Quality - Honda vs. Kawa (and others ?)

[Gone in 60]

My '14 CB1100 was stored outdoors during all four Canadian seasons every year. It never missed starting up.


... sun beat down on it five days a week in anonymous corporate parking lots.

I accidentally left my garage door open for a full night. Thankfully she fired right up next morning.

[GoldOxide_imp]

My '14 CB1100 was stored outdoors during all four Canadian seasons every year. It never missed starting up.


... sun beat down on it five days a week in anonymous corporate parking lots.

I accidentally left my garage door open for a full night. Thankfully she fired right up next morning.

But seriously, the things that do bother me is coming out after a long day to find the birds had their way with my motorcycle. A bit of a drag, but you learn to adapt and anticipate.

I have even posted images here at the Forum in the past of birds that insisted nesting on the instrument cluster day-after-day. I think they liked the heat from the engine block after arriving in the parking lot.

[Charlie Bravo_imp]

Before I retired, I rode to work only one day a week, Wednesdays, but i always tried to park it where it would be in the shade for the afternoon. I worked with a guy who rode every day, and he'd pull a cover out of the saddlebag on his Road King and put in on.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Many summer afternoons the CB1100 saddle was sooooooo tender 'n' soft from the sun beating down on it all day. But, the Honda OEM component never failed, faded or ripped. Top shelf materials.

I did, however, have to deal with cleansing the saddle of bird droppings. Berry-based was the nastiest.

Only a few times had I needed to kick children off the CB1100 as it parked in the anonymous and lifeless corporate parking lot.

[Gone in 60]

My '14 CB1100 was stored outdoors during all four Canadian seasons every year. It never missed starting up.


... sun beat down on it five days a week in anonymous corporate parking lots.

I accidentally left my garage door open for a full night. Thankfully she fired right up next morning.

But seriously, the things that do bother me is coming out after a long day to find the birds had their way with my motorcycle. A bit of a drag, but you learn to adapt and anticipate.

I have even posted images here at the Forum in the past of birds that insisted nesting on the instrument cluster day-after-day. I think they liked the heat from the engine block after arriving in the parking lot.

I used to park outside here at work. Nelson Rigg is our next door neighbor, and they always supply me with covers if I ask, and I'd replace them as the old one got a bit faded. We get Egyptian geese every spring who seemed to be interested in my bike I'd frequently find them milling around it, maybe it looked like a bit bird tent to them.

It's been a safe neighborhood around the office for many years, but since I returned to this job about six years ago and bought my CB1100, it's slipped. There are a good number of various weirdos milling around, and a few guys at Nelson Rigg leave motorcycles outside, but since I came back to take over the warehouse, first order of business was making an indoor parking space for myself. It's nice to have indoor parking here, at home, and in a garage at the museum.

[Nachodaddy]

When I was stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, in Tucson, I used to take the seat off my GS1100 and take it into my air-conditioned office. It would get too hot to sit on if I left it on the bike all day in the sun. Also, had to be careful about putting the bike on the sidestand on asphalt, as it would sink in to the asphalt and fall over.

[Gone in 60]

The previous owner of my Triumph had removed the charcoal cannister and pair valves, and on a hot day I'd come out to a puddle of gas under the bike.

[GoldOxide_imp]

When I was stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, in Tucson, I used to take the seat off my GS1100 and take it into my air-conditioned office. It would get too hot to sit on if I left it on the bike all day in the sun. Also, had to be careful about putting the bike on the sidestand on asphalt, as it would sink in to the asphalt and fall over.

I few times in my past I had to wrench the sidestand out of the summer asphalt. The bike(s) listed at an extreme angle, but somehow did not topple over.