A question about the CB1100

[GoldOxide_imp]

New generation riders, if there are many, will not likely wish for a "retro-Model-T" vehicle (including motorcycle) when there are so many modern alternatives available.

In 2010, possibly the CB1100 market opportunity window was open wider than it might be today.

[pdedse]

Now that the general motorcycle public has been made aware of the CB1100s existence and are becoming quite popular,if Honda started selling the bike here again do people think it would finally catch on?

Well it is too late for Europe or any market that follows the Euro Emissions regulations as they are not making the CB1100 Euro 5 compliant. You say they are becoming quite popular, what makes you say that?

In answer to your question though I don't think the CB1100 will catch on, it is a very niche bike and a lot of people just can't see past that horsepower figure from an 1100.

If Honda had kept up with the game, made it water-cooled but to look air-cooled (a la Triumph), added things like cruise, another 20HP-30HP and a bit more electronics then maybe they could appeal to a broader market. I wouldn't of minded if they had done something completely mad and done a old style full fairing version. The CB1100 has been a pretty stagnant beast its whole life apart from some styling changes. Everyone wants new new new now and the CB1100 isn't that.

Personally it suits me fine to have an uncommon machine (in my area anyway) and I'm very happy with my EX, it will be in my stable long after my Tiger has gone.

In the USA: with new '14 standards still available until '17, and new '17 EX versions available until as recent as Aug of 2020, it may be that for those interested, there were always new CB1100s available, therefore no stories of "where can I find a new CB1100?" But now that new ones have dried up, here on the Forums there have been a few instances of people asking if it's still possible to find a new one--and I don't think that's the case.

Secondly, as time moves on, the pristine, low-mileage CB1100s actually do age. Even the low mileage ones eventually get ridden...their mileage goes up...and voilá the good finds on Craig's List dwindle, and perhaps the value increases some because availability has gone down. For a while (2016?), I saw a few '13s and '14 standards selling used for just under / over $4k with less than 10k miles. Now the best one can find, seemingly, is above 5k.

So maybe they are not "becoming popular"...but I'd say it is more difficult to find a really good price on a low-mileage CB1100. But will new ones make it back to the USA? ...

Royal Enfield has some really nice bikes.

[Jfro5687_imp]

With only a few mouse clicks you can easily find video’s of groups of young Japanese men on their modified CB’s meeting up, clearly having fun. Like now not years ago. Lots of metallic candy colour’s, different pipes, tanks, bars, seats etc. There must be a strong custom scene there. So maybe Honda achieved what they wanted after all on home ground and as others have spotted, maybe success elsewhere in the world was not that important? That picture above is just off a quick Google search but IMO looks terrific. If someone on the forum owns this BTW all I can say is ‘wow’.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Pit-tsssssss - sizzling hot that CB1100 specimen.

[jimgl3_imp]

oh those metallic candy colors!!! so sweet!

[the Ferret]

Keep in mind as of model year 2020 the CB 1100 had been produced every year since 2010 in/for markets other than the US. That's 11 model years. It has outlived a lot of other Honda models (including the original SOHC CB 750 which ran 10 model years ' 69-78) so in that respect, it has to be considered a success for Honda.

[bioman_imp]

Well it is too late for Europe or any market that follows the Euro Emissions regulations as they are not making the CB1100 Euro 5 compliant. You say they are becoming quite popular, what makes you say that?

In answer to your question though I don't think the CB1100 will catch on, it is a very niche bike and a lot of people just can't see past that horsepower figure from an 1100.

If Honda had kept up with the game, made it water-cooled but to look air-cooled (a la Triumph), added things like cruise, another 20HP-30HP and a bit more electronics then maybe they could appeal to a broader market. I wouldn't of minded if they had done something completely mad and done a old style full fairing version. The CB1100 has been a pretty stagnant beast its whole life apart from some styling changes. Everyone wants new new new now and the CB1100 isn't that.

Personally it suits me fine to have an uncommon machine (in my area anyway) and I'm very happy with my EX, it will be in my stable long after my Tiger has gone.

And that is almost exactly what Honda did:



(the "Neo Sports Café" CB1000R)

[VLJ_imp]

mickey Wrote:Keep in mind as of model year 2020 the CB 1100 had been produced every year since 2010 in/for markets other than the US. That's 11 model years. It has outlived a lot of other Honda models (including the original SOHC CB 750 which ran 10 model years ' 69-78) so in that respect, it has to be considered a success for Honda.
Depends on how many units they produced and sold. If they produced very few units in those other markets, and struggled to sell them, then, well, no.

I suppose that if you set the bar low enough, anything can be labeled a success.

Even despite the excess heft, had Honda merely eclipsed the magical, all-important 100 hp ad-copy number and priced the bike at $9,999 instead of $12,199, they would have quickly sold every 2017 ES they could have produced. Instead, they were met with this constant refrain in nearly every review, whether it was from an official moto-magazine reviewer or in most every comments section: "Very nice bike. Beautiful, in fact, with class-leading fit and finish. A bit underpowered, though. It's not necessarily slow, per se, but it sure isn't fast either. Needs more revs...more excitement. Nice bike, like I said, but hard to justify at that price. Once you're into twelve-grand territory, there are so many better-performing options out there. Someone will really have to want this specific Honda retro formula in order to cough up more than twelve G's for this machine.

"Kind of a shame, really. They made such a beautiful motorcycle, but it just misses the mark. They're still leaving too much on the table. Come on, Honda. Step it up. We know you can do it."

And they never did. The RS appeared to be the answer, until it was learned that the RS represented no real performance upgrades. No weight savings, no increase in power or torque, and, most damning of all, an even higher price tag.

Clearly, Honda is content with the CB's niche status, worldwide.

The U.S. market?

Not even on Honda's radar. They couldn't care less.
bioman, Tev62 mentioned the Triumph as his example, and it's a good one. With the Bonneville line Triumph retained the traditional retro look while modernizing the powerplant with liquid cooling and other performance upgrades. The new T120 is a substantial improvement over its predecessor, and certainly compared to vintage Bonnevilles.

That's also what Kawasaki managed with their Z900RS, with its quasi-retro vibe.

Honda?

Compare the performance of the current CB1100 to that of, say, the early '80s CB900 Super Sport. More to the point, compare the performance of the current CB1100 to that of every other Inline Four liter bike sold today, whether by Honda or anyone else.

Therein lies the problem. Forty years later, excepting the handling and emissions, Honda went backwards while everyone else moved the chains forward. The CB1000R is not playing the same game as the CB1100. It plays in a different sandbox altogether, and even in its own sandbox the CB1000R is let down by its meager performance and high price tag, relative to its direct competition.

It's a rather unfortunate recurring theme with Honda.

[the Ferret]

VLJ I wish we could compare numbers, unfortunately this info is not available. I was told that by corporate Honda when I set up the CB1100 History Section here on the forum. Honda evidently sold enough of them to let them continue in production whereas other niche bikes in Honda's line up never sold enough world wide to keep them in production more than a year or two... NTV 700, NM-4, or DN-01 for example.

Honda's 100 ish hp 1000cc inline 4 Big One which is pretty much what you described how Honda should have made the CB 1100, only made it 3 years from 94-96.

Buyers are a fickle group. I got rid of a 1000cc 125 hp Yamaha inline 4 FZ-1 to buy the CB 1100. Makes no matter to me the Honda has less HP, and more weight. I'm not a racer. For me the CB is a far superior bike than the FZ-1 even though the numbers would indicate otherwise.

I think Honda knows if they brought in the CB 1300 which makes 114 hp, it would achieve even less success here than the CB 1100.

and by 2014 a lot of buyers were obtaining new CB 1100's for $7995 instead of the $12,199 asking price, partly proving what you are saying. Price it low enough and it will sell, even though the numbers aren't stellar.

It would be hard to argue that the Moto Guzzi V7 series and the Kawasaki 650/800 series and the new Royal Enfield 650 series as well as the Hinkley Triumph Bonnevilles have not been a success, even though their numbers (hp, torque and probably sales) are a lot worse than the CB 1100's numbers..

[GoldOxide_imp]

I definitely didn't purchase the CB1100 for optimal power, weight and whatever. It simply called to me. It pulled on the heart 'n' soul, yet, performed and handled more than I needed.