R9-t vs. Griso vs. CB1100

[xNE0x_imp]

I took the time to watch the video and read the full review. I gotta say, are these guys high on coke?

The moto had absolutely no curb appeal to me whatsoever. And I thought the CB1100's exhaust can was hideous, what in the hell is that spiral 2 different size thing sticking out of the back of that? Yet they gave it a 90% appearance factor vs the honda's 70%? It looks like crap out of the 3. And what is a "grin" factor? Please elaborate?

I'm with another poster. They can have their paid to win review. They didn't even bother to mention any of the changes honda made to it's 2014 CB1100. It was clear it was a bias review. I'm still laughing at their reference to the honda being a good learner bike..

 

[Pterodactyl_imp]

I own the Griso and the CB. When I bought the CB I thought the over lap would be too great and would sell the Griso. No such luck. Apples and oranges. Maybe I should consider the BMW.... :angel:

So, get a Griso. GRiSO ghetto - all GRiSO, all the time... is the main forum for us Griso owners; with a remapping the bike runs better (for some, a LOT better; I saw fewer benefits). The main thing, have a guy tune the suspension for you since from the factory its' too harsh. After that, it's the usual; farkle it up to suit you, as needed (I went with lowered pegs and a seat, rear rack, bar set backs, bikini fairing and Stelvio hand guards). I think you'll find the Griso better suited to the open road and fast sweepers with a pounding locomotive motor. The CB, more of a town bike, tight twisty bits bike.

I've never ridden the BMW, but to compare the Griso to the CB does a disservice to both bikes. Too totally different markets and riders.

If you test ride a Griso, make sure it's a long ride. It's the sort of bike that grows on you (the seat is highly subjective, my bum does NOT like it, but others can ride all day on it)

Speaking of test rides, and I know that has been a topic of discussion in other threads, I quote Australian Road Rider magazine (Sep 2014):

QuoteEMO RIDES TOP LIST IN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
More demo rides equal more sales, says a study on the US motorcycle market

An American study of customer satisfaction has found that dealers are offering more demo test rides. The Pied Piper Satisfaction Index shows that US dealerships mention either immediate or future demo rides 52 per cent of the time, compared with only 36 per cent of the time three years ago. However there is much variation from brand to brand.
Dealers selling Ducati, Can-Am, Harley-Davidson and BMW mentioned demo rides to more than 60 per cent of their customers, while dealers selling Moto Guzzi, KTM, Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda mentioned demo rides to less than 30 per cent of their customers.
Consequently, American riders have have returned Ducati dealerships to the top of the industry rankings for customer satisfaction. Maybe they should call them desmo rides! ...........
And the article goes on to discuss, among other things, the situation with demo rides in Australia. I have to say that I found my Honda dealer (SCM Campbelltown) very obliging but get this, from the same article:

Quote:One of the most innovative demo ride programs in Australia was from Victory, which offered selected customers a weekend test ride, along with a free tank of fuel and an accommodation voucher. It sure beats the old ride-around the-block demo!
Getting back on topic; The CB is almost in a class of its own and I found the "comparo" confusing.

Cheers

 

[Cormanus]

The thing that struck me about the review was the tone of disappointment that the CB1100 wasn't more powerful. It was almost as if they wanted to give it the big tick but couldn't bring themselves to do it because the only thing that mattered was how much power it could generate.

There's an attitude in this article that can be summed up something like, "I really like the look and feel of the CB1100 but I'm really annoyed that it doesn't meet my requirement for power. But it's the bike I want and I'm going to grizzle about it not being made just for me."

It's part of the human condition to believe that we all know better than the original designers of almost anything. It's the only rational explanation for the roaring success of the farkling business. While it's clear that the blokes who wrote this review clearly haven't read the Honda writeup of its intentions for the bike and have limited comprehension of the notion that people may well buy bikes for different reasons, they glow with confidence that would have done it better if only they'd had the imagination and the opportunity to do it in the first place.

My late mother was a mine of pithy little sayings for every occasion. One of her favourites was "comparisons are odious". She'd have been on the money here.

 

[The Spaceman_imp]

The thing that struck me about the review was the tone of disappointment that the CB1100 wasn't more powerful. It was almost as if they wanted to give it the big tick but couldn't bring themselves to do it because the only thing that mattered was how much power it could generate.

There's an attitude in this article that can be summed up something like, "I really like the look and feel of the CB1100 but I'm really annoyed that it doesn't meet my requirement for power. But it's the bike I want and I'm going to grizzle about it not being made just for me."

It's part of the human condition to believe that we all know better than the original designers of almost anything. It's the only rational explanation for the roaring success of the farkling business. While it's clear that the blokes who wrote this review clearly haven't read the Honda writeup of its intentions for the bike and have limited comprehension of the notion that people may well buy bikes for different reasons, they glow with confidence that would have done it better if only they'd had the imagination and the opportunity to do it in the first place.

My late mother was a mine of pithy little sayings for every occasion. One of her favourites was "comparisons are odious". She'd have been on the money here.

"The Cormanus Theorem"

Followed by "The Spaceman Corollary:"
My modification X, Accessory Y, and Opinion Z are always applicable and appropriate for everyone else."

 

[Cormanus]

Tick.

 

[rboe]

Seems to me they should have used the Bonneville instead of the CB for the third bike. Another standard, a twin, European, retro....... It would have had its' clock cleaned by the other two bikes.....

In any event, they should have compared the three bikes, said if you are this sort of person and like these things then this bike is for you. If you like this, this and this; then this other bike is for you. Kinda like what the market does.

 

[Guth_imp]

The CB1100 is in a tough spot.

From a styling / use standpoint, it really matches up more with the likes of the Triumph Bonneville and the Moto Guzzi V7 series bikes (in some markets the Kawasaki W800 would apply as well). The retro standards if you will.

But from a displacement standpoint, I can see why it would included in this comparison with the R9T and the Griso, even though they aren't exactly retro standards. In the case of those bikes I'm sure that extra performance is nice if you're the type of rider that is actually going to put it to use.

I don't really take much issue with this comparison review. For some, I'm sure that the BMW or the Guzzi are better options. (And for others still, the Bonnie or V7 are going to come out on top for that matter.) For the things that matter to me, the CB1100 is right on the money.

 

[Papa Weeley_imp]

The CB1100 is in a tough spot.

From a styling / use standpoint, it really matches up more with the likes of the Triumph Bonneville and the Moto Guzzi V7 series bikes (in some markets the Kawasaki W800 would apply as well). The retro standards if you will.

But from a displacement standpoint, I can see why it would included in this comparison with the R9T and the Griso, even though they aren't exactly retro standards. In the case of those bikes I'm sure that extra performance is nice if you're the type of rider that is actually going to put it to use.

I don't really take much issue with this comparison review. For some, I'm sure that the BMW or the Guzzi are better options. (And for others still, the Bonnie or V7 are going to come out on top for that matter.) For the things that matter to me, the CB1100 is right on the money.

Get out of my head!

 

[gossman_imp]

Found the comparison interesting and I fully understand why the CB1100 came in last against those other two. HP means a lot to many riders, even CB riders. I can find plenty of posts here complaining about the dismal HP numbets it produces but to me it's a mute point. No matter what bike one picks, usually there is another that has more HP. My decision to purchase was based on several things, one was price point and two was reliability and ease of repair. I liked the Bonnie, been a fan for decades but ease of service didn't cut it. Price point was there but the availability wasn't. BMW would have been my choice but price wise out of my range. I liked the CB styling, ABS was important to me, ease of home repair was there, reliability is tops in their products, and I could afford it. It's not a BMW but to me the ride and fluid throttle allows me to feel "close enough". It's an adult motorcycle, perfect for guy's in their 50's to feel like they're alive without joining the masses on a cruiser. The more I ride it, the more I like it, that's what matters the most.

 

[pechorin75_imp]

Would I complain if the bike put out another 10 horsepower at the rear wheel? No. Do I really miss that power? Also no. Plus, there's something to be said for a lightly stressed engine.

The prevailing wisdom (outside this forum) seems to be that the bike is somehow slow or underpowered. The CB is carrying about 6.5 pounds of curb weight for every rear wheel horsepower...and brand-new, 0-60 in 3.8 second, most-powerful-ever base Corvette is carrying roughly 8. Nobody would ever think of calling a street car with the same power/weight ratio as the CB "underpowered."

Okay, sure, adding a 175 lb rider/driver skews the power/weight ratio for a bike in a way it doesn't for a car...but still, even in this day and age it takes a fairly exotic car to do a sub-12 quarter mile.

 

[nhawk7504_imp]

I met a guy with a Griso and they liked it ok but they were drooling over a person's bike next to them that handled much better. They had some dislikes about it after owning it for a while. Fie first time I rode the 1100 I took it for an extra spin thru some twisties before heading back to the dealer. Having ridden so many other bikes I was having a blast on the 11.

 

[gary_imp]

I am bias, of course I am. I am godsmacked that any motorcycle "enthusiast" sees the R9t or the Griso alongside the CB and says that the CB is not the more attractive bike. However, my opinion matters little to anyone else but me.

 

[rboe]

My 2012 8V SE.

 

[Randy B]

That is a sharp looking bike. I'm not a big fan of green, but that combo really works.

 

[rboe]

And fresh from the dealer.
The bike never grabbed me until they came out with the green bike and warm brown seat. Ufdah, that was a eye grabber.
Other green bikes have grabbed my eye since; e.g. the Sunbeam S7. Kinda of a lima bean green, not all that great looking color but boy does it click on that bike.

 

[rboe]

I gotta find out how you do that.

 

[Cormanus]

This ...?

 

[Capo]

I had that very same Tenni Green Griso with the brown seat. Beautiful, lusty bike. Flaming (literally) POS however. I understand the Guzzi 'character' thing but mine was a total lemon, dealer service and parts availability was a joke, and it was traded in, happily (yet, at the same time, sadly) , on the CB1100.

 

[rboe]

I've had good luck with parts availability and the ghetto boys have been great on making new maps for her. Not that I had any issues with the mapping. And a couple good dealers near by. But the brand can drive you nuts, especially if you don't have a good dealer close by. And lemons are a total turn off. Sorry you had a bad experience. The CB should be an excellent follow up bike. There are times when mine drives me crazy (seat for example) but I keep coming back to her.
Yes, the full sized picture. Have not noodled that out yet.

 

[Cormanus]

Open the attachment and you'll see the URL at the top of the browser. In this case, CB1100 Forum.

Us the "New Reply" function and, in the line immediately above where you type, there's an icon with a couple of mountain peaks. Click that and paste the URL into it. Press OK, then post and it's done.

If you edit the post, you'll see the URL contained between what are called HTML tags. In the case of images, it's . So if you can bothered you can type it all out yourself.

Hope that makes sense.