04-21-2014, 07:34 AM
Long time lurker, first time poster here. If this is in the wrong section, mods can feel free to move it.
For the past few months, I have been considering selling off some toys and picking up a CB1100, and thanks to this forum I have been able to answer most of my own questions. However, at the risk of beating a dead horse, there are a couple performance related "worries" about getting one.
I have ridden older bikes (and Hondas) quite a bit, from a couple early 80s small dirtbikes, to my first street bike which was a 72 CL350 Scrambler, a few older Suzukis, and spent quite a bit of time around some 70s era Honda 4's in the 350, 550, and 750 flavors, and currently own an 81 XL500S. As is such, I am no stranger to old bikes, and this is a driving factor for wanting a CB1100 as it just looks right, and the one I sat on at a dealer felt right as well.
My current street-only ride is an 02 Suzuki Bandit 1200N with the normal pipe, jet kit, aircleaner/gutted airbox, racetech fork springs, busa shock, sprocket change, and some other little bits. I personally find this bike to be very well off in the power department with 122rwhp, and handles well with michelin pilot powers. This bike would have to leave to make room for the CB.
What is drawing me to the CB is the wonderful styling, its simplicity, big aircooled motor, and more utility than my current bike, which is something I really miss from my old scrambler. It would be used as a UJM, from commuting to riding in the twisties to 2-up day/weekend trips, and from the things I have read it would be very good at these things. However, I am somewhat worried about the handling and power. The bandit in some ways has too much power (if that's possible) in that it can't be rung out without getting into the triple digits. I know the CB won't accelerate as hard, and that's fine by me, but the torque is what I am afraid I will miss a lot. So, what would a basic pipe/power commander CB be like on usable power?
On handling, I have read the CB feels nimble for its size, can anyone add to this? I'm not expecting SuperSport handling, but I don't want to feel like I've bought the wrong bike every time the road bends. Also, though the Bandit is no lightweight, I am slightly concerned about the weight for low speed maneuvering and poor roads.
Since everyone likes pictures, here are a couple of the current bikes as a reward for making it through this long post.
[url=http://s231.photobucket.com/user/zeevo110/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2014042095130549.jpg.html]![[Image: 3d4cf7bd39410d1cee272998a9366c58.jpg]](https://cb1100forum.net/forum/uploads/imp/201404/3d4cf7bd39410d1cee272998a9366c58.jpg)
[url=http://s231.photobucket.com/user/zeevo110/media/219-1.jpg.html]![[Image: 9594ce801df23691dc7695b3548cbd3c.jpg]](https://cb1100forum.net/forum/uploads/imp/201404/9594ce801df23691dc7695b3548cbd3c.jpg)
For the past few months, I have been considering selling off some toys and picking up a CB1100, and thanks to this forum I have been able to answer most of my own questions. However, at the risk of beating a dead horse, there are a couple performance related "worries" about getting one.
I have ridden older bikes (and Hondas) quite a bit, from a couple early 80s small dirtbikes, to my first street bike which was a 72 CL350 Scrambler, a few older Suzukis, and spent quite a bit of time around some 70s era Honda 4's in the 350, 550, and 750 flavors, and currently own an 81 XL500S. As is such, I am no stranger to old bikes, and this is a driving factor for wanting a CB1100 as it just looks right, and the one I sat on at a dealer felt right as well.
My current street-only ride is an 02 Suzuki Bandit 1200N with the normal pipe, jet kit, aircleaner/gutted airbox, racetech fork springs, busa shock, sprocket change, and some other little bits. I personally find this bike to be very well off in the power department with 122rwhp, and handles well with michelin pilot powers. This bike would have to leave to make room for the CB.
What is drawing me to the CB is the wonderful styling, its simplicity, big aircooled motor, and more utility than my current bike, which is something I really miss from my old scrambler. It would be used as a UJM, from commuting to riding in the twisties to 2-up day/weekend trips, and from the things I have read it would be very good at these things. However, I am somewhat worried about the handling and power. The bandit in some ways has too much power (if that's possible) in that it can't be rung out without getting into the triple digits. I know the CB won't accelerate as hard, and that's fine by me, but the torque is what I am afraid I will miss a lot. So, what would a basic pipe/power commander CB be like on usable power?
On handling, I have read the CB feels nimble for its size, can anyone add to this? I'm not expecting SuperSport handling, but I don't want to feel like I've bought the wrong bike every time the road bends. Also, though the Bandit is no lightweight, I am slightly concerned about the weight for low speed maneuvering and poor roads.
Since everyone likes pictures, here are a couple of the current bikes as a reward for making it through this long post.
[url=http://s231.photobucket.com/user/zeevo110/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2014042095130549.jpg.html]
[url=http://s231.photobucket.com/user/zeevo110/media/219-1.jpg.html]