Starting on a CB1100 as a first bike

[LikeAfox_imp]

New SR400 has electric start along with the kicker. It's also like $7500 brand new, which is just stupid for 1970's technology. Skip that turd and get 500 Honda that everyone is talking about, someone on another forum just did an Alaska tour on one of those.

I can't seem to corroborate that. Where are you seeing it?

This is from the Yamaha U.S. website:

Authentic Kick Starter
Virtually unique among today’s street bikes, there’s no push-button starter. The SR400 is equipped with an easy-to-use kick starter as the only means of getting the engine running.

I can't seem to corroborate that. Where are you seeing it?

This is from the Yamaha U.S. website:

Authentic Kick Starter
Virtually unique among today’s street bikes, there’s no push-button starter. The SR400 is equipped with an easy-to-use kick starter as the only means of getting the engine running.
That's something I was told at Yamaha demo event and took it as gospel. My fault, should have double checked. Cursory Google search tells me that's it's a kick start with optional electric available.

New SR400 has electric start along with the kicker. It's also like $7500 brand new, which is just stupid for 1970's technology. Skip that turd and get 500 Honda that everyone is talking about, someone on another forum just did an Alaska tour on one of those.

..... but its OK to spend $12K on a CB1100. Not trying to start a flame war but I really think you bought the wrong bike.

..... but its OK to spend $12K on a CB1100. Not trying to start a flame war but I really think you bought the wrong bike. For someone not trying to start a flame war, you sure do like to throw some personal jabs around. I bought the right bike for me, deal with it. Also, I paid $9100 out the door, that's fees, tags and taxes included.

[Cormanus]

Aka Tsubasa and LikeAFox, please do not consider any escalation of this conversation.

[Macduff_imp]

Just chipping in regarding a big bike as a 1st bike ( if still relevant to this thread). When I started riding many moons ago I was licenseless and skint as an unfunded student, But being a twin with a working other I used to borrow his bike (and license) for short rides. it was a very lovely GPz550A1 (I still search ebay for those occasionally but have never seen one yet). So I effectively learned to ride on a IL4 with some reasonable HP and heft. When I accrued some cash with my 1st job, I bought a cheap honda CB100n ( that kept breaking down) I road that many miles as a commuter and whilst a nice little bike it felt very flighty and vulnerable in traffic that wizzed past on major roads whilst I was flat out at a piddling 60mph (downhill with a following wind or 50mph in the opposite direction), I then flashed some cash and bought an unfaired TZR125, restricted in the UK to 12bhp so I promptly deristricted it and trashed it every where like a loon (it needed it as it was flat below x thou revs without its powervalve working). It was a less flighty bike than the cb100 adn could nearly hit a ton (again down hill flat on tank with a strong following wind) but overall there is something to be said for the stability a larger bike provides when learning, as your awkward movements (as a learner) are less liable to influence the bike (given rider weight is less of a percentage of total with a larger bike).. That all said HP is a consideration too as too much would be a bad thing, I think my brothers GPz would have had around 75hp on a good day and probably weight close to 200kgs as well. The old UK 250cc learner law was probably about right though perhaps they should have added a HP rating back then, as the Yam RD250LC killed that law (and many learners) off. (one more off my newbie post list ;p)

[baxtercat_imp]

to review: Omarj loves the retro looks of the CB, but is just starting out and lives in the metropolitan Bay Area in California. Conventional wisdom is that a first bike should be small and manageable; add to this that many choose smaller, more maneuverable bikes to get around the city, including scooters and mopeds, in part because they are cheaper and easier to operate, insure, park, etc. and being blown off the road by a large truck at highway speed is less of an issue. Perhaps he will start on a 540 pound bike and do fine, but IF he decides he wants a smaller model and likes the standard UJM retro look, he has options, such as the Yamaha SR400 and the Suzuki TU250x, which are both fine and good looking machines, in the same lineage and design mold as the CB. Another option would be the Royal Enfields, which are even more retro and under 500 cc. And IF he wants a smaller bike and IF retro or UJM looks are not that crucial, there are even more choices, like the Rebel or CB500, as others have opined.

as for the "overpriced for what it is" or "not worth that much money" argument, my 2 cents is--what is it worth to you? I believe many of us have encountered the sentiment that the CB1100 was "not worth" its price tag because it should have more HP, standard traction control, louder exhaust, an extra gear, and so on. These are expressions perhaps of what that particular critic finds most desirable in a bike, and there are plenty of options available in the marketplace that are "worth it" to them. But dyno figures and electronics are not the only standard for evaluating a motorcycle. Numbers on a spec sheet don't capture build quality, or reliability, or ease of use. Or esthetics. I think the CB1100 offers these things to the degree that I would pay $12K for one, or $6K for the Yamaha (which is built in Japan and comes standard with chromed steel fenders and instruments, spoked wheels, great tires, and one of the most beautiful air-cooled engines still being produced). These bikes fulfill a usefulness and consumer desire well, so to me, they are worth their price tag. (A $21K blacked-out Ducati Diavel isn't, but I can imagine it IS worth that price to someone, and I would not suggest to Ducati or to that buyer that they should do things according to my wants or taste, as if it were the best or only right way.) If enough people prefer such attributes to raw HP and plastic body parts and express their preferences in purchases, the manufacturers will continue to make and sell them, and everyone then gets the option to own a bike that is "worth it" to them. Calling a bike "a turd" after reading about it in a magazine but never having sat on one, let alone owned or operated one, is not giving Omarj informed advice about his options, which I believe was his goal in posting his question. If someone took a test ride and was underwhelmed, or had some negative experience with ownership that they wished to share, this would be more helpful, I believe, than name-calling.

[the Ferret]

Well that was just too reasonable lol. Well done baxtercat.

[DAC]

What a thread. Quite a range of answers too.

My .02 is similar to others:

1) No - a CB1100 is not a starter bike.
2) Find a clean, used SV650 or Fz6 but take it easy - those are still very strong bikes.
3) Then decide if the CB is still for you - a taste of the power and handling of the two above may point you in a different direction.
4) Sell the SV/FZ (for about what you paid) and move on.

Ride safe, friends.

[Macduff_imp]

PS after I passed my test (for full license) on my TZR125 I promptly went out and bought a new FZR1000Genesis (back in '88). Oh to be cash rich and without cares and responsibilities again ... I had that FZR1000 for over 5 years and learned to really ride on that beast (though not without mishaps, mostly of my own youthful exuberances making).

[EarsOnWheels_imp]

Love my 2013 TU250. Wish I'd started with it as my first bike three years ago instead of a 1979 KZ400. The TU250 is modern and trouble-free. Buy one used for <3k and keep it forever.

[jerrycon_imp]

There are many here in California who would love to buy the 49-state Suzuki TU250X. I agree that it would be a perfect retro-looking first bike for San Francisco Bay Area riding conditions.

[omarj_imp]

Hi Gang,

I figured I'd do a follow up post. After spending some time to think about it, I went out and bought a Rebel 500. So far it's been treating me well.

Best.