Need advice on CB1100RS

[LongRanger_imp]

I feel your heartbreak, but you made the right decision. I fell in love with the Thruxton R, placed a deposit on one, but as soon as I sat on it, I knew it wasn't going to work for me. Your RS will be there when it's the right bike for you.

[emptysea]

Will I still be welcome at the rally or has my open invitation been rescinded? <-- Still welcome, but you may want to show up with an extra bottle or two of bourbon just to help us get over the disappointment of not seeing (aka riding) an RS (Ferret will just have to drown his sorrows in decaf tea)

[Banned_imp]

The Honda shop called today to give me one last chance at the RS as there is guy from Halifax that wants it. I went in to try it out again - still a no go on the bars. It hurts me but I still have to pass but I have been comparing it with my 2014 and there are a lot of things that I prefer on the 2014 so it's not like I am losing out.

The dealer did a search to see if he could find a second CB1100RS and as near as he could tell there is only 5 in Canada. Everyone at the shop agrees that it is the best looking bike available, of course they are all older.

While in the city I checked out the Triumphs, BMWs and Yamahas, nothing really caught my eye. The R9T seems miniscule but the Bonneville T120 is a nice looking bike but Brit bikes have never been my thing.

Now that the decision is final I am going to upgrade my suspension so I will be combing the forum for ideas.

[peterbaron]

The Honda shop called today to give me one last chance at the RS as there is guy from Halifax that wants it. I went in to try it out again - still a no go on the bars. It hurts me but I still have to pass but I have been comparing it with my 2014 and there are a lot of things that I prefer on the 2014 so it's not like I am losing out.

The dealer did a search to see if he could find a second CB1100RS and as near as he could tell there is only 5 in Canada. Everyone at the shop agrees that it is the best looking bike available, of course they are all older.

While in the city I checked out the Triumphs, BMWs and Yamahas, nothing really caught my eye. The R9T seems miniscule but the Bonneville T120 is a nice looking bike but Brit bikes have never been my thing.

Now that the decision is final I am going to upgrade my suspension so I will be combing the forum for ideas.

W/R,
The bottom line:: get Rs and keep CB..this way you'll be happy and won't regret anything!!
+ = = simple

pb

[Guth_imp]

W/R, maybe this will make you feel a bit better, maybe it won't. The CB1100 has always made sense in both that it "made sense to me" and that it "made sense for me". I totally understand why Honda made this bike and can easily explain to someone why it works for me. I can understand how all of the different variants appeal to different folks. However, the one that I've struggled with the most is the CB1100 RS. Most of my "CB1100 rants" if you will, primarily have to do with the aesthetics. But the RS goes beyond that for me.

Now for guys who love their CB1100 RS' as much as I love my original CB1100, none of this should matter. People can bag on the original as much as they want and it's okay by me because I know what I like (but please bag on it respectfully, lol). I've had a few suspicions regarding the RS since I first saw it. You can read back through all of the history and planning that went into the CB1100 and understand what this bike is all about. Everything makes sense. When they released the RS, they broke that mold to appease a very small subset of people, but at the detriment of the bike's harmony that they originally worked so hard to achieve. I think that the guys in this video do a good job of confirming what I suspected all along.

[Jonnyallover_imp]

[VLJ_imp]

Guth, I love the translation there...

"The XSR900 is less than 200kg all boozed up."



Otherwise, I agree with what you're saying, and also with what they're saying, in that the CB1100 RS suffers from trying to be something it's not. Whereas all the other CB1100 models are exactly what they appear to be, the RS strays from the original mission by trying to look the part of a naked retro racer, which it most assuredly is not. I would also wager a very expensive dinner that the EX turns and rides better than the RS, which doesn't offer any real performance advantages over the EX despite the lower bars, radial brakes, thicker forks, and remote-reservoir shocks.

It's like the Moto Guzzi V7 Racer. It's pretty, but it's not what it says it is on the tin.

Now, to be fair, compared to the original design brief for the CB retro, neither your bike nor mine is faithful to the original intent, either. Our bikes bare precious little resemblance to that first sketch, but at least they do deliver exactly what is promised by their full-retro appearance. The RS gives off mixed messages. Its retro looks are compromised by the too-modern appearance of the gold bits and radial calipers, while the sportier performance hinted at by these upscale pieces simply doesn't manifest itself out on the road. The bike is still just as relatively slow, soft, and heavy as always, only now it doesn't turn as nicely, nor is it as comfortable as it ought to be.

Lastly, I'm with the bald guy in the video, who clearly thinks the basic Z900 is the better deal and more effective motorcycle, compared to the Z900RS. Actually, the young guy seems to share that opinion, if you watch his body language and read between the lines.

[the Ferret]

I didn't understand one word in that video. What were they confirming?

[Cormanus]

I believe the video to confirm a long held opinion that manure is good for gardens.

[VLJ_imp]

mickey, hit the little 'cc' icon at the bottom of the video for subtitles in English.