05-03-2015, 03:42 PM
The title might seem a bit misleading as I ride my CB1100 most week days year round. I'll skip the nastiest of weather days and sometimes my Hawk GT will get the nod or I'll need to take a vehicle with four wheels for errands and such. But in general, even though my commute is short I tend to spend more time on my CB1100 than do on/in any other available form of transportation. But time spent commuting is just that and the bike barely gets time to warm up before it's parked once again.
I have a lot of things in my life besides motorcycling that take time out of my day: family, job, fishing, working around the house/cabin (this should take more of my time), music (I play guitar), etc., etc.. Since I commute via motorcycle, the bikes tend to sit for the most part during the weekends as I pursue other things, especially since I became hooked on fly fishing (yes, pun intended).
Reading about all of the great experiences others are enjoying on their CBs be they brief or extended, while I'm, er, not — I've almost come to feel like a stranger around here. I'm not complaining as I'm the one that chooses what I do with my time for the most part. I really do dig reading about the pleasure that everyone else is getting from their CBs. I had just sort of forgotten that commuting is one thing, and riding is another. And while commuting does involve riding, it's just not the same as "just going for a ride" Which is exactly what I did this past weekend.
I realized after getting home and re-visiting my posts over in the Seat Time section just how much I had been needing to simply "go for a ride". There are undoubtedly better bikes for high-speed pursuits or carving twisties or racking up hundreds of miles a day or for commuting for that matter (even though the CB1100 does a fantastic job, it does get pretty thirsty in stop 'n go traffic). But when it comes to going for a ride, simply for the sake of "going for a ride" the CB1100 has to rank right up there with any other bike I can think of. It was certainly right in its element on the rambling back roads that I ventured out on this weekend. It is apparent to me that I'll have to make sure to fit some riding (outside of my commute) into my regular routine a bit more often.
I don't exactly ride with the intent to rack up high fuel efficiency ratings (I prefer to keep the RPMs up over 3K out on the road and often don't shift into 5th until I hit 55 mph). I also don't ride all that fast, but I do manage to rip through a few gears nearing the redline on occasion when the opportunity presents itself. Still, when I returned home from the mountains and filled up with gas before calling it a weekend, the CB rewarded me with 50 miles to the gallon and a smile that has lasted long after the ride ended. (That is some astonishingly inexpensive road-based therapy.)
I had almost forgotten (not that anyone around here is really going to let me do that
) what a great bike the CB1100 really is. Especially for me — given the way I ride and what I like to do when I have some free time to spend with it.
I have a lot of things in my life besides motorcycling that take time out of my day: family, job, fishing, working around the house/cabin (this should take more of my time), music (I play guitar), etc., etc.. Since I commute via motorcycle, the bikes tend to sit for the most part during the weekends as I pursue other things, especially since I became hooked on fly fishing (yes, pun intended).
Reading about all of the great experiences others are enjoying on their CBs be they brief or extended, while I'm, er, not — I've almost come to feel like a stranger around here. I'm not complaining as I'm the one that chooses what I do with my time for the most part. I really do dig reading about the pleasure that everyone else is getting from their CBs. I had just sort of forgotten that commuting is one thing, and riding is another. And while commuting does involve riding, it's just not the same as "just going for a ride" Which is exactly what I did this past weekend.
I realized after getting home and re-visiting my posts over in the Seat Time section just how much I had been needing to simply "go for a ride". There are undoubtedly better bikes for high-speed pursuits or carving twisties or racking up hundreds of miles a day or for commuting for that matter (even though the CB1100 does a fantastic job, it does get pretty thirsty in stop 'n go traffic). But when it comes to going for a ride, simply for the sake of "going for a ride" the CB1100 has to rank right up there with any other bike I can think of. It was certainly right in its element on the rambling back roads that I ventured out on this weekend. It is apparent to me that I'll have to make sure to fit some riding (outside of my commute) into my regular routine a bit more often.
I don't exactly ride with the intent to rack up high fuel efficiency ratings (I prefer to keep the RPMs up over 3K out on the road and often don't shift into 5th until I hit 55 mph). I also don't ride all that fast, but I do manage to rip through a few gears nearing the redline on occasion when the opportunity presents itself. Still, when I returned home from the mountains and filled up with gas before calling it a weekend, the CB rewarded me with 50 miles to the gallon and a smile that has lasted long after the ride ended. (That is some astonishingly inexpensive road-based therapy.)
I had almost forgotten (not that anyone around here is really going to let me do that
) what a great bike the CB1100 really is. Especially for me — given the way I ride and what I like to do when I have some free time to spend with it.