6 speed cb > 5speed cb??

[the_undecider_imp]

Even with aftermarket pegs with rubber cushions, I get very little buzz through my feet. The stock bars are both rubber mounted and have those bar end weights to quell vibes. Really, only significant buzz is through the saddle starting at 4200 rpm. It actually adds to the excitement and sensation of pleasure for me. For my 2013, 4200 rpm is good for over 70 mph. I don't ride it much faster because the lack of wind protection.

[jeffskar_imp]

I constantly find myself looking to shift into 6th. Not because of the RPM issue but because the motor has so much torque in every gear that it just seems intuitive to look for that next shift. A handful of people on this forum have mentioned buzzing at 4K RPM and above to the point where it became bothersome (both in the hands and through the foot pegs in one instance if I remember right). I ride at 4K or a little above quiet a bit and just don't seem to notice it. The premium for the 2014 standard which was available at the time I bought my 2013 Standard #00021 Tim Duncan Tribute Edition, was roughly $1.2-$1.4K. I don't miss a sixth gear from a functional perspective. Keep thinking about it and somebody is going to grab that standard out from under you because sub $7500 for this machine is a GREAT price.

If I could only drive it

5 or 6, moot really. Prices for new '13's around here are $6,999.99.

Why are there so many 2013's out there still, is there mechanical issues that anyone's aware of?

[Randy B]

Nope.

[kennyw]

It is just an unadvertised, niche market bike that half of us didn't know existed until the day we bought it.

[JustPassinThru_imp]

I find myself using 6th as low as 45 mph lol. Bike pulls it just fine. Having said that on my 5 speed CB I was running the same roads/ same speeds in 5 th and other than a few less rpms on the tach on the 6 speed, I can't tell the difference between them.

5 speed does fine on the freeway as well, just about 500 rpms higher than on the 6 speed, but still nowhere near straining the motor. I think 80 on the 5 speed was just over 4000 rpms and just under 4000 on the 6 speed.

I did finally run my bike up to 5000 rpms in second and third gears the other day just for grins.

That's about how I ride, also. However...my regular track has me coming out at a stoplight from a side street, into a five-lane limited-access highway with a 70-mph speed limit. The light on the side street is traffic-actuated, so side-street traffic only gets enough time to clear the traffic.

In other words, once you pull out onto the highway, it goes green again, and that Conoco double-trailer tanker that was bearing down...he got his green, and he has a 70mph speed limit. Time to ROLL!

That's where winding it up in second, really helps. Do the 1-2 shift in the turn...and then just roll that power on. Up to 70 in about four seconds; pause to ratchet up to 6 in one dip of the clutch. And I'm cruising.

The engine actually smooths out above 5500 rpm.

[4 Paws_imp]

Oh yeah, my other bike has FOUR speeds!
None of them fast.
CB 1100 a good bike in a sea of good bikes. Solid engineering, great styling - not an "adventure bike - me too!" Nor a cruiser Harley wannabe nor a crotch rocket, just a good solid motorcycle. Bikes I've put the most miles on were category defying examples of dependable engineering that handled decent and ran well.
Never had to apologize for riding a good solid motorcycle.

[jeffskar_imp]

Well guys I've all but talked myself into it, I'm gonna take the trip 3 hours away and just simply buy the darn 2013 I was looking at if they honor the quote they gave me last week! Next week I'll report here about the bike if all goes as planned!

[ingobohn_imp]

I constantly find myself looking to shift into 6th. Not because of the RPM issue but because the motor has so much torque in every gear that it just seems intuitive to look for that next shift. A handful of people on this forum have mentioned buzzing at 4K RPM and above to the point where it became bothersome (both in the hands and through the foot pegs in one instance if I remember right). I ride at 4K or a little above quiet a bit and just don't seem to notice it. The premium for the 2014 standard which was available at the time I bought my 2013 Standard #00021 Tim Duncan Tribute Edition, was roughly $1.2-$1.4K. I don't miss a sixth gear from a functional perspective. Keep thinking about it and somebody is going to grab that standard out from under you because sub $7500 for this machine is a GREAT price.

If I could only drive it

5 or 6, moot really. Prices for new '13's around here are $6,999.99.

Why are there so many 2013's out there still, is there mechanical issues that anyone's aware of?

When I bought my (new) black CB1100 nearly exactly 2 years ago, my dealer also offered me a used red CB with just 4.000 km on the watch (for a lower price of course). I refused and went for the black CB.
But I watched the bike every now and then (on the dealer's website where it was advertised). When the dealer offered me the red CB the price was around 9.500 EUR. After a while the price dropped ... and dropped ... and dropped down to 7.500 EUR, and now just 1 month ago he could sell the bike for that price. It took him 2 years to sell it!

I think Honda did a bad job on advertising and as the bike is a "niche product" it makes it even more hard to sell it. When I picked up my bike from 12.000 km service recently, I strolled through the dealer's showroom and saw no CB my 2014 (the new one with spoke rims, 6 gears and so on).

[ClassicVW_imp]

I believe Honda knew it'd be somewhat of a niche bike. If Honda was mistaken, there would be new 2013s and 2014s at dealerships everywhere and that is not the case. The 11K price also was a hindrance.
WE do know it is a quality machine without entry-level cost cutting, but it's kind of difficult for the general buyer to figure out just what it is. To them, it's not a sport bike, it's not a true cruiser, it's certainly not a tourer... And there are plenty of nakeds and cruisers in the 6K-8K price range out there to choose from. And just as we like the 'classic' look of the CB, there's probably double the number out there that think a bike that looks like it was designed in 1973 just isn't what they're looking to buy.

That one used one you saw unsold was because the price differential wasn't great enough for someone to choose used over new. Not much sympathy for the dealer on that one because he most certainly made his profit already on the bike the person bought after trading in that CB, and we can also assume the trade allowance was low also. That's why all dealerships love trade ins.

[DGShannon_imp]

On my 2013, running exactly 70 MPH in 5th gear is exactly 4,000 RPM. As if calibrated that way, it couldn't be more precise. Everyone else (stock gearing of course), see the same correlation?