03-30-2014, 10:40 PM
(03-30-2014, 12:38 AM)thessler3_imp Wrote: All the comments are valid, but so is my point - the Cb1100 is a bit on the heavy side for a naked bike, but it depends on what you are comparing it to. Yes, it is easier to handle than my Gold Wing by a large margin and it is also lighter than many other bikes of similar displacement. My point is that it would be better still if it was lighter by about 50 pounds. The physics is simple - it would accelerate faster, stop quicker and go around corners quicker if it were lighter. It is simply a matter of cost benefit - it costs a lot more to make a lighter bike and the CB1100 is pretty inexpensive - quite a good deal actually. Obviously steel is both cheaper and heavier than aluminum, magnesium, titanium, plastic and carbon fiber.
Bikes in general are getting bigger and heavier. Nearly every "light" bike I have owned in the last 20 years has recently been increased in displacement and added a lot of weight. 650's and 750's used to be "big" bikes. Now they are "middle weights". My personal experience is that lighter bikes are easier to ride, all else being equal.
I'm trying to think of a motorcycle (or any vehicle) that wouldn't be better if it were lighter by 50 pounds. No luck so far.