CB1100 not fast enough ???

[Guth_imp]

For what I'm looking for out of my motorcycling experience, the CB1100 is great. A guy wanting to spend weekends racing at the track probably wouldn't be quite so enthusiastic about the bike.

But as far as the average guy that rides multiple times a week on the street goes, stop to think about the flip side of this discussion...

I'm guessing that there are a lot of guys out there that ended up buying a bike because it was rated at 100+ horsepower capable of a top speed well into the triple digits. They might actually reach a good percentage of what the bike is capable on occasion (not legally of course unless they're hitting the track), assuming their capabilities are up to those of the bike. I'm guessing, again for the average rider, the compromises (ergonomics, etc.) that were made in trade for the performance "potential" are rarely worth it in the overall mix of things.

I'm guessing that a lot of those "like new" trade ins sitting in dealer showrooms can probably be chalked up to bikes that sounded great in the reviews or had really impressive specs, but didn't work out so well when it came to the actual needs of the rider. Knowing what you're looking for out of a product and how you're actually going to use it (not how someone else feels about) is one of the best things to have worked out in advance of spending your money on something, and not just motorcycles.

[TINK_imp]

I subscribe to the own more than one bike rule (I have 5). There's a correct tool for every job, this is my GO FAST tool

[CB4ME_imp]

The CB is fast enough to get you in trouble. That's more than fast enough for me.

[Headbanger02_imp]

Plenty of pucker for me....

[Rebel73_imp]

Yeah, again, it's all relative. In the 70s this bike would've been considered a beast! Lol.

[ChipBeck_imp]

Gentlemen,

Chuck Yeager once said "the Piper Cub is the safest airplane built, it's just barely fast enough to kill you". The CB11 is supercar fast, but not Superbike fast. When I run it up through the gears to redline it has this old man's full attention. It scares the whiz out of Renea who is holding on for dear life. It runs heads up with my sons Ducati 796. And it's about at the limits of my abilities as a rider. A good fit.

In the 1960's it would have been the hardest accelerating production motorcycle. And it runs like a Swiss watch. So, it's fast enough for me and probably most others. A very good rider with sharper reflexes would probably enjoy a faster bike.

In the supercar world, most of the owners never use the performance available in their autos. They want to possess it, but they have no desire to use it. I track and race my Ford GT. Most Ford GT's are garaged, pampered, and driven like a Honda Accord to Cars & Coffee. I suspect many Superbikes are simply possessed as well.

Chip

[lola_imp]

complaints from where? these magazine writers & test riders are way to focused on out right performance and power that they miss the whole point of the overall experience of a motorcycle.

lets not loose sleep over what others say and justify that a CB1100 is faster than a sports car... Live and have fun!

[Papa Weeley_imp]

I was one of those members that commented about wishing the CB had just 20 or so horsepower more right after I got it (I said "commented", because it wasn't actually a "complaint" ). I guess the biggest reason was because it seemed an incredibly conservative output for an engine that size (my '83 Suzuki GS1100 had closer to 100hp 30 years ago!), but that was all no doubt amplified by the fact that I was coming from a modified Yamaha FZ1 that was putting out 153hp at the rear wheel, so I was very used to a certain amount of noticeable "oomph" when riding.
All of that was just so much commentary on my part, however; I didn't NEED more power, and I certainly don't ride in a way that I USE any more power any more, it was just an observation of what I felt was expected from that kind of displacement. It's not a sportbike, and I truly didn't expect it to have stratospheric levels of power, but "more" did work pretty well with the old GS1100, after all!
Oddly enough, the more I've ridden it, the more I've become quite happy and satisfied with the power it has. It's smooth, it's linear, and it's completely controllable even in those brief occasional moments I feel like opening her up a bit...OK, maybe I'd still like those extra 20hp at times like those...

[Rebel73_imp]

I was one of those members that commented about wishing the CB had just 20 or so horsepower more right after I got it (I said "commented", because it wasn't actually a "complaint" ). I guess the biggest reason was because it seemed an incredibly conservative output for an engine that size (my '83 Suzuki GS1100 had closer to 100hp 30 years ago!), but that was all no doubt amplified by the fact that I was coming from a modified Yamaha FZ1 that was putting out 153hp at the rear wheel, so I was very used to a certain amount of noticeable "oomph" when riding.
All of that was just so much commentary on my part, however; I didn't NEED more power, and I certainly don't ride in a way that I USE any more power any more, it was just an observation of what I felt was expected from that kind of displacement. It's not a sportbike, and I truly didn't expect it to have stratospheric levels of power, but "more" did work pretty well with the old GS1100, after all!
Oddly enough, the more I've ridden it, the more I've become quite happy and satisfied with the power it has. It's smooth, it's linear, and it's completely controllable even in those brief occasional moments I feel like opening her up a bit...OK, maybe I'd still like those extra 20hp at times like those...

Have you looked into the Guhl reflash?

[Papa Weeley_imp]

I was one of those members that commented about wishing the CB had just 20 or so horsepower more right after I got it (I said "commented", because it wasn't actually a "complaint" ). I guess the biggest reason was because it seemed an incredibly conservative output for an engine that size (my '83 Suzuki GS1100 had closer to 100hp 30 years ago!), but that was all no doubt amplified by the fact that I was coming from a modified Yamaha FZ1 that was putting out 153hp at the rear wheel, so I was very used to a certain amount of noticeable "oomph" when riding.
All of that was just so much commentary on my part, however; I didn't NEED more power, and I certainly don't ride in a way that I USE any more power any more, it was just an observation of what I felt was expected from that kind of displacement. It's not a sportbike, and I truly didn't expect it to have stratospheric levels of power, but "more" did work pretty well with the old GS1100, after all!
Oddly enough, the more I've ridden it, the more I've become quite happy and satisfied with the power it has. It's smooth, it's linear, and it's completely controllable even in those brief occasional moments I feel like opening her up a bit...OK, maybe I'd still like those extra 20hp at times like those...

Have you looked into the Guhl reflash?

Yes, that's probably next on the grocery list actually, I just didn't want to start a tangent on your thread.