This bike slows me down

[Olof_imp]

Bear with me for a reflection on how we see bikes, perhaps coming across as pretentious or beating a dead horse, but I’m the OP so I feel that I’m just a little entitled.

In the first post I said that this bike (CB1100RS) is simply brilliant straight from the crate. No mods needed. I still say that but of course, that only applies to me. This in turn links to how I see bikes – as completed pieces of art or canvases for my expression.

To me bikes are complete from the factory (and yes, I see them as art). That means that mods are sometimes necessary but only when something annoys me too much. Such as really bad fuelling, rock hard suspension, poor ergonomics or agricultural shifting. However, that’s not about perfection, that’s about functionality. Perfection lies beyond that.

Perfection is about the total experience, the sum of thousands of small aspects, such as the beauty I see in the tank lines, the harmony I feel when riding, the pride I see in the swing arm alloy welds, the nostalgic nod I hear in the slightly off-beat engine sound and the friendly relation I have with my local dealer. When that sum exceeds what I’ve felt with my previous bikes (47) then that’s perfection for me, here and now. Which is the case with my RS.

On the other hand, if you see a bike as a canvas for your own expression through mods then what comes out of the crate matters less. Perfection probably links to other dimensions, such as how easy the bike is to change, what parts are available, if there’s a build community etc. Maybe your focus in on the very process of change, or in the end result such as lower lap times, exhibition recognitions or just getting parts that never was meant to work together function as a system.

If this distinction is valid, which perspective dominates here? Is the CB1100 seen as art or a canvas?

[Guth_imp]

Bear with me for a reflection on how we see bikes, perhaps coming across as pretentious or beating a dead horse, but I’m the OP so I feel that I’m just a little entitled.

In the first post I said that this bike (CB1100RS) is simply brilliant straight from the crate. No mods needed. I still say that but of course, that only applies to me. This in turn links to how I see bikes – as completed pieces of art or canvases for my expression.

To me bikes are complete from the factory (and yes, I see them as art). That means that mods are sometimes necessary but only when something annoys me too much. Such as really bad fuelling, rock hard suspension, poor ergonomics or agricultural shifting. However, that’s not about perfection, that’s about functionality. Perfection lies beyond that.

Perfection is about the total experience, the sum of thousands of small aspects, such as the beauty I see in the tank lines, the harmony I feel when riding, the pride I see in the swing arm alloy welds, the nostalgic nod I hear in the slightly off-beat engine sound and the friendly relation I have with my local dealer. When that sum exceeds what I’ve felt with my previous bikes (47) then that’s perfection for me, here and now. Which is the case with my RS.

On the other hand, if you see a bike as a canvas for your own expression through mods then what comes out of the crate matters less. Perfection probably links to other dimensions, such as how easy the bike is to change, what parts are available, if there’s a build community etc. Maybe your focus in on the very process of change, or in the end result such as lower lap times, exhibition recognitions or just getting parts that never was meant to work together function as a system.

If this distinction is valid, which perspective dominates here? Is the CB1100 seen as art or a canvas?

I believe that the CB1100 can be seen as both as I don't feel that the two are mutually exclusive. In such cases the phrase "one man's trash is another man's treasure" would seem apt. However, in my opinion there are no absolutes when it comes to this topic.

[Cormanus]

Nicely put, Olof. And you, too, boss. Snuck in while I was tapping away.

We try—but do not always succeed—to respect the gamut of opinions here. Ride it as it came out of the crate; modify it until it’s unrecognizable; polish it until it outshines the sun; ride it till it falls apart through use and benign neglect. Love a brand; hate the brand. Doesn’t matter. All we ask is that people respect others’ views and disagree respectfully. What we learn, constantly, is that communication is a difficult art and that it’s easy to cause offence without intending to do so. My view is that this problem is exacerbated by a written medium. But we try, and mostly it works. People who want to be rude and mean spirited opt out of this forum pretty quickly.

[Guth_imp]

Nicely put, Olof. And you, too, boss. Snuck in while I was tapping away.

We try—but do not always succeed—to respect the gamut of opinions here. Ride it as it came out of the crate; modify it until it’s unrecognizable; polish it until it outshines the sun; ride it till it falls apart through use and benign neglect. Love a brand; hate the brand. Doesn’t matter. All we ask is that people respect others’ views and disagree respectfully. What we learn, constantly, is that communication is a difficult art and that it’s easy to cause offence without intending to do so. My view is that this problem is exacerbated by a written medium. But we try, and mostly it works. People who want to be rude and mean spirited opt out of this forum pretty quickly.

I'm sorry, it seems that I found myself so mesmerized by your RLET avatar that I couldn't really follow what it was that you were attempting to communicate here.

[Cormanus]

It worked!

[the Ferret]

very artistic pic Olof

[Olof_imp]

very artistic pic Olof

Thanks. Taken this very foggy Wednesday morning. I'm especially proud of the fact that both RLETs are visible

[the Ferret]

[pdedse]

I love the angle of that photo. The "cross-the-fender" silver bracket...that's the first time I've seen that, or noticed on a CB1100.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Gee, Ferret, that statement might require some further thought. I recently watched a French series called The Forest on Netflix. One of the characters was a teacher who rode a green CB250 which was of an era to be fitted with RLETs I meant to start a thread on it titled "RLETs on the screen".

.

Back in the day they were standard fare on most Hondas. Why then should we have a monopoly on them? Unless, of course, it is that you can rightly claim credit for having caused an RLET renaissance.

That RLET looks, ... rather big.

That RLET looks, ... rather big.
And she looks po'd. Could it be because she has those older, longer rlet's (LRLET) and she spies a bike with sleek newer ones?

That RLET looks, ... rather big.
And she looks po'd. Could it be because she has those older, longer rlet's (LRLET) and she spies a bike with sleek newer ones?
... or maybe, "She finds somebody's lack of RLETs disturbing".