Only way to have them, PB! 
Honda CB1100 with Pipemasters 4 into 4 Polished Stainless SteelExhaust
- Thread starter BugSpatteredJacket_imp
- Start date
Desert viper_imp
Been there
Your bike looks great Peter! Don’t know about the lens GoldOxide
peterbaron
Road warrior
:blush:, rear rack is OEM accessories + Givi, side racks and panniers are SW MotechFrulk_imp said:
GoldOxide_imp
Road warrior
Dee Vee - the headers looked black to me, like anodized. Wasn't sure.Desert viper_imp said:
- - -
Anyway, fully toned done all dark I find pretty hard to get right. But once there, it won't change unless you want it to.
peterbaron
Road warrior
Dee Vee - the headers looked black to me, like anodized. Wasn't sure.GoldOxide_imp said:
- - -
Anyway, fully toned done all dark I find pretty hard to get right. But once there, it won't change unless you want it to.
All pics look bit dark, therefore brown headers became black...unless GO forgot to remove his sunglasses
Bazbro_imp
Road warrior
I'm having to disagree regarding the look of the Moriwaki and Pipemaster silencers (sorry Cormanus!).
I think Honda got the look absolutely correct with the original CB750 silencers - shaped to 'cling' to the 'bike, the lower one tucked in and under nicely and with the neat protector plate on the outside. They looked just perfect.
I'm afraid that the Moriwaki and Pipemaster ones look just like I would have to make them, without the requisite metalworking skills to 'shape' the silencers. Just bolting four straight megaphones is not, for me, aesthetically right.
The Wyvern seems to be the best compromise between the Honda CB750 original, but in an affordable package.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and cost is a big consideration too, but my preferences are 1. Wyvern, 2. Pipemaster and 3. Moriwaki
I think Honda got the look absolutely correct with the original CB750 silencers - shaped to 'cling' to the 'bike, the lower one tucked in and under nicely and with the neat protector plate on the outside. They looked just perfect.
I'm afraid that the Moriwaki and Pipemaster ones look just like I would have to make them, without the requisite metalworking skills to 'shape' the silencers. Just bolting four straight megaphones is not, for me, aesthetically right.
The Wyvern seems to be the best compromise between the Honda CB750 original, but in an affordable package.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and cost is a big consideration too, but my preferences are 1. Wyvern, 2. Pipemaster and 3. Moriwaki
You maybe surprised, Bazbro, but I agree with you. I’ve always thought it a great pity that the 2010 CB1100 did not have a 4 into 4 system nodding to the original CB750. The Wyvern is as near as it gets, but there’s something visually not quite right about it. I’m not sure what it is.
Bazbro_imp
Road warrior
Ha! And I agree with you too, Cormanus! They're still not quite right!
The big pity is that Honda themselves have not done an "official" 50th Anniversary Edition of the CB1100, along the lines of the K17 Wyvern kit.
And I still think the lines of the CB1100 are far too anodyne and uninspiring. Too gentle and unadventurous - almost like a plastic toy. Don't get me wrong - the CB1100 is an attractive 'bike, but it should be and could be, so much MORE than it is.
But, as ever, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I'm standing by to be shot to pieces!
The big pity is that Honda themselves have not done an "official" 50th Anniversary Edition of the CB1100, along the lines of the K17 Wyvern kit.
And I still think the lines of the CB1100 are far too anodyne and uninspiring. Too gentle and unadventurous - almost like a plastic toy. Don't get me wrong - the CB1100 is an attractive 'bike, but it should be and could be, so much MORE than it is.
But, as ever, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I'm standing by to be shot to pieces!
baxtercat_imp
Running like a top
Baz, no shooting from me, but I think your observations raise interesting questions about the bike's esthetics. Seems to me there are at least two main factors to this: 1. what Honda's designers were attempting to do, and how well they accomplished it and 2. where our ideas of "right" come from. Most of us of a certain age I think had certain elements of the older bikes, and CBs specifically, "imprinted" onto our brains at an early age, such that our youthful bike lust combined with the look of the object of our lust to leave us with a permanent sense of "that's what a bike should look like." I was imprinted with the K look, people younger than me with the F or 80s or 90s designs. This is not to say that we can't appreciate older or newer designs, just that a certain look becomes a yardstick of evaluation for us. If you care about looks.
What about Honda and the CB11? Clearly they could have produced a more authentically retro bike, even something like a reproduction bike, if they chose to and they thought there was a market for it. The CB4 prototype came much closer in its details: solid rotors, gaitors, the breadloaf seat, matching paint on headlight shell and fork ears, the rounded tank, fender stays, 4 into 4 and even the header clamps with cooling fins all contribute to a more late 60s feel. Leaving these things off the CB11 and including other styling cues contributes to the more generalized, less period specific CB look we got. There are other, more historically ambiguous cues, like black paint on some of the engines or the filler cap or cast vs spoked wheels, and then outright gestures towards the contemporary, like the brushed aluminum chain guard or side covers or LCD display. The fact that each newer version of the CB11 plays around with adding and subtracting cues (tank shape, what parts are chrome, reservoir shocks etc) suggests the designers are not just freshening things up, but still seeking a new balance between retro and not-too-specific retro/contemporary, with perhaps different generational buyers being emphasized with the different iterations (and, more starkly, the decision to make an EX and RS version or all black version). Triumph and Kawasaki and anyone else making a "retro" bike is playing the same game, and it's interesting to see which details and combination of details each believes will deliver for their intended audience. But you are right to note that it is very fine details, like the precise bend of the original 4 into 4 or the finish of an aluminum engine case, that makes all the difference to a buyer of a certain age.
What about Honda and the CB11? Clearly they could have produced a more authentically retro bike, even something like a reproduction bike, if they chose to and they thought there was a market for it. The CB4 prototype came much closer in its details: solid rotors, gaitors, the breadloaf seat, matching paint on headlight shell and fork ears, the rounded tank, fender stays, 4 into 4 and even the header clamps with cooling fins all contribute to a more late 60s feel. Leaving these things off the CB11 and including other styling cues contributes to the more generalized, less period specific CB look we got. There are other, more historically ambiguous cues, like black paint on some of the engines or the filler cap or cast vs spoked wheels, and then outright gestures towards the contemporary, like the brushed aluminum chain guard or side covers or LCD display. The fact that each newer version of the CB11 plays around with adding and subtracting cues (tank shape, what parts are chrome, reservoir shocks etc) suggests the designers are not just freshening things up, but still seeking a new balance between retro and not-too-specific retro/contemporary, with perhaps different generational buyers being emphasized with the different iterations (and, more starkly, the decision to make an EX and RS version or all black version). Triumph and Kawasaki and anyone else making a "retro" bike is playing the same game, and it's interesting to see which details and combination of details each believes will deliver for their intended audience. But you are right to note that it is very fine details, like the precise bend of the original 4 into 4 or the finish of an aluminum engine case, that makes all the difference to a buyer of a certain age.
the Ferret
Road warrior
The bike above was actually designed to be a 750-900 and the prototype you see was the prototype shown at the 1999 Tokyo motorcycle show. It was actually dead on correct to the designers original drawing.
personally I would have preferred this design exactly as prototyped. No changes except maybe for color.
personally I would have preferred this design exactly as prototyped. No changes except maybe for color.
Bazbro_imp
Road warrior
You're absolutely spot-on with those observations, Bax! Particularly that Honda are still tinkering with the styling cues, as if they're unsure of the market and trying to get a better-selling 'bike. For me, the big draw of this CB is the sheer quality of manufacture - the styling I can handle myself, with my desire to reproduce my youthful love via the K17 kit!
But, at the end of the day, we like what we like, we buy for different reasons and the beauty of motorcycling is that we can normally get exactly (or near enough) the sort of motorcycle we want. The CB1100 lends itself to either remain attractively stock, or be custom'd in a whole variety of ways, each to our own likes.
But, at the end of the day, we like what we like, we buy for different reasons and the beauty of motorcycling is that we can normally get exactly (or near enough) the sort of motorcycle we want. The CB1100 lends itself to either remain attractively stock, or be custom'd in a whole variety of ways, each to our own likes.
GoldOxide_imp
Road warrior
I suppose that could have been Honda's 30th anniversary celebration model of the CB?The ferret_imp said:
Bazbro_imp
Road warrior
Now that is REALLY interesting, Ferret. It clearly shows that Honda were aiming for a 'retro', to compete with BMW's, Triumph's, Ducati's and that the CB1100 has since morphed into something far less controversial. Honda, worried about something that's a bit of a 'statement'? Or has Corporate Honda taken fright? Hard to believe, but there it is, illustrated in your photo.The ferret_imp said:
Thanks for that, Ferret - the first time I've seen the prototype.
the Ferret
Road warrior
DESIGNER CHAT
Unique vintage look with all the mod cons of a new bike
IT JUST HAD TO BE AN AIR COOLED ENGINE
Instant acceleration has its appeal, as does modern styling that conveys the swiftness of the bike. But there’s a lot more to the path of motorcycle evolution.
I found myself thinking along these lines for the first time when I returned to Japan after several years in Europe. It was also at this time that I grabbed a pencil and quickly sketched the drawing shown on this page.
Tires. Engine. Frame. Tank. Seat. I thought about how to craft all the necessary elements beautifully and combine them in a perfect whole.
A simple and efficient double cradle frame embraces the air-cooled inline-4 engine which secured Honda’s status as the 4-cylinder pioneer and the creator of the CB750 Four and the CB400 Four.
Building on this proud tradition, the approach to the new bike strives for beauty, craftsmanship, ease. In other words, I wanted to create a beautiful motorcycle with artisan-level handiwork that’s also approachable and easy to ride.
“Why are you giving that new engine air-cooling when you know its performance won’t be as good? You had better have a pretty convincing explanation!”
That’s the kind of thing people said when we began the development process. And I could understand that thinking. Going with an air-cooled engine was bound to seem “retro” to people at Honda, which had long favored liquid-cooled systems in the pursuit of maximal performance.
When asked to explain my choice, I could only say: “My only reason is that a lot of customers like air-cooled engines.”
I like the metallic sound the engine makes as it cools… A motorcycle’s engine should have oil in it, not water… Just looking at the cooling fins inspires me… There is something about an air-cooled engine—a feeling you simply can’t get from the liquid-cooled engine in a high-performance bike. To me, a bike rider and a bike fan, a future without air-cooled engines just didn’t seem right. And I was certain I wasn’t the only one who felt this way!
Based on my sketch, this “bike that defies logic and just demands to be ridden” became a reality: We displayed the CB Four concept model at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1999, and I was extremely thankful for the enthusiastic response it received there. In 2007, aiming to create a bike that fulfilled fans’ vision even more fully, we displayed a new concept model at the Tokyo Motor Show, the CB1100F. Eventually, this concept model became the production model known as the CB1100.
This is the sketch the designer drew after his return from Europe. Based on it, the CB Four concept model was born.
see sketch at bottom of this page
2012 Honda CB1100 Naked Review
Unique vintage look with all the mod cons of a new bike
IT JUST HAD TO BE AN AIR COOLED ENGINE
Instant acceleration has its appeal, as does modern styling that conveys the swiftness of the bike. But there’s a lot more to the path of motorcycle evolution.
I found myself thinking along these lines for the first time when I returned to Japan after several years in Europe. It was also at this time that I grabbed a pencil and quickly sketched the drawing shown on this page.
Tires. Engine. Frame. Tank. Seat. I thought about how to craft all the necessary elements beautifully and combine them in a perfect whole.
A simple and efficient double cradle frame embraces the air-cooled inline-4 engine which secured Honda’s status as the 4-cylinder pioneer and the creator of the CB750 Four and the CB400 Four.
Building on this proud tradition, the approach to the new bike strives for beauty, craftsmanship, ease. In other words, I wanted to create a beautiful motorcycle with artisan-level handiwork that’s also approachable and easy to ride.
“Why are you giving that new engine air-cooling when you know its performance won’t be as good? You had better have a pretty convincing explanation!”
That’s the kind of thing people said when we began the development process. And I could understand that thinking. Going with an air-cooled engine was bound to seem “retro” to people at Honda, which had long favored liquid-cooled systems in the pursuit of maximal performance.
When asked to explain my choice, I could only say: “My only reason is that a lot of customers like air-cooled engines.”
I like the metallic sound the engine makes as it cools… A motorcycle’s engine should have oil in it, not water… Just looking at the cooling fins inspires me… There is something about an air-cooled engine—a feeling you simply can’t get from the liquid-cooled engine in a high-performance bike. To me, a bike rider and a bike fan, a future without air-cooled engines just didn’t seem right. And I was certain I wasn’t the only one who felt this way!
Based on my sketch, this “bike that defies logic and just demands to be ridden” became a reality: We displayed the CB Four concept model at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1999, and I was extremely thankful for the enthusiastic response it received there. In 2007, aiming to create a bike that fulfilled fans’ vision even more fully, we displayed a new concept model at the Tokyo Motor Show, the CB1100F. Eventually, this concept model became the production model known as the CB1100.
This is the sketch the designer drew after his return from Europe. Based on it, the CB Four concept model was born.
see sketch at bottom of this page
2012 Honda CB1100 Naked Review
GoldOxide_imp
Road warrior
The drum brake-styled front discs are an interesting attempt of retro.
the Ferret
Road warrior
you have to remember when Honda made the prototype they were still producing the Nighthawk CB 750 an air cooled inline 4 with hydraulic valves, and would continue to produce that bike until 2003. Makes you wonder why they were messing with a new 750 prototype to begin with and explains why it morphed into an 1100 after the Nighthawk was discontinued.
baxtercat_imp
Running like a top
Kawasaki brought out the W650 for model year 1999, superceding the Zephyr. Maybe Honda were preparing themselves, if it proved to be a hit.The ferret_imp said:
the Ferret
Road warrior
it was four years after the demise of the Nighthawk 750, in 2007 that Honda showed the next prototype of the CB 1100 at Tokyo. In 2009 they showed another prototype which ended up being the finished product which went to Japan, Australia and New Zealand in 2010. It wouldn't go to the US until three years after that, in 2013.
iamheero_imp
Running like a top
2017EX, others who may be interested: My pipemaster 4-4 works with the center stand. Several people in this thread saying otherwise, but I have them both on my bike just fine...peterbaron_imp said:Wyvern =
I must have centre stand, so have to forget about the beauty&sound...at least for the time being
Also, I can confirm that they do discolor like the '14 pipes, single walled and all. I actually enjoy that about the headers but I can understand why some may not.
