan Bay Area in California. Conventional wisdom is that a first bike should be small and manageable; add to this that many choose smaller, more maneuverable bikes to get around the city, including scooters and mopeds, in part because they are cheaper and easier to operate, insure, park, etc. and being blown off the road by a large truck at highway speed is less of an issue. Perhaps he will start on a 540 pound bike and do fine, but IF he decides he wants a smaller model and likes the standard UJM retro look, he has options, such as the Yamaha SR400 and the Suzuki TU250x, which are both fine and good looking machines, in the same lineage and design mold as the CB. Another option would be the Royal Enfields, which are even more retro and under 500 cc. And IF he wants a smaller bike and IF retro or UJM looks are not that crucial, there are even more choices, like the Rebel or CB500, as others have opined.
as for the "overpriced for what it is" or "not worth that much money" argument, my 2 cents is--what is it worth to you? I believe many of us have encountered the sentiment that the CB1100 was "not worth" its price tag because it should have more HP, standard traction control, louder exhaust, an extra gear, and so on. These are expressions perhaps of what that particular critic finds most desirable in a bike, and there are plenty of options available in the marketplace that are "worth it" to them. But dyno figures and electronics are not the only standard for evaluating a motorcycle. Numbers on a spec sheet don't capture build quality, or reliability, or ease of use. Or esthetics. I think the CB1100 offers these things to the degree that I would pay $12K for one, or $6K for the Yamaha (which is built in Japan and comes standard with chromed steel fenders and instruments, spoked wheels, great tires, and one of the most beautiful air-cooled engines still being produced). These bikes fulfill a usefulness and consumer desire well, so to me, they are worth their price tag. (A $21K blacked-out Ducati Diavel isn't, but I can imagine it IS worth that price to someone, and I would not suggest to Ducati or to that buyer that they should do things according to my wants or taste, as if it were the best or only right way.) If enough people prefer such attributes to raw HP and plastic body parts and express their preferences in purchases, the manufacturers will continue to make and sell them, and everyone then gets the option to own a bike that is "worth it" to them. Calling a bike "a turd" after reading about it in a magazine but never having sat on one, let alone owned or operated one, is not giving Omarj informed advice about his options, which I believe was his goal in posting his question. If someone took a test ride and was underwhelmed, or had some negative experience with ownership that they wished to share, this would be more helpful, I believe, than name-calling.
as for the "overpriced for what it is" or "not worth that much money" argument, my 2 cents is--what is it worth to you? I believe many of us have encountered the sentiment that the CB1100 was "not worth" its price tag because it should have more HP, standard traction control, louder exhaust, an extra gear, and so on. These are expressions perhaps of what that particular critic finds most desirable in a bike, and there are plenty of options available in the marketplace that are "worth it" to them. But dyno figures and electronics are not the only standard for evaluating a motorcycle. Numbers on a spec sheet don't capture build quality, or reliability, or ease of use. Or esthetics. I think the CB1100 offers these things to the degree that I would pay $12K for one, or $6K for the Yamaha (which is built in Japan and comes standard with chromed steel fenders and instruments, spoked wheels, great tires, and one of the most beautiful air-cooled engines still being produced). These bikes fulfill a usefulness and consumer desire well, so to me, they are worth their price tag. (A $21K blacked-out Ducati Diavel isn't, but I can imagine it IS worth that price to someone, and I would not suggest to Ducati or to that buyer that they should do things according to my wants or taste, as if it were the best or only right way.) If enough people prefer such attributes to raw HP and plastic body parts and express their preferences in purchases, the manufacturers will continue to make and sell them, and everyone then gets the option to own a bike that is "worth it" to them. Calling a bike "a turd" after reading about it in a magazine but never having sat on one, let alone owned or operated one, is not giving Omarj informed advice about his options, which I believe was his goal in posting his question. If someone took a test ride and was underwhelmed, or had some negative experience with ownership that they wished to share, this would be more helpful, I believe, than name-calling.