03-17-2015, 01:34 PM
It was a complex, if quick, process for me.
Started when I took the R1100 out of winter storage - early, as spring came in February to the Bitterroots.
It reacquainted me with all I liked about it; and disliked. I should mention that it was a new purchase - bought it last April, because the price was right, I was in a new area, my gear would be months getting out to me and I wanted to explore the mountains by bike. I had only had an R1200 GS before; too spendy and too rich for my blood - and too tall; but I did all right with it. Put 15,000 miles on it and sold it for a couple thousand under what I paid.
So I bought the RT. And enjoyed it; but re-learned the Big Boxer's shake and issues.
And this particular one had an aftermarket fart-can which I didn't much like; but it also had been "chipped" - a new computer chip to compensate for the reduced exhaust back-pressure. Changing it back would be too spendy.
So there was that. And then I happened to look at a K1200. The K bikes were never on my radar; and that was my loss, big-time. The three-cylinder K75 has my name ALL OVER it.
Alas, it will not be. It was discontinued in 1995.
But looking at a K100 taken in trade at a Honda dealer led me to looking at the floor-model CB1100. The K100 was a trade-in to a dealer who had no idea how to fix it or sell it - it was running when he took it in, nine years ago. Two years ago he tried to start it to demonstrate it; it of course wouldn't start. His Honda man TRASHED it trying to figure out what was wrong; and while he had a BMW guy get it going, it was never put completely together. It was 50,000 miles and inoperative and in a basket. NO SALE.
The CB1100, on the other hand, was there; for half-again as much money it had NO miles on it; a four, which promises smooth running. Retro, which attracts me. And HONDA - Japanese quality of build AND of SERVICE. That's the difference between the Asians and the Europeans.
I thought about it. While thinking about it, I read up on it - and found this board. I bought; by a miracle I found a private buyer for my BMW; and now I'm all in.
Started when I took the R1100 out of winter storage - early, as spring came in February to the Bitterroots.
It reacquainted me with all I liked about it; and disliked. I should mention that it was a new purchase - bought it last April, because the price was right, I was in a new area, my gear would be months getting out to me and I wanted to explore the mountains by bike. I had only had an R1200 GS before; too spendy and too rich for my blood - and too tall; but I did all right with it. Put 15,000 miles on it and sold it for a couple thousand under what I paid.
So I bought the RT. And enjoyed it; but re-learned the Big Boxer's shake and issues.
And this particular one had an aftermarket fart-can which I didn't much like; but it also had been "chipped" - a new computer chip to compensate for the reduced exhaust back-pressure. Changing it back would be too spendy.
So there was that. And then I happened to look at a K1200. The K bikes were never on my radar; and that was my loss, big-time. The three-cylinder K75 has my name ALL OVER it.
Alas, it will not be. It was discontinued in 1995.
But looking at a K100 taken in trade at a Honda dealer led me to looking at the floor-model CB1100. The K100 was a trade-in to a dealer who had no idea how to fix it or sell it - it was running when he took it in, nine years ago. Two years ago he tried to start it to demonstrate it; it of course wouldn't start. His Honda man TRASHED it trying to figure out what was wrong; and while he had a BMW guy get it going, it was never put completely together. It was 50,000 miles and inoperative and in a basket. NO SALE.
The CB1100, on the other hand, was there; for half-again as much money it had NO miles on it; a four, which promises smooth running. Retro, which attracts me. And HONDA - Japanese quality of build AND of SERVICE. That's the difference between the Asians and the Europeans.
I thought about it. While thinking about it, I read up on it - and found this board. I bought; by a miracle I found a private buyer for my BMW; and now I'm all in.