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(04-17-2015, 12:55 AM)ChipBeck_imp Wrote: (04-16-2015, 08:32 AM)twiin640_imp Wrote: The bike seems to only appeal to those who already owned or liked the CB750 from back in the day. I don't think it's the be all end all bike, but it is a very very well done retro bike.
I personally don't think standards or UJM's will go away, I just think their appeal is in a slump right now. This may be a great time for someone to get some collector's items. I plan to buy at least another 2013 but will wait until the price drops a little more. 
Gentlemen,
Perhaps I'm the oddball here. But in 1969 the CB750 did not appeal to me and I never desired a UJM until the CB1100 came out. I grew up riding dirt bikes and at age 22 I bought a brand new HD Sportster. Husqvarna and Harley Davidson were my brands of choice (still are).
When they were new there were only a few Japanese street bikes that I was really interested in (but didn't buy) and those were the 2 stroke Kawisaki 500 and 750 triples, the Yamaha RD-350 and 400, and the Honda Hawk. The one CB that did catch my attention a bit back then was the CB400.
When I started this thread I wasn't saying "Is the CB11 going to be the last standard style motorcycle", I was speculating if the CB11 would be the last "big bore, air cooled, transverse 4 cylinder" standard style bike sold in the U.S.? I think it just may be.
If the CB11 was water cooled or had 17 inch wheels that would kill it's appeal to me. Like putting 18" aluminum wheels with 40 series tires on a 1969 Mustang. It's just wrong. And look at the rapidly rising values of air cooled Porsche 911's. There is a charm to them that is lost with their water cooled predecessors.
Water cooling and modern electronics improve the functionality of motorcycles like batterys and quartz movements improve watches. But a Rolex or Breitling built using 100 year old technology with gears and springs is tremendously appealing because it's not modern. In the same way, fine double barrel shotguns are more appealing than modern auto-loaders. That's why the CB11 is so appealing to me.
As far as other standards go, I've tried a few. Years ago I bought a beautiful Ducati 900 Monster that I thought I'd really like. It was an air cooled standard but I didn't really enjoy it. I bought a Bonneville and put Triumph's aftermarket exhaust on it. Light and good handeling, it still sounded terrible. At full throttle accelerating down a freeway on ramp my Triumph was a dog.
When I bought my CB11 I wasn't sure I'd like it. I'd never ridden a UJM in my life. But I love that big CB. With the Staintune it sings the most soulful song on freeway on ramps and it's so much more satisfying to ride and look at than the Monster or Bonniville IMO. Like all of my air cooled Harley Davidsons, the CB1100 looks right, sounds right, feels right, and works right.
In any event, just like the day came when the last new air cooled 911 was sold in America, I think the CB11 may just be the last big transverse 4, air cooled motorcycle sold in the U.S.
Chip
I have no doubt that you are correct. When they announced production of the CB1100 in 2009, I was amazed. Only because the tightening emissions controls made it very unlikely for a big air cooled inline 4 to survive further tightening. Air cooling is an emissions control nightmare.
Big air cooled 4s had mostly exited the U.S. market prior to the CB11's appearance. The CB750 ended (here) in 2003 and the air cooled Bandit 1200 was done by 2007. At that point, I honestly thought the big air cooled inline 4 was a thing of the past.
Unlike you, Chip, I've been a UJM fan since I started riding. I thought my CB750 would be my last bike, since nothing else on the market appealed to my UJM tastes. Having the opportunity to buy a CB1100 was like a surprise gift to me. I think this window of opportunity will definitely be the last.
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(04-17-2015, 12:55 AM)ChipBeck_imp Wrote: (04-16-2015, 08:32 AM)twiin640_imp Wrote: The bike seems to only appeal to those who already owned or liked the CB750 from back in the day. I don't think it's the be all end all bike, but it is a very very well done retro bike.
I personally don't think standards or UJM's will go away, I just think their appeal is in a slump right now. This may be a great time for someone to get some collector's items. I plan to buy at least another 2013 but will wait until the price drops a little more.
Gentlemen,
Perhaps I'm the oddball here. But in 1969 the CB750 did not appeal to me and I never desired a UJM until the CB1100 came out. I grew up riding dirt bikes and at age 22 I bought a brand new HD Sportster. Husqvarna and Harley Davidson were my brands of choice (still are).
When they were new there were only a few Japanese street bikes that I was really interested in (but didn't buy) and those were the 2 stroke Kawisaki 500 and 750 triples, the Yamaha RD-350 and 400, and the Honda Hawk. The one CB that did catch my attention a bit back then was the CB400.
When I started this thread I wasn't saying "Is the CB11 going to be the last standard style motorcycle", I was speculating if the CB11 would be the last "big bore, air cooled, transverse 4 cylinder" standard style bike sold in the U.S.? I think it just may be.
If the CB11 was water cooled or had 17 inch wheels that would kill it's appeal to me. Like putting 18" aluminum wheels with 40 series tires on a 1969 Mustang. It's just wrong. And look at the rapidly rising values of air cooled Porsche 911's. There is a charm to them that is lost with their water cooled predecessors.
Water cooling and modern electronics improve the functionality of motorcycles like batterys and quartz movements improve watches. But a Rolex or Breitling built using 100 year old technology with gears and springs is tremendously appealing because it's not modern. In the same way, fine double barrel shotguns are more appealing than modern auto-loaders. That's why the CB11 is so appealing to me.
As far as other standards go, I've tried a few. Years ago I bought a beautiful Ducati 900 Monster that I thought I'd really like. It was an air cooled standard but I didn't really enjoy it. I bought a Bonneville and put Triumph's aftermarket exhaust on it. Light and good handeling, it still sounded terrible. At full throttle accelerating down a freeway on ramp my Triumph was a dog.
When I bought my CB11 I wasn't sure I'd like it. I'd never ridden a UJM in my life. But I love that big CB. With the Staintune it sings the most soulful song on freeway on ramps and it's so much more satisfying to ride and look at than the Monster or Bonniville IMO. Like all of my air cooled Harley Davidsons, the CB1100 looks right, sounds right, feels right, and works right.
In any event, just like the day came when the last new air cooled 911 was sold in America, I think the CB11 may just be the last big transverse 4, air cooled motorcycle sold in the U.S.
Chip
Not to go offtopic, but is there a good example of what the CB11 with a staintube installed on it sounds like, say on a youtube video? I'd like to hear it . . .
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We all know that Japan has had for years a modern CB750 FOUR that looks very much like the original one. I've always wondered why not that one for the US market, instead of making yet another Retro CB in the form of the current 1100. Maybe we had outgrown the old CB of olds, and Honda knew we'd want something bigger? Though the big CB was developed and sold for many markets before showing up on our shores in 2013...
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(04-17-2015, 02:56 PM)Ghis_imp Wrote: We all know that Japan has had for years a modern CB750 FOUR that looks very much like the original one. I've always wondered why not that one for the US market, instead of making yet another Retro CB in the form of the current 1100. Maybe we had outgrown the old CB of olds, and Honda knew we'd want something bigger? Though the big CB was developed and sold for many markets before showing up on our shores in 2013...
A 750 used to be a big bike, but nowadays, it's at best a mid-size in the US. It's easy to warrant a more premium price for more displacement. A 750 would have no fewer parts, so it wouldn't be much cheaper to make.
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(04-17-2015, 12:20 PM)treytexag_imp Wrote: (04-17-2015, 12:55 AM)ChipBeck_imp Wrote: (04-16-2015, 08:32 AM)twiin640_imp Wrote: The bike seems to only appeal to those who already owned or liked the CB750 from back in the day. I don't think it's the be all end all bike, but it is a very very well done retro bike.
I personally don't think standards or UJM's will go away, I just think their appeal is in a slump right now. This may be a great time for someone to get some collector's items. I plan to buy at least another 2013 but will wait until the price drops a little more.
Gentlemen,
Perhaps I'm the oddball here. But in 1969 the CB750 did not appeal to me and I never desired a UJM until the CB1100 came out. I grew up riding dirt bikes and at age 22 I bought a brand new HD Sportster. Husqvarna and Harley Davidson were my brands of choice (still are).
When they were new there were only a few Japanese street bikes that I was really interested in (but didn't buy) and those were the 2 stroke Kawisaki 500 and 750 triples, the Yamaha RD-350 and 400, and the Honda Hawk. The one CB that did catch my attention a bit back then was the CB400.
When I started this thread I wasn't saying "Is the CB11 going to be the last standard style motorcycle", I was speculating if the CB11 would be the last "big bore, air cooled, transverse 4 cylinder" standard style bike sold in the U.S.? I think it just may be.
If the CB11 was water cooled or had 17 inch wheels that would kill it's appeal to me. Like putting 18" aluminum wheels with 40 series tires on a 1969 Mustang. It's just wrong. And look at the rapidly rising values of air cooled Porsche 911's. There is a charm to them that is lost with their water cooled predecessors.
Water cooling and modern electronics improve the functionality of motorcycles like batterys and quartz movements improve watches. But a Rolex or Breitling built using 100 year old technology with gears and springs is tremendously appealing because it's not modern. In the same way, fine double barrel shotguns are more appealing than modern auto-loaders. That's why the CB11 is so appealing to me.
As far as other standards go, I've tried a few. Years ago I bought a beautiful Ducati 900 Monster that I thought I'd really like. It was an air cooled standard but I didn't really enjoy it. I bought a Bonneville and put Triumph's aftermarket exhaust on it. Light and good handeling, it still sounded terrible. At full throttle accelerating down a freeway on ramp my Triumph was a dog.
When I bought my CB11 I wasn't sure I'd like it. I'd never ridden a UJM in my life. But I love that big CB. With the Staintune it sings the most soulful song on freeway on ramps and it's so much more satisfying to ride and look at than the Monster or Bonniville IMO. Like all of my air cooled Harley Davidsons, the CB1100 looks right, sounds right, feels right, and works right.
In any event, just like the day came when the last new air cooled 911 was sold in America, I think the CB11 may just be the last big transverse 4, air cooled motorcycle sold in the U.S.
Chip
Not to go offtopic, but is there a good example of what the CB11 with a staintube installed on it sounds like, say on a youtube video? I'd like to hear it . . .
Not to go offtopic, but is there a good example of what the CB11 with a staintube installed on it sounds like, say on a youtube video? I'd like to hear it . . .
[url=http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=765]Here you go.
Just listened to my own video once again. That is truly a beautiful exhaust note to my ears. Interesting question posed by Chip. The CB1100 might indeed prove to be the last of its kind on these shores.
Regardless, I'm enjoying mine tremendously.
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The 2013 cb1100 was voted and was made the best standard of 2013 in the US.
Im all for new innovation and technology specially with motos, its what keeps the sport going whether you like it or not and Makes new riders because of it . We can all speculate on what honda might or might not do im just glad honda threw us a bone with the cb. Enjoy it. Hondas bold move to bring the cb states side will probably inspire other makes to bring their own but all I can do is speculate...
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Lemontree,
Our very own member Ack took his RnineT and pretty much made into a scrambler. Maybe BMW used his as inspiration? 
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(04-17-2015, 08:01 PM)lemontree_imp Wrote: FYI BMW has announced the Scrambler
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/new-b...is-coming/
Honda and BMW both detune air cooled motors as a way to keep in compliance, which is one reason the CB1100 engine is only 9.5:1 compression @ 85 BHP.
Honda will continue to make the CB1100 model so long as it's profitable. Many dealers don't know how to sell them.
Air-cooled engines remain on current model of HD's, H's K's, Y's, S's, and will not die off any faster than water-cooled.
The genuine challenge to all motorcycle manufacturers of internal combustion engines remains electricity.
For example, http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/
Despite BMW not scoring very well in the recent Consumers Report article, unit sales are up about 16% YOY.
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(04-18-2015, 12:35 AM)sig_a_imp Wrote: (04-17-2015, 08:01 PM)lemontree_imp Wrote: FYI BMW has announced the Scrambler
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/new-b...is-coming/
Honda and BMW both detune air cooled motors as a way to keep in compliance, which is one reason the CB1100 engine is only 9.5:1 compression @ 85 BHP.
Honda will continue to make the CB1100 model so long as it's profitable. Many dealers don't know how to sell them.
Air-cooled engines remain on current model of HD's, H's K's, Y's, S's, and will not die off any faster than water-cooled.
The genuine challenge to all motorcycle manufacturers of internal combustion engines remains electricity.
For example, http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/
Despite BMW not scoring very well in the recent Consumers Report article, unit sales are up about 16% YOY.
BMW is becoming an image brand (more than it already had been) and rich-man's goods.
It's dangerous to step into politics on such a board as this one, but politics touches us on many levels. For whatever reason, the income of Yuppie-Bankers has just TAKEN OFF. They suddenly have more money than they'd ever dreamed of; and so all the toys that a thirty-something paper-pusher might want - BMW motorcycles; BMW cars; Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Aspen ski lodges, racing boats...those are all selling well.
Honda is not seeing that. Honda does not have, never tried to have, the cachet that H-D and BMW now have. Honda is quality but Honda has always let its quality speak for itself. BMW has cultivated ITS image, quietly, of Germanic engineering and quality...some of which was deserved, some of which no longer is. And we know what H-D sells.
I don't think Honda's corporate aiming was flawed; but they seem to be in the right-place/wrong-time mode.
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