04-23-2015, 01:13 AM
(04-22-2015, 02:29 PM)Jim21680_imp Wrote: I previously owned a BMW F800ST (an almost-identical predecessor of the GT, with a shorter wheelbase). It was not a positive experience.
That motor, built by Rotax, can sometimes sound like a skeleton dancing around inside a 55-gallon steel drum. As you might already know, it's a vertical twin with a 360-degree firing order. Both pistons rise & fall together, firing alternately. The output is almost exactly what you'd get from a 400cc two-stroke. At 2007, mine was an early model, but it developed piston slap inside of 13,000 miles, which took BMW over a year to even admit such a thing existed. I think there may have been a class-action suit, but not sure. And then came the play in the rear-wheel bearing. I'll admit that it was a great-riding bike, when it was in good shape, but that was one bike I was happy to get rid of.
I'm hoping those problems are sorted out by now (they must be), but I still don't think the F800's are worthy of the BMW name. The design's just not on par with the R-twins they produce. The Interceptor would be my choice for something like this. Good luck.
This is the kind of thing that worries me. I would feel stupid if I bought a brand new bike and then had a series of headaches with it. My CBR250R has been completely bullet-proof and it creates a definite sense of trust and brand loyalty.
(04-22-2015, 03:33 PM)Elipten_imp Wrote: I am an old school BMW rider since my early 20s, and these "BMW" F bikes are not BMW. Management has cheapened the brand with such junk to expand the buyer pool. I suspect KTM is the new BMW. I will only ride and own old school BMW bikes. Sorry if this offends anyone, but a man has to stand on principle and draw the line someplace.
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I appreciate your experienced opinion.
(04-22-2015, 05:07 PM)Cormanus_imp Wrote: Stichill
I've been pondering this question since my last post and thought of a couple of other things I wanted to say.
My first burst of riding was in my late teens in the early 70s. I did a bit of short-haul touring and managed perfectly well on a old CB175 and then a Suzuki 250. I forget the model, but it was a 2 stroke. Both carried a load of gear. The Honda didn't have a chance with chaps with 350s, 500s, 750s and the like; the Suzuki could out accelerate some of them but wasn't quite so comfortable at speed. But I was happy enough touring over short distances. Of course what I really wanted back in those days was a CB500 Four or a CB750 Four.
I then retired from riding for quite a while. When I returned it was on a scooter that I used strictly for commuting. I then retired from that and, although I'd ride other people's bikes given the opportunity, I basically stayed away from it until late in 2010 when I decided to get going again and bought a used Honda Shadow 750C, partly because of it's height: I'm not tall—5'7" with a 30" in-seam. I had plenty fun on it, but I never really bonded with it. The different riding position to the UJMs of my youth, the noise it made, the different seating position and handling didn't really appeal. That said, I may well have kept it longer if, on the day I picked it up or shortly afterwards, I saw a beautiful, white, 2010 CB1100 and fell in love. I did nothing about it for a couple of years and then bought a second-hand one. It's pretty much all the bike I ever wanted. I love the look of it; I love riding it; it is the realisation of a long-held dream to own a Japanese in-line 4.
I joined this forum and got an invitation from Pterodactyl to join him on a ride to Mildura. It meant a couple of weeks away and about 3,000-4,000 kms riding. I'd never done anything like it, but I was keen to try for various reasons. We had a great time and I really enjoyed myself. I've since done a few other rides with Pterodactyl including a trip to the Australian MotoGP last year and then points beyond. That covered about 7,500 kms. All on the unfaired CB with top box and other bits and pieces tied on. To give you some idea, I've had the bike since September 2013 and covered a bit more than 34,000 kms on it.
I still love the bike. It works for me and I've been really happy touring on it. I intend to keep touring and I've no plans to replace the CB1100. IN part that's because I'll have to be a one bike person.
BUT ...
... there's some things you may like to consider.
The CB suits me just fine for touring. But I've got no experience of anything much else to compare it with.
I'm only likely to have one bike at a time so it has to do a few things. That involves compromises.
Nearly everyone around here is pretty keen on the CB1100, although, as the earlier parts of this thread show, there's more than enough experience of other bikes and honesty to give you a fair bit to chew over.
My experience with the Shadow (and with many other things in life) is that it's important to get what's right for you. Blow everybody else.
If all you want to do is tour and you want a comfortable bike set up to do just that, the CB1100, beautiful though she is, may not be for you. If you commute, do weekend rides and want to do the odd longer tour, you may find the CB1100 a bit more useable than the CBR250R. It gobbles up miles on the highway or back roads without revving too high; it loves hills; it doesn't seem to notice a bag of gear, a full top box and a load of camping equipment; it's fun on a twisty road; and, with an AirHawk cushion is not too uncomfortable to sit on all day for days on end.
If you'll still love it after the compromises you have to make, buy one. If not, buy the bike that really works for you and then tell us about it. Most of us will be interested.
But I can't stress enough: make sure you buy the bike that is right for what you want to do with it and that you'll continue to enjoy doing it on.
Good luck!
This is a fantastic testimonial. Thanks for taking the time to thoughtfully share your impressions. Even though I'm entering only my fourth season of riding, my riding / touring experiences are kind of similar to yours. All of the touring I have done has been on bikes with little to no wind protection:
[ul] [li]CBR250R[/li] [li]CB1100[/li] [li]NC750S
[/li][/ul]
I have briefly ridden a friend's ST1100. Didn't get over 55 mph on some two-lane roads for a 30-minute lunch hour jaunt. I didn't get the impression that the fairing and tall windshield were "awesome"...actually I felt that the mass in front of me was a little isolating...less sense of "magic carpet" flying along over the roadway.
(04-22-2015, 05:07 PM)Cormanus_imp Wrote: Stichill
I've been pondering this question since my last post and thought of a couple of other things I wanted to say.
My first burst of riding was in my late teens in the early 70s. I did a bit of short-haul touring and managed perfectly well on a old CB175 and then a Suzuki 250. I forget the model, but it was a 2 stroke. Both carried a load of gear. The Honda didn't have a chance with chaps with 350s, 500s, 750s and the like; the Suzuki could out accelerate some of them but wasn't quite so comfortable at speed. But I was happy enough touring over short distances. Of course what I really wanted back in those days was a CB500 Four or a CB750 Four.
I then retired from riding for quite a while. When I returned it was on a scooter that I used strictly for commuting. I then retired from that and, although I'd ride other people's bikes given the opportunity, I basically stayed away from it until late in 2010 when I decided to get going again and bought a used Honda Shadow 750C, partly because of it's height: I'm not tall—5'7" with a 30" in-seam. I had plenty fun on it, but I never really bonded with it. The different riding position to the UJMs of my youth, the noise it made, the different seating position and handling didn't really appeal. That said, I may well have kept it longer if, on the day I picked it up or shortly afterwards, I saw a beautiful, white, 2010 CB1100 and fell in love. I did nothing about it for a couple of years and then bought a second-hand one. It's pretty much all the bike I ever wanted. I love the look of it; I love riding it; it is the realisation of a long-held dream to own a Japanese in-line 4.
I joined this forum and got an invitation from Pterodactyl to join him on a ride to Mildura. It meant a couple of weeks away and about 3,000-4,000 kms riding. I'd never done anything like it, but I was keen to try for various reasons. We had a great time and I really enjoyed myself. I've since done a few other rides with Pterodactyl including a trip to the Australian MotoGP last year and then points beyond. That covered about 7,500 kms. All on the unfaired CB with top box and other bits and pieces tied on. To give you some idea, I've had the bike since September 2013 and covered a bit more than 34,000 kms on it.
I still love the bike. It works for me and I've been really happy touring on it. I intend to keep touring and I've no plans to replace the CB1100. IN part that's because I'll have to be a one bike person.
BUT ...
... there's some things you may like to consider.
The CB suits me just fine for touring. But I've got no experience of anything much else to compare it with.
I'm only likely to have one bike at a time so it has to do a few things. That involves compromises.
Nearly everyone around here is pretty keen on the CB1100, although, as the earlier parts of this thread show, there's more than enough experience of other bikes and honesty to give you a fair bit to chew over.
My experience with the Shadow (and with many other things in life) is that it's important to get what's right for you. Blow everybody else.
If all you want to do is tour and you want a comfortable bike set up to do just that, the CB1100, beautiful though she is, may not be for you. If you commute, do weekend rides and want to do the odd longer tour, you may find the CB1100 a bit more useable than the CBR250R. It gobbles up miles on the highway or back roads without revving too high; it loves hills; it doesn't seem to notice a bag of gear, a full top box and a load of camping equipment; it's fun on a twisty road; and, with an AirHawk cushion is not too uncomfortable to sit on all day for days on end.
If you'll still love it after the compromises you have to make, buy one. If not, buy the bike that really works for you and then tell us about it. Most of us will be interested.
But I can't stress enough: make sure you buy the bike that is right for what you want to do with it and that you'll continue to enjoy doing it on.
Good luck!
Very compelling! I do think that I am a person who is tolerant of compromise. Just one look at my little CBR250R is proof of that I think. However screaming down the motorway is perhaps one compromise that I am tired of...the CB1100 would alleviate three out of four "fatigue factors" from the highway experience:
[ul] [li]Excessively high engine RPM / excessive throttle rotation (big improvement)[/li] [li]Low passing power (big improvement)[/li] [li]Slipstream "push around" (has to be better; CB weighs nearly 200 pounds more than the CBR)[/li] [li]Wind blast (no obvious change; CB may actually be a little better i.e. CB clean air vs. turbulent air pointed at helmet from tiny CBR windscreen)
[/li][/ul]
I only tour one-two weeks a year, however with a larger bike I could see myself extending that. However it would be solo, so I can control the riding conditions to suit myself. For the rest of the time, the CB would be a great "all-rounder" as the Germans call Standards. It would be very different kind of bike than my CBR so I could choose one or the other depending on my riding mood. If I feel like a spirited honk in the local Kentucky twisties, I might choose the CBR. If I feel like a more relaxed countryside ride to admire the charms of the Bluegrass State, I could hop on the CB. And if I want to take a long trip out of town, the CB has much more competence and capability for that mission than my CBR, so I would be a lot better off in that situation.
The more I think about it, the more I think the CB1100 could be the "do-it-all" second bike for me. I also feel much more comfortable with Honda as a brand than I do with BMW. The other thought I have is that there will always be bikes in the future like the F800GT, but that might not be the case with the CB1100. The last thing I'll say is that I just plain like the CB1100 more than I like the F800GT...it makes me happy just looking at it and thinking about riding it.