03-28-2014, 07:58 AM
(03-27-2014, 01:40 PM)calamarichris_imp Wrote: Boots are a lot cheaper to replace than engines. And I'd rather be the guy with the overdrive who never uses it, but still has it, than the guy without. It's not about top speed, it's about engine preservation and prolongation. More rpm equals more piston speed equals more cylinder wear. 200 additional RPM is quite minor for that one minute you're measuring it to determine the gearing. But if you spent just 6 hours riding that day, that would be an additional (unnecessary) 72,000 rpm spun in one day.
I understand why there is a large incentive among many in our midst not to let the resale value of our existing overdriveless bikes slip, and I sympathize, but I'd probably buy a Vespa or even another Harley before I'd buy a 5-speed. But that's just my opinion, which is based pretty heavily on my riding conditions in the wide-open American West where I live.
Okay, it's a little bit about top-speed. Star Trek would have been pretty boring if Zefram Cochran had never invented warp drive.
![[Image: 8e855204059ae88c8f510965fd21e38d.JPG]](https://cb1100forum.net/forum/uploads/imp/201403/8e855204059ae88c8f510965fd21e38d.JPG)
I am one that does not care about the 6-speed. Unless the lion's share of your riding occurs at highway/freeway speeds, you will not use it that much. I had a CB900 Custom, with a dual range transmission, you could say that it was a 10-speed. Then, like now, my riding habits really didn't justify a need for 6 gears.
ALL bikes, and cars, for that matter, slip in value. Except for a few rare cases, a new bike or car is worth the most it will ever be worth, before you drive it away from the dealership. Resale value is not a big priority for me, no way of knowing what it will be worth when I, (or my kids, after they inherit it), finally sell it. I doubt the resale is suffering all that much over "only" having a 5-speed tranny. There are a lot of bikes out there with 5-speed transmissions, people buy them.
I have no quarrel with anyone that likes Triumph Bonnevilles, or the Kawasaki version, they are pretty bikes, but they don't compare to the CB1100. I researched the Bonny, the only thing the triumph twin offers is aesthetics,(and that is a matter of perspective). Functionally, the CB1100 is hands down superior in every way, (even with just 5 speeds). The Honda is smoother, has more power, better suspension, a much better finish, it is undoubtedly more reliable, etc. The Honda is simply a more capable bike, and when I was shopping, it cost less than the Bonny. For me, there was no comparison.