Different Perspectives

[LongRanger_imp]

Ferret, you're too kind. Hope to have you and Off-road out here again someday. There's a lot of exceptional riding in SW Colorado that was beyond our reach for day trips.

VLJ, I've noticed no performance loss with my fuel injected bikes at 14,000', but I certainly did with my sea-level tuned carbureted SV650. That's why that bike is gone. It suffered at 10,000'.

 

[VLJ_imp]

mickey, my main riding buddy moved to the Denver area many years ago, and we've never ridden again together. I would love to ride the Rockies, but I can't get enough time off from work during the Colorado mountains riding season to make it happen.

We'll see, though, this year. Now that I have this CB, I'll be itching to do a proper road trip.

The thing is, man, imagine the XSR on those Pike's Peak-style roads in the Rockies? I'd be torn as to which bike to bring on such a trip...but I'd end up taking the Honda. Between the centerstand for chain maintenance along the way, and the relaxing motor, and all the photo opportunities in such scenic locales, plus all that highway droning between here and Colorado, of course I'd have to take the Honda.

 

[Guth_imp]

VLJ, your story is a great example of "understanding your intended application". One of the reasons that the CB1100 works so well for me is that I have about as much interest in riding the bike on the freeway or long stretches of interstate as I do sticking my fingers into the electrical outlet. That's just not my thing. So the fact that the CB doesn't do all that well in such situations doesn't really matter to me. Similarly, I'm not really out to tear up the twisty backroads either. For me, when I say that I like "just going out for a ride" that's pretty much what I mean. Whether running around town or exploring the local country roads, "going for a ride" is what I like and the CB does very well in this case. It doesn't take much in the way of performance to keep me happy and in this regard the CB has more to offer than I can take full advantage of. In a nutshell, the CB1100 fits my primary intended application exceedingly well. Plus the bike has performed very well when I was using it for my commuting needs. So in my case the CB1100 is a luxury piece of machinery that is versatile enough to meet all of my needs. I don't know why I never developed an interest in riding for more performance. When it comes to pushing a machine more to the limit or slogging freeway miles I suppose that I'd just rather be in a car. Different strokes and all that I suppose.

I can understand how the CB might present a bit of a conundrum for other guys who might have more varied intentions than myself. If you really like to push your bike hard or tend to do a lot of freeway miles then the CB1100 might not be the best single bike to own. However, if you have the luxury of owning an additional bike (or more) to satisfy those other moto-cravings then the CB1100 is a wonderful luxury machine to have at your disposal for those things that it does do so well.

I probably should have worded this better. The point that I was trying to make is that I don't really have any interest in riding any motorcycle for endless miles traveling via the freeway or the interstate highways (and therefore I don't look to the CB1100 for this type of application). Therefore the fact that some others feel that the CB doesn't do all that well in such situations doesn't really matter to me.

 

[Wisedrum]

The CB is excellent on the freeway. Full stop. Is it R1200RT excellent? No, it's not, but who goes out to their garage simply to admire their refrigerator?

Yes it is. No problem on tour to use the Autobahn for a while at a commod speed of 110 - 130km/h to cover long distances although the CB can run much faster ... . I don't prefer this kind of riding but can't avoid it to drive to certain regions without wasting too much time. I prefer windshields on all of my bikes all the time. Enables me to ride much longer without sort of windstress or cold even in combination with a tankbag.

Wisedrum

 

[nhawk7504_imp]

VLJ, your story is a great example of "understanding your intended application". One of the reasons that the CB1100 works so well for me is that I have about as much interest in riding the bike on the freeway or long stretches of interstate as I do sticking my fingers into the electrical outlet. That's just not my thing. So the fact that the CB doesn't do all that well in such situations doesn't really matter to me. Similarly, I'm not really out to tear up the twisty backroads either. For me, when I say that I like "just going out for a ride" that's pretty much what I mean. Whether running around town or exploring the local country roads, "going for a ride" is what I like and the CB does very well in this case. It doesn't take much in the way of performance to keep me happy and in this regard the CB has more to offer than I can take full advantage of. In a nutshell, the CB1100 fits my primary intended application exceedingly well. Plus the bike has performed very well when I was using it for my commuting needs. So in my case the CB1100 is a luxury piece of machinery that is versatile enough to meet all of my needs. I don't know why I never developed an interest in riding for more performance. When it comes to pushing a machine more to the limit or slogging freeway miles I suppose that I'd just rather be in a car. Different strokes and all that I suppose.

I can understand how the CB might present a bit of a conundrum for other guys who might have more varied intentions than myself. If you really like to push your bike hard or tend to do a lot of freeway miles then the CB1100 might not be the best single bike to own. However, if you have the luxury of owning an additional bike (or more) to satisfy those other moto-cravings then the CB1100 is a wonderful luxury machine to have at your disposal for those things that it does do so well.

I probably should have worded this better. The point that I was trying to make is that I don't really have any interest in riding any motorcycle for endless miles traveling via the freeway or the interstate highways (and therefore I don't look to the CB1100 for this type of application). Therefore the fact that some others feel that the CB doesn't do all that well in such situations doesn't really matter to me.

I probably should have worded this better. The point that I was trying to make is that I don't really have any interest in riding any motorcycle for endless miles traveling via the freeway or the interstate highways (and therefore I don't look to the CB1100 for this type of application). Therefore the fact that some others feel that the CB doesn't do all that well in such situations doesn't really matter to me.
I actually find the highway very liberating and meditative. On backroads in the burbs I have to deal with traffic every time I come into a town on weekends. So many stores and people crossing the road and turning in all directions. On the highway I just settle into a relaxed pace and cruise. YMMV

 

[Lord Popgun]

I thought it was just me. I love riding the interstate. But the blue roads are fun too.

 

[the Ferret]

mickey, my main riding buddy moved to the Denver area many years ago, and we've never ridden again together. I would love to ride the Rockies, but I can't get enough time off from work during the Colorado mountains riding season to make it happen.

We'll see, though, this year. Now that I have this CB, I'll be itching to do a proper road trip.

The thing is, man, imagine the XSR on those Pike's Peak-style roads in the Rockies? I'd be torn as to which bike to bring on such a trip...but I'd end up taking the Honda. Between the centerstand for chain maintenance along the way, and the relaxing motor, and all the photo opportunities in such scenic locales, plus all that highway droning between here and Colorado, of course I'd have to take the Honda.

See if this whets your appetite

a Rocky Mountain high ***New pics added***

 

[Banned_imp]

I thought it was just me. I love riding the interstate. But the blue roads are fun too.

Nope, I love riding the highway too.

I remember one time riding the 1250km between here and where I used to live in Ontario (a day ride I used to do frequently) which is all highway, when I reached my house I just wanted to keep riding. Once I'm in the zone I want to stay there.

 

[Nortoon_imp]

I thought it was just me. I love riding the interstate. But the blue roads are fun too.

Nope, I love riding the highway too.

I remember one time riding the 1250km between here and where I used to live in Ontario (a day ride I used to do frequently) which is all highway, when I reached my house I just wanted to keep riding. Once I'm in the zone I want to stay there.

I only drove my Volkswagen Rabbit convertible to Toronto once on the 401. Nothing but screaming truck tires, lines of heavy traffic, and a mishmash of entrance and exit ramps. After that I used Highway 7 and back roads beyond Lindsay to reach Newmarket. That was a much more enjoyable ride. I would never ride a motorcycle on the 401 with all that traffic and noise.

 

[Cormanus]

Cormanus, once I added the bar risers to my XSR, the seating position became so upright that the increased windblast on the freeway slowed me down from my previous 75-80 mph to an average of 65-70 mph. In an effort to regain those lost ten mph I tried two different Dart windscreens on my XSR, the smaller Classic and larger Marlin. They both added too much noisy turbulence around my helmet, and, yes, I always wear heavy-duty earplugs when I ride. Although the Darts are classified as small flyscreens, they're still too large for me. I tossed the Classic and kept the Marlin, but I doubt I will ever use it again.

Ever since I owned my ST1300, I've always had to fight this battle against noisy turbulence and/or annoying buffeting on upright bikes with windshields. My V-Strom 1000 was the worst, in that regard. After my experience with those two bikes, constantly trying new screens, the latest aero-flips, going taller, cutting them down, removing them altogether, etc., I finally realized that windscreens on upright motorcycles are far more trouble than they're worth to me.

I see some people here have these giant, barn door-sized windshields on their CBs. I'm sure those bikes don't have any problems with noisy turbulence, but I could never do that. I am not willing to peer through a hot, bug-splattered/rain-obscured windshield, plus I can't stand the way they look. On my beautiful EX, such windshields are strictly anathema to me.

As I discovered on my V-Strom, no screen was the best screen. Removing the stock screen altogether made for the most comfortable ride, at the expense of simply hideous looks.

With that in mind, this is what finally worked for me on the XSR...

The factory Yamaha flyscreen is so small that it basically just covers the instrument cluster. This screen is even smaller than it appears in these pictures, yet it gives me back my lost ten mph on the freeway, without ruining the looks of the bike.

So far, the windblast on the Honda hasn't been severe enough to make me want to do something about it. I love the looks of that front end so much, I doubt I will ever try a windscreen on her. For one thing, unlike the XSR, the instrument cluster doesn't need covering. In typical Honda fashion, the CB's instruments and dash are fully buttoned up and clean-looking, with no exposed wiring. Even though it's a naked, there are no bug graveyards in and around the headlight/instruments area. Cleaning the front of the CB is easier now than it would be if I always had to clear off dried bugs from a windscreen.

I should have said, VLJ, that I've ridden the odd kilometre on my CB with no windscreen. I have no plans to fit one. My experience with them is limited, but I didn't enjoy the noise they generate. Like you, I don't want one so big that I have to sit behind it as the road ahead becomes less and less visible.

The CB on the freeway? Yes it can handle it OK, but for me it's the nature of the freeway that means I don't really enjoy it. There's traffic and trucks and traffic and trucks means large chunks of air being pushed around. Large chunks of air being pushed around means turbulence. Turbulence is not comfortable. For me, where possible, backroads are nearly always a better choice when available.

 

[the Ferret]

I like riding the interstate " once I'm out of major cities". There is actually some lovely stretches of interstate in this country. Just like riding giant backroads. Curves, trees, little traffic. Now of you are talking downtown Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, Denver, Los Angeles, Boston, New York etc during rush hour ..no thank you.

 

[VLJ_imp]

mickey, reading that Colorado group-ride thread is pure torture to a guy who's stuck at work and can't get out there.

I know that most people talk about Tail of the Dragon, but I have a far greater desire to ride the Colorado high passes. TotD isn't going to be any different from or any better than countless roads I have here, and it will probably have a lot of traffic. I prefer empty roads for going fast. I hate constantly having to wait to pass Harleys, mobile homes, logging trucks, etc.

Colorado looks like my favorite high passes in the eastern Sierras. I want to ride there. Pike's Peak is a must.

Cormanus, I'm with you 100% on the preference for riding good back roads. Given a choice, and sufficient time, I'll stay off the interstates every chance I get. Sometimes it just doesn't work out that way, unfortunately, and I have to slog it straight up and down in the center of the tire for hours on end. No fun.

 

[Cormanus]

Ferret, 'little traffic' is the point, isn't it? There's nothing wrong with the roads per se; it's just that they are designed for moving lots of traffic and, in the places where they do, are not all that comfortable on a motorcycle. And our roads are relatively empty compared to the US.

 

[VLJ_imp]

Also, slabbing it across beautiful open scenery like Arizona or Idaho (or Australia!) is a vastly different experience than droning on the 405 in SoCal.

 

[the Ferret]

Yep, traffic is most of the key, but add in scenery and some curves and it's a great way to get someplace quickly.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

Pike's Peak is something to experience and the views are cool but candidly there are many other roads in the area I'd rather spend my half-day on. It's very touristy and therefore not uncommon to get stuck behind parades of minivans and slow-moving gawkers, which I have scant patience for. Due to the nature of the road, it can be very difficult (or illegal) to pass, so you sit there, inhaling fumes, droning up and down the mountain with the rest of the sheep. The CB is a perfect bike for Pike's Peak because you will be forced to settle in and just enjoy the ride. Me? I'd rather hit an empty 60-mile stretch of continuous sweepers that actually go somewhere, knowing a good chargrilled burger awaits me at the other end.

Winter stinks. I need to go for a ride.

 

[the Ferret]

Yep poor LR had to suffer because OR and I made him take up to several touristy places ... Pike's Peak, Rocky Mt Natl Park, because how can you go to Colorado and NOT go to those places. Like going to NC and NOT riding the Dragon, even though you KNOW there are better roads you could be out riding.

 

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Also, slabbing it across beautiful open scenery like Arizona or Idaho (or Australia!) is a vastly different experience than droning on the 405 in SoCal.

You can drone on the 405? Usually it is best known for enjoying the scenery at a slow crawl.:rofl:

 

[VLJ_imp]

Later at night, yep, droning on the 405 is possible. At any time of day, however, at any speed, the 405 is miserable.

 

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Later at night, yep, droning on the 405 is possible. At any time of day, however, at any speed, the 405 is miserable.

I don't ride at night any more. Who goes out at night to play on the freeway? Only the bad guys.

However I was unveracious.

My riding buddy and I rode on the 405 today for several miles, zipping right along at 80 mph in the car pool lane, with traffic behind making sure we didn't slow things down. Riding Triumphs with fake fins and everything. Didn't feel too much like droning. lol. All freeways lead to some good road somewhere.:biker: