Need advice on CB1100 and other

[ride4now_imp]

My daughter had an SV650 for a few years and she loved it. I rode it a fair amount too although I didn't care for the riding position. It was too 'sport bike' for me.

[Cormanus]

Foxinsuit, welcome to the forum.

CB1100s are wonderful bikes and I can't recommend them highly enough. However, if you want to buy one that's been dropped, make sure the accident was minor. Scratches aren't the end of the world (apologies to TINK and ride4now), but frame or other damage may well be an issue.

Secondly—and it's none of my business—don't buy something you can't afford. Wait until you can so the worry of paying for it doesn't diminish the joy of possession.

Buy the cheap bike and have fun while you save for the CB.

And come back here and tell us about it.

Scratches aren't the end of the world?? Like $&@?... I'd sell the darn thing if I scratched it... Geez... what are you thinking? But then, that's me. Tink can speak for himself. But Foxinsuit listen, Cormanus is right even though it is none of our business. Buy the cheaper one if that's the easiest one to get right now. Buying a bike that may have been damaged in an accident might not be smart. And any good 2 wheeled machine is better than no 2 wheeled machine... then you can save for a pristine CB with no scratches. Besides, if you scratch the cheap one... no worrys.
Good luck with your decision and welcome to the forum!

[foxinsuit_imp]

Could try a low ball offer just for the sake of trying

[foxinsuit_imp]

http://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/detail...geNumber=3


This seems like a very good deal for people who can afford new bikes. Just 9.5k EUROS for exlusive model brand new. All the other places have them for at least 12.5k+ for this edition.

So this is an update of a few months later since my initial post about CB1100 asking advice on my first bike. And what at first could be seen as a simple crush I think it has evolved.

I've seen videos, read blogs and etc. of new retro motorcycles being made for 2016/2017.
moto-guzzi v9 roamer and bobber, triumph bonneville series, yamaha's XJR1300 2015-on; XSR700/900; SR950





I'm glad that they're making them, but at the same time it makes me angry/frustrated (lack of a better word). I think why haven't they done this like 10 years ago, so that now there would be some on a used market at acceptable prices

Anyway I've googled everything that's available currently on the market and what will be available in the future (like the rumored kawasaki z900 comeback).

And realised that none of the new retro motorcycles made an impact on me as much as the CB1100 did. Still can't get it out of my head (and that's not a entirely a bad thing)..... Every review/preview video I watched I couldn't help but compare it to the CB1100 and ask myself, would I want it over the CB11. And few motorcycles came close, but eventually the crush on them ended, but CB1100 remained on my mind.

Since I can't afford it, I've considered hornet cb900/919 for it's great value, but soon realized, as I was googling for various mods for it, that it isn't for me. I simply searched for things on how to make it more retro, and it's just not made for that at all.

I've considered to bump my budget and go for the triumph bonneville 865
which here in europe is still expensive (used), but deals can be found somewhat like 20-30% cheaper than used CB1100.
But again, that bonneville is no CB1100 when it comes to performance (and looks).

There's a very entertaining video review of triumph bonneville 865cc




After being so frustrated with aesthetic design of the modern bikes on the market, I started to consider to NOT buy a motorcycle AT ALL, until the CB11's price goes down (which would be 3-5yrs).

Recently I've came across a nice deal on a Kawasaki zephyr 750 '99 odo=42k km
for 2k EUROS. it's the same as in picture below


It's got great retro looks, a decent enough motor 750cc and it's got those gorgeous spoke rims. And I'm thinking this motorcycle can really be the ONE with which I could peacefully wait for a EX edition CB1100 with those spoke rims .

There are currently 2 roadblocks from buying it.
1st. it's in a foreign country and it's a 10 hours drive (one way).
2nd. not sure if the seller will want to deal with a foreigner (me) at all (I've sent him a question already, waiting for a response).

Maybe someone had a chance to own a zephyr 750?

This is a thread I enjoyed reading:
http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1813

Everyone's sharing their memories about the time and place they once were in and I can certainly relate because currently I am in such a time and place myself.

In some 20+ years from now, I guess I'll be writing about the CB1100 on a similar thread on some forum (on some sort of a futuristic forum format ).

[Cormanus]

Foxinsuit, you say this is your first motorcycle. Do you have much riding experience? If not, why not buy something smaller that you can afford and get some riding experience before trading up to a second hand some time in the future?

[foxinsuit_imp]

Foxinsuit, you say this is your first motorcycle. Do you have much riding experience? If not, why not buy something smaller that you can afford and get some riding experience before trading up to a second hand some time in the future?

No, I don't have much riding experience and I am currently looking at a smaller bike which is zephyr 750. I learned to ride on a ZR7 which is in a way a successor to the zephyr so if the deal goes down, I think it'll be a great bike from both the performance and design wise.

Yet somehow I still choose to believe (even though I've never ridden one), that CB11 would be an easier motorcycle to control, due to the fact it has narrow tires. Also I've read and watched a lot of reviews and many times it was mentioned how easy CB11 is to control due to narrow tires. Of course those same narrow tires requires to be more careful on twisties as I understand due to their smaller surface area.

[foxinsuit_imp]

Finally I received additional photos of the bike and a description in broken english.

close up pictures that I asked for:
[url=https://postimg.org/image/3p0rej5sz/]

[url=https://postimg.org/image/s6sv2f8df/]

[url=https://postimg.org/image/dovnufh2b/]

[url=https://postimg.org/image/a6jny1g6b/]

[url=https://postimg.org/image/vhh82ayar/]

[url=https://postimg.org/image/gmsmo4opv/]

[url=https://postimg.org/image/h0yk1gy77/]

[url=https://postimg.org/image/50d40qqsj/]

[url=https://postimg.org/image/ti57omtcz/]


Basically there's a hole in one of the exhausts and battery should be changed (which I'd like to do anyway no matter what). Only one set of keys. Scratch on tank.

Seller is the 2nd owner, bought motorcycle 2.5years ago and said that initially when he bought it - there was something with the clutch basket, but it has been fixed (2.5yrs ago).

[PowerDubs_imp]

I currently own both a CB1100 and a ZRX1200. Both are excellent bikes.

But I am firmly in the camp that both are also too much bike for a beginner.

Honestly you can hurt yourself on anything, even a SV650 can wheelie when provoked without much issue.

Start smaller, cheaper, lighter, safer. Enjoy the ride itself, don't focus on power or acceleration. You will be too busy focusing on cars and deer.

[uscgmac_imp]

Don't rely on driving experience, it will not matter much when it comes to riding. Even 8 years of driving experience in a car is not that much. Start smaller and buy a cheap bike. You will thank us in the end if you ever have an incident. Plus if you can't afford a cb1100 than you should really be looking at something small and cheap. The cb1100 is actually one of the more affordable bikes when your ready for that. Your need to grow with experience not only with riding but remember their will be other expenses besides the bike when it comes to riding, like tires, maintenance, gear, insurance, fuel and so on. Grow financially as well by saving for the bigger bike as you learn on the smaller cheaper one and remember how you drive your car will not compare at all to riding a motorcycle.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

[LongRanger_imp]

I agree with these comments. Starting with a smaller, lightweight bike will allow your skills to develop and progress more rapidly than on a larger bike. With increased skills comes increased confidence and enjoyment.

Your generalization "those same narrow tires requires to be more careful on twisties as I understand due to their smaller surface area" is false. The narrow tires make the bike more agile and easier to handle.

With wider tires,
1. You'll be able to brake or accelerate much harder without losing grip
2. Steering will feel heavier
3. Bike won't "fall into" corners as easily
4. It'll be easier to maintain your turning line, but harder to change it
5. Tires will last longer
6. The tires will be more prone to hydroplaning

Grip is independent of surface area of contact (before you factor in the difference due to change in temperatures from rolling resistance and the strength of the rubber), but a narrower tire will wear faster trying to provide the same amount of grip. A wider tire on the other hand, will offer the benefits of longevity with increased grip, but make the handing sluggish.