CB1100EX for a new rider? (my daughter)

[tommymck]

Hi All,

Hopefully this doesn't double post, but it looks like my original post didn't take. Anyway, here is my question....

I've been riding my entire life. I currently have a BMW 1200 GS and an old but minty beautiful R1200C.

After College, my daughter moved to the left coast and surprising to me (she was never much interested in riding as a kid) she took a safety course and got her motorcycle license.

Her thinking is that she wanted to buy a cheap Rebel off of Craigs List and asked that I check some bikes out when I visited. As background, I get out there once a month on business, and have often thought that I wouldn't mind having a bike out there for me when I visit.

So, I checked out these Rebels and they scared the bejeeebeees out of me when riding them (not to mention the fact that the ones she was looking at had carburetors and didn't like to start in spite of the warm SoCal weather) . I can't imagine riding such a small bike on the freeway. Now my daughter's commute is 5 miles on surface streets, so it wouldn't be crazy I guess, but such a small bike seems scary to me.

I've been interested in the CB100EX myself and have done some test rides locally. The bike is a big friendly teddy bear of a motorcycle with impeccable manners. And my daughter is very responsible so I'm not worried about her going crazy on it.....

The question is if it's outrageous to think that a new (but very responsible) female could handle the 1100EX? She's 5'8 with long legs, so I don't think that height would be too much of an issue. I'd hate to encourage her to ride it if it were too much though. Food for thought anyway. My daughter's ideal would be something like a used SR400 with the kick starter. Sounds good in principle, but having tried one on the road, it blows around a bunch.

Thoughts appreciated...

 

[Cormanus]

G'day tommymck. Welcome to the forum. Your first post didn't appear to take because the forum software requires a moderator to approve any new member's first past. After that, go for it.

Forum member redbirds' wife, Sparky, has just acquired a 2013 CB1100. There was a younger member called elemenopi who hasn't posted for a bit who had a lovely 2014 DLX. Last I saw she was also a member of one of the CB1100 Facebook groups. Both those women handle the CB1100 with no problems. Gender will not be the issue here.

Me, I don't think the CB1100 is a good bike for a newbie, but I come from an era when few would have dreamed of a bike so big (capacity rather than actual size). Others on the forum disagree and a number of them have way more experience of different bikes than me. In the end, I guess, if she likes it and feels she can get comfortable quickly enough, it would be a great bike. The obvious family benefit is that you'd get to ride it too!

 

[tommymck]

G'day tommymck. Welcome to the forum. Your first post didn't appear to take because the forum software requires a moderator to approve any new member's first past. After that, go for it.

Forum member redbirds' wife, Sparky, has just acquired a 2013 CB1100. There was a younger member called elemenopi who hasn't posted for a bit who had a lovely 2014 DLX. Last I saw she was also a member of one of the CB1100 Facebook groups. Both those women handle the CB1100 with no problems. Gender will not be the issue here.

Me, I don't think the CB1100 is a good bike for a newbie, but I come from an era when few would have dreamed of a bike so big (capacity rather than actual size). Others on the forum disagree and a number of them have way more experience of different bikes than me. In the end, I guess, if she likes it and feels she can get comfortable quickly enough, it would be a great bike. The obvious family benefit is that you'd get to ride it too!

Thanks for the reply Cormanus,

Yeah... That's my concern. Encouraging her to get something (even though I'd contribute to it) that wouldn't be appropriate for her. My issue is that small bikes just seem to be way unstable on the road. It's all relative I guess, but checking out these Rebels, they just seem very unstable. I've been riding since I was 13, which was a very long time ago. The bigger bikes just "feel" safer to me, which may just be my bias.

I guess I'm just looking for any reports from new riders who have ridden the 1100EX. The displacement doesn't scare me for her as much as the weight I guess...

 

[pdedse]

Welcome...

Hi All,

Hopefully this doesn't double post, but it looks like my original post didn't take. Anyway, here is my question....

I've been riding my entire life. I currently have a BMW 1200 GS and an old but minty beautiful R1200C.

After College, my daughter moved to the left coast and surprising to me (she was never much interested in riding as a kid) she took a safety course and got her motorcycle license.

Her thinking is that she wanted to buy a cheap Rebel off of Craigs List and asked that I check some bikes out when I visited. As background, I get out there once a month on business, and have often thought that I wouldn't mind having a bike out there for me when I visit.

So, I checked out these Rebels and they scared the bejeeebeees out of me when riding them (not to mention the fact that the ones she was looking at had carburetors and didn't like to start in spite of the warm SoCal weather) . I can't imagine riding such a small bike on the freeway. Now my daughter's commute is 5 miles on surface streets, so it wouldn't be crazy I guess, but such a small bike seems scary to me.

I've been interested in the CB100EX myself and have done some test rides locally. The bike is a big friendly teddy bear of a motorcycle with impeccable manners. And my daughter is very responsible so I'm not worried about her going crazy on it.....

The question is if it's outrageous to think that a new (but very responsible) female could handle the 1100EX? She's 5'8 with long legs, so I don't think that height would be too much of an issue. I'd hate to encourage her to ride it if it were too much though. Food for thought anyway. My daughter's ideal would be something like a used SR400 with the kick starter. Sounds good in principle, but having tried one on the road, it blows around a bunch.

Thoughts appreciated...

The SR400 blows around... do you mean it gets blown around by speed plus wind?

It's great that you're helping her out, but a 540lb bike is a lot of weight particularly at walking it in / out of garage. Could it be that you're underestimating your riding experience which allows you to feel immediately comfy on the CB1100? That may not be the case for her w/out the same experience you have. Her riding style and needs may differ greatly from yours.

These internet "gems" have some truth to them:

"You should plan on your first bike being exactly what its name implies. It’s your first bike, not your last bike."

"If you take up riding and don't enjoy it, your first bike will be your LAST bike;
If you take up riding and love it, your first bike will be your first of MANY bikes."

If it were my daughter and she wanted to consider some different styles...

Suzuki TU250
Ninja250 - 300
Honda CBR300r
Honda CB500f
Yamaha Vstar250

If she doesn't mind the kick start, that SR400 would seem reasonable to me.

Good luck!

 

[cookiemech]

I would just lend my voice to pdedse regarding a "first bike" choice. Yes, with 39 years and 400K plus miles, the CB1100 was the easiest new bike I think I've ever ridden. But if I could somehow see back to 1979 and imagine getting onto that 540 or 560 (haven't actually weighed mine) pound beast, I would have been pretty intimidated. Really easy to ride, but heavy for a novice.

My vote goes to the CB500F. Enough power for the freeway and reasonable weight. And it's a Honda.

 

[Houtman_imp]

I would just lend my voice to pdedse regarding a "first bike" choice. Yes, with 39 years and 400K plus miles, the CB1100 was the easiest new bike I think I've ever ridden. But if I could somehow see back to 1979 and imagine getting onto that 540 or 560 (haven't actually weighed mine) pound beast, I would have been pretty intimidated. Really easy to ride, but heavy for a novice.

My vote goes to the CB500F. Enough power for the freeway and reasonable weight. And it's a Honda.

Plus 1 !

 

[baxtercat_imp]

what pdedse says. I have an SR400 for commuting and around town, and the CB for out-of-town. The Yamaha doesn't get blown around any more than any bike in its weight class, and I found it a wonderful first/everyday bike for surface streets--only gets questionable over 50 mph. If highways are not yet part of the equation, I think she would be MUCH more comfortable with something like that. Has she sat on a CB or tried putting it on its center stand?

 

[tommymck]

Thanks for all of the replies! Sounds like she was on the right track after all. And by "blew around", I meant by relative wind (or cars going by or whatever...) I guess I'm just not used to riding light bikes on the streets. It's hard to take highways out of the equation in Burbank if you want to do more than just tool around, but that's probably fine for her.

 

[the Ferret]

:hello: Howdy and welcome to the forum. II don't think you said how big your daughter is and that comes into play as well. At 5'9" she can ride bikes comfortably that a 5'6" er can't. is she athletic? Muscular? Has she considered a scooter? A 400 Suzuki or Yamaha will easily keep up with freeway traffic and get 65 miles to gallon. If tall enough and stuck on a motorcycle I would be another vote for a CB 500X, an NC 700 or an SV 650.

 

[Rocky_imp]

I had been riding for 21 years when I bought my CB and I don't mind admitting that at first I was a little bit intimidated by the weight.
The heaviest bike I owned up to that point has a curb weight of 480 pounds and I really noticed the added weight of the CB at slow speeds.
Being an experienced rider that intimidation soon faded and I couldn't be happier with the bike.
ferret asked some important questions about her physical ability, and this along with the weight of the bike, is something to seriously consider.

 

[2017EX_imp]

Welcome tommymck. Obviously there is a learning curve for new riders, and some things are not as obvious as others. I sold a 750 pound Harley, and bought a CB1100EX because ( among other things ) I was not comfortable at age 65 wrestling that much weight in around town traffic. So, on the weight side, how much would she be comfortable with rolling around by hand, or putting on a center stand, or picking up by herself if necessary if she dropped it?

A while back, I bought my wife a Rebel 250 and fixed it up for her, but promptly sold it. I found that it was easy to handle in terms of weight, but extremely lacking in power, even for around town. Having ridden motorcycles since I was 17 ( my first bike was 80cc ), I think around 500cc would be a decent compromise between weight and power for a beginner....light enough to handle rolling by hand and around town, but with enough power for short hops on the freeway if necessary. I say short hops on the freeway, because I think a beginner should learn at slower speeds on surface streets, preferably with very light traffic.

Just as suggestions, you might want to look at a Honda CB500F or a Rebel 500. The Rebel 500 has only a solo seat, which might be a good thing to discourage riding two up, as I think a significant amount of solo riding experience should be under anyone's belt before even considering taking a passenger. Either of those bikes should have a seat height that would allow her to have both feet flat, and firmly on the ground at stops as well.

Regardless of any well intended opinions and/or suggestions, whatever she ends up with should be something that you have confidence in, she is comfortable with, and suits her needs.

 

[emptysea]

It'll probably be fine for her, but then again, it could be heavy and expensive for a first bike. The new Rebel is a much improved bike and comes in a 500cc version. Could work. So could the CB500. My wife rides a CTX700 and it is light and comfortable for her (5'6").

As far as new riders riding the CB1100, my son learned on a 250, but rode my CB1100 while still a newbie. Did not like it at all -- "top heavy" was what he felt. I'm sure he would have got used to it, but he went off to college and really hasn't ridden any motorcycle since.

Good luck on your search.

 

[Watson-cb1100_imp]

My wife restarted with a Honda NC750s. This is a very easy driving bike.
Before we had children she drives a CBR600rr.
Now she is so happy with the Nc that she don’t want to change anymore.

The Nc is also resonably priced bike.


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk

 

[VLJ_imp]

The CB1100EX is simply too heavy for a first-time rider, especially a female (presumably with less upper-body strength) who will be doing mostly city riding. If she already had plenty of experience riding in the dirt and was going to be using this bike mostly as a freeway commuter, fine, the CB1100 would be an easy choice. For urban work, however, there is no way I would start a young lady on a 560-lb bike. First-timers almost inevitably drop their bikes at some point, and she probably won't be able to lift the CB back upright, never mind the fear that such an experience will instill in her.

Start her off on something no heavier/more unwieldy than a naked 500 or 650, such as the Rebel 500, CB500F, CB650F, Kawasaki Z650, Suzuki SV650, or Yamaha MT-07. Any of these are perfectly fine on the freeway, and make for ideal urban commuters. You could even go smaller, but I wouldn't go any larger or heavier, not for a city-commuter female who's a true first-time rider.

 

[rotor]

Another vote for cb500f. And no matter what the gender, age or the bike, I would not be at ease with someone near and dear to me to do a daily commuting on a motorcycle on a busy suburban freeway before a year or two of continuous riding, and at least 25k kilometers in urban traffic behind him/her.

On the other hand, if she remains in California, and you help her to a point where she can competently use a motorcycle for a better part of her transportation needs, you will probably earn her life-long gratitude.

 

[Stichill]

I'd opt for a bike weighing between 350 to 475 lbs (160 kg to 215 kg) with around 23 to 45 HP, a short wheelbase, mid-mounted foot controls, and appropriate seat height to allow ground contact with the balls of the feet (or better). Opt for some wind protection if any riding is expected at highway speeds (65 mph and up).

 

[tommymck]

Thanks for all of the replies!!! So the consensus here is that the CB1100EX is just too much bike for her. I won't let my biases force her into something that doesn't make sense for her. While all of the suggestions for a CB500 looks great to me, it's too "sporty" looking for her. Maybe it's what she grew up seeing me riding, but she wants something more traditional looking, My original thought was that I'd get something that I'd like to ride for when I was out there that she'd adopt also. Sounds like it makes more sense for me to let her do her own thing regardless of what my biases are.

Regarding her physical characteristics, she's 5'8, does crossfit religiously and is very fit (way more fit than I am) but I don't want to be in a position where I'm encouraging her to take on more than makes sense for her. At the end of the day, I'm probably just trying to justify getting myself a CB100EX to keep out there. Based on the comments here, I'll let her do her own thing.

 

[2017EX_imp]

Personal taste in a bike is a very individual thing. I think now at least you have some reasonable parameters to work with, weight, seat height, and engine size. Since she was originally interested in a Rebel, take a look at the new Rebel 500, if she is not keen on the looks of the CB500. Take a look at other brands that fit the basic parameters too. With so many choices out there, I have no doubt she will find the right fit. Looking at the options together sounds like a nice Father/Daughter adventure. Good luck and good hunting.

 

[Nortoon_imp]

All of the new CB500s have the same 49 horsepower motor designed for new riders. I rode a CB500X for 3 summers and loved it. Light, nimble and surprizing quick for a 500cc twin. I am 6'2" tall, weigh 225 pounds, and have ridden for 27 years. What I liked most about the CB500X was it upright riding position, and it comes with a windscreen. The CB500s also get great gas mileage and have long range fuel tanks.

If she is more interested in a cruiser, there is a Rebel model.

 

[pdedse]

Thanks for all of the replies!!! So the consensus here is that the CB1100EX is just too much bike for her. I won't let my biases force her into something that doesn't make sense for her. While all of the suggestions for a CB500 looks great to me, it's too "sporty" looking for her. Maybe it's what she grew up seeing me riding, but she wants something more traditional looking, My original thought was that I'd get something that I'd like to ride for when I was out there that she'd adopt also. Sounds like it makes more sense for me to let her do her own thing regardless of what my biases are.

Regarding her physical characteristics, she's 5'8, does crossfit religiously and is very fit (way more fit than I am) but I don't want to be in a position where I'm encouraging her to take on more than makes sense for her. At the end of the day, I'm probably just trying to justify getting myself a CB100EX to keep out there. Based on the comments here, I'll let her do her own thing.

I was wondering if this wasn't the case when you initially mentioned the Yamaha sr400, which I think is a very cool looking motorcycle. I would revisit that idea; maybe the kickstart would be a pain when she stalls the bike the first time in traffic, but it is very easy to kick start that bike. I mean, you barely push down and it fires.

Another idea if she likes a "somewhat" traditional look:

https://scramblerducati.com/en/bike/sixty2

EFI
400cc
6speed
30.3 low seat / 31.1 standard
404lbs wet
but msrp is $7795

maybe a left over '17 for less?