CB vs. Triumph Speedmaster vs. BMW Cruiser

[rboe]

I prefer my 650L for around town. By a wee margin. Smaller bikes rock. Having said that, the CB1100 is so easy to ride that it seems like a much smaller bike.

Until you really ride a much smaller bike - but you get my drift.

[emullick_imp]

I prefer my 650L for around town. By a wee margin. Smaller bikes rock. Having said that, the CB1100 is so easy to ride that it seems like a much smaller bike.

Until you really ride a much smaller bike - but you get my drift.

How about the MG Griso? I test rode one at the same time as the CB 1100 and it seemed like a handful compared to the CB.

[rboe]

I got it remapped which helped. But still, the motor really wants you to wring it out (8500 red line and it's very easy to hit). My perspective is changing a bit since I put Road Pilot 4's on her. But in town the CB is much easier to ride. On the open road the Guzzi engine is easier to live with (just wish it got better mileage!).

The vibes on the Griso is very "organic", not buzzy. When you pour on the coals she gets up and goes - riding it home after I bought it I went to pass a semi. I just rolled on the throttle a bit, once I got in front of the truck I looked down and she was doing a 100mph!!! Holy Moly! No indication that the motor was working, straining or stressed. No arm stretching acceleration (which it will do if you want to do that) - much different from my Quota or the CB. I'm better at it now, but the first couple years I had a very hard time keeping near the speed limit in town. I have to really watch it. The motor sounds the same at 30 as 50mph.

CB is better in the tight twisties, the Griso is much better on the wide sweepers and touring. I'm looking at getting a DL1000 for "touring" vs. the Griso (for the open road the twins seem nicer, but otherwise I'm pretty agnostic when it comes to the number of cylinders). Having said that, the NC750X with the awesome mileage needs to be checked out.

[DaSwami_imp]

As an Eagle fan, and current V7II owner, I totally get the Griso. I'd take one over an R Nine T. But, the mileage is what nixed the idea. I just can't buy a bike that gets in the 30's when I own a car that does the same.

Curious what you mean by the Griso motor being "easier to live with" on the open road? To me, that is where the CB motor and gearing excels....

[rboe]

The vibe of the motor is more like a heart beat or a pulse - hence using the term "organic". Easier to live with is very relative as the CB is also easy to live with; but I find that I prefer the Griso motor on long hauls. Maybe because the CB motor can buzz at certain rpm ranges which is mildly annoying. Mildly. Your mileage may vary.

With Beetle's map I'm typically getting 42mpg or better. Not sure if their map was perfected back when you had the Griso. I've heard that some guys got better mileage once their machines were rollerized but I have not noticed a big difference.

On a side note; the XR650L has quite the pulse at cruising speed but on the open road it feels much more busy than the Griso; perhaps the amplitude is a lot greater. I should run it up to Flagstaff and see how I feel about that. Otherwise, it's not nearly as much fun on the freeway as the other two bikes.

[tommymck_imp]

Oh my......

So, as nice as an MG Griso, or a Suzuki V-Storm, or a Yamaha TW200, or a Honda 650L or an Africa Twin is / are, they are pretty much, each, the antithesis of the Speedmaster. Yeah, if the point is that the Speedmaster cost is stupid as an around town bike, sure. I get that. But if you dig the vibe of a TW200 for around town cruising, you'd likely hate the Speedy, and vice-versa.

My main point was that the riding position of the Speedmaster, for me anyway, isn't ideal for long distance cruising. It is ideal, again for me, for local riding. And that's not to say that it isn't good on the highway. Around these parts anyway, there isn't much in the way of local riding that doesn't put you on the highway for 10 or 20 miles or so, and the bike is great for that. For longer distances though, I just prefer the CB.

I also have a Yamaha SR400. It's also a great around town bike, but in a totally different and pragmatic way (pragmatic except for the kick start I guess....but I dig that in any case...)

[rboe]

Oooh, that SR400 has caught my eye. Not enough to buy one, but I can see the attraction (and if I didn't have the 650 this would cost me money ).

I look forward to some ride reports on the Speedmaster!

[Roper_imp]

The SR400 is definitely cool. However, if they're selling at the MSRP of $6000, and you can get a "new" CB1100 for about that, then it's not so cool...

[DaSwami_imp]

Had an SR400, mine had a few QC issues and just didn't float my boat, as much as I tried to love it. And the kickstart got old..plus, not a bargain at all.

[tommymck_imp]

Yeah, the SR400 definitely doesn't cut it from a cost / benefit analysis perspective. Haven't had any issues with it at all from a reliability perspective, but I keep it on the west coast for when I'm out there on travel (monthly) or visiting my daughter. I mainly got it because my daughter (in LA) recently got her license and I wanted a bike that was fun for me and easy for her to get her feet wet on. I really do like that bike, but there is no comparison between it and the Speedmaster. And in either case, a new-in-box 2014 CB1100 kills either from a bang-for-buck perspective.

My main point was that I was surprised that I found that the CB1100 was a more comfortable and capable bike for all-around riding than the Triumph cruiser.