Bummed by a test ride

[co6aka_imp]

Hi all, I took a '13 CB1100 for a quick spin. While I quite liked the bike, there was something that bummed me out. At the time I could not quite point a finger at it, but after the ride it eventually crystallized for me. It was the engine. I loved the bike's looks, the street presence, the handling, but I did not quite like the engine. It spools up quite fast and pulls quite nicely but it seemed not very happy swinging into higher RPMs. Sound was probably the only cue: it didn't sound quite strained, but sorta unhappy. Throttle roll-ons or downshifts were gently but surely hinting me at the magic number of about 3K RPM, where the engine appeared happiest. Thus i spent most of the ride at 3K RPM, out of the ~9K available on tach. I find that very odd, given that it's a four-banger.

I read about the bike a lot, including the fascinating discussion by the bike's designers and a review by Kevin Ash, where he simply adores the powerplant:
http://www.ashonbikes.com/content/honda-...013-review

I also watched a bunch of YouTube videos which show the same engine behavior. So it seems there was a clear design intention for this. Is that what is meant to give the bike a 'character'? Frankly, i found it annoying and would much prefer an engine that sounds smooth and happy as it revs up.

Maybe someone could chime in on the subject. Thanks!