thinking of a cb1100 - opinions from bonnie owners?

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kev_b81_imp

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I currently have a bonnie (mag wheels, D&D exhaust, gel seat, and a bunch of odds and ends). I am thinking of getting a CB and had a few questions.

1. For those who had both, what are your general thoughts between the two? Anything you regret, wish you knew, etc?
2. I am looking for a bit more 2 up riding for short weekend trips (couple of hundred miles). Will this bike handle it well?
3. How hard are valve checks etc? I've done my own maint. on a number of bikes - I thought my Kawi 250 was pretty easy to work on. My Guzzi California, was alot more annoying to wrench on.

Thanks!
 
Hi Kevin. I'm in north jersey, where are you?
I previously owned a Bonnie. I don't think I'd consider the CB if I still had the Bonnie.
I think the two bikes are very similar in reliability and what they are good at, and the CB will not be all that more suitable for two-up riding. If it's two-up for an afternoon ride, maybe. For longer rides like a tour, and you need to take along some luggage, then no.

Sorry I can't address the valve check.

BTW, if you are looking for a bike to tour on, I'll have a NT700V for sale very shortly. Only has about 1300 miles.
 
kev_b81_imp said:
I currently have a bonnie (mag wheels, D&D exhaust, gel seat, and a bunch of odds and ends). I am thinking of getting a CB and had a few questions.

1. For those who had both, what are your general thoughts between the two? Anything you regret, wish you knew, etc?
2. I am looking for a bit more 2 up riding for short weekend trips (couple of hundred miles). Will this bike handle it well?
3. How hard are valve checks etc? I've done my own maint. on a number of bikes - I thought my Kawi 250 was pretty easy to work on. My Guzzi California, was alot more annoying to wrench on.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Valve adjustment on the CB requires camshaft removal and uses shims to adjust valves.
 
Thread starter
Thanks. I live in Jersey City. What about you?

Why do you say that you wouldn't consider the CB if you still had the bonnie? Was it very comparable?

How much are you selling the NT700 for?
 
Hi kev. My take is a little different. I used to own an '07 Bonnie and it was a fine motorcycle. But the Bonnie didn't come near to having the power/low-end torque that the CB has. I loved the look of the Bonnie and for putting around, it was fine. Truth is, I found it a bit boring. No offense to all you Bonnie owners out there! I feel that the CB does everything the Bonnie does, only better. However, I agree that in terms of long distance touring, both the Bonnie and the CB are less than ideal. On short rides under 100 miles, my wife is fine on the back. Longer than that and she's very uncomfortable - both her back and knees begin to hurt. And, as Classic mentioned, having a passenger and luggage would prove challenging. Not necessarily impossible, but challenging. Good luck to you!
 
Also a previous Bonnie owner here. Bonnie was a fine motorcycle and I put 20,000 mostly trouble free miles on mine. Never had a valve go out of spec. BTW the valve systems on the Bonnie and the CB are exactly the same shim over bucket. Can be easily checked but difficult to change. The Bonnie was low on power, low on brakes and had a horrible seat, had way less range, and weird size handlebars. For me the CB was a huge step up 85 HP vs 58 HP, more torque on the CB, awesome double disc front brakes and while the seat is mediocre it is miles ahead of the Bonnie seat which was truly a vinyl covered board. Speaking of seats, the CB's is so much easier to remove no tools needed. I think the Bonnie was easier to work on, I think the CB needs to be worked on less often. As far as two up touring, neither is up to snuff unless you are 20 something hard bodies that weigh less than 130 pounds each. For solo touring either will be fine, although with a larger motor and another gear in the transmission on a 14 model and more range from the larger tank, I think the CB is better equipped for solo touring. If you are out touring and do need help, Honda dealers are everywhere and Triumph dealers are pretty scarce. Both bikes draw about the same amount of attention from bystanders. The Cb comes with a centerstand from the factory, an option on the Bonnie.

Liked my Bonnie a lot, seriously, (sold it to my younger brother who I ride with every week so it's still in the family) but I love my CB.
 
Hey, Kev, I'm down in Sea Girt, come visit! I have both a Bonnie and a CB1100, and the CB is a better bike in most every measurable way than the Triumph. That being said, measurability isn't at the top of my motorbike criteria, and I don't love the CB any more than I do the Bonnie. And depending on the day, ride, or mood, I may prefer the Bonneville. Bot are great, straightforward retro moderns.

As for it being a significant upgrade from the Bonnie, knowing the NJ/NY roads you are likely to be touring, I don't think it will be the ticket for your two- up needs. Yes, it's more powerful and creamy. But If you can swing keeping the Bonnie and getting something more two- up tour oriented, that would be ideal. A Tiger 800 ( also in my fleet) is just about ideal for our area, and while it might not float your boat emotionally, it, or a bike like it, will give you a lot of happiness and utility.

As for the wrenching part, it's a Honda, so you'll not need to worry too much. But an inline 4 is a bit more complex than the simple Triumph vertical twin.
 
Should also mention, the CB is taller (an inch or so taller seat height) wider and heavier (approx 30 pounds for the std , 60 pounds for the dlx) than the Bonnie T100.
 
I had a Bonneville T100 a very nice bike, but, no ABS. Two times I had cars make left turns in front of me and came very close but didn't go down. That's when I decided I wanted a fourteen DLX with ABS, and I feel much more comfortable with that added safety factor. Also a big plus getting 4 cylinders instead of two. A fine bike. Topstroke
 
Keep the Bonnie, you will regret selling it, these 2 bikes are different enough to completely justify owning both!!
I love both my Scrambler and CB, with a few simple upgrades the Triumph has plenty of power IMHO, just work harder and find a way to keep both, yolo
 
I had a 2013 Bonnie T-100, beautiful bike. I put 5000 miles on mine in just the one summer. Longed for a touring bike so traded in the old girl. Then ended up missing a standard type bike so that's what led me to the CB1100. Larger bike, i'd say a little better fit and finish, but not as completely retro as the Bonnie. Every bike has a different soul, there will always be things I miss about that Bonneville, then again there are things I miss about every bike i've ever owned.
 
As a present owner of both a '13 CB and a '12 mag-wheel Bonnie, I figured I'd weigh in:
I love my Bonneville, but the CB looks and feels superior, and has much more power than the difference in sticker price and specs would reflect.
The Bonnie has "soul", but the CB feels like it's been sculpted from a solid block of metal. The finish of everything on the CB is jewel-like and perfect. The Triumph feels more like a '70s British twin or UJM twin to me, with all that that implies.
There isn't all that much difference in weight, but the CB feels 100+ lbs. heavier to me, and it also feels like it's carrying it a lot higher - i.e., a much higher center of gravity. It's not felt as much when moving, but at slow speeds it can be very dicey to manuever.
Both handle quite well at speed, though. The Bonnie is just a lot more "flickable", however.
The Bonnie is a bike you just get on and ride without a second thought. It's as easy and comfortable as your favorite old pair of Levis. The CB feels a lot more solid, and the ride is MUCH more comfortable - I mean, like a day and night difference - but again, I notice the weight a lot, and am more "aware" of what I'm doing, and everything to do with my riding experience.
For two-up riding...I know a lot of people do it, but I can't even imagine it on the Bonnie. It just doesn't seem like the bike for it. With the CB I wouldn't even give a second thought to it. It's roomier, has a lot more power, and just seems better suited to the task. It wouldn't take much to make it a nice day-tourer, in my opinion.
Neither of these bikes are powerhouses, mind you, but the CB feels like it has at least 50% more (and I've done a fair share of performance mods to my Bonneville).
For two retro/vintage-ish models in what is often considered the same class, they couldn't be much more different.
To me (and the reason I still have both), they are two very different bikes for two very different moods and kinds of riding. Both great bikes. Just different.
 
I haven't noticed a huge difference in power between the 2 bikes quite honestly, but the CB isn't even broken in yet, so maybe it will improve.
 
I'm sure your right, just seat of the pants doesn't feel night and day or 50% more power as some feel, I'm happy with the power of both, with the Arrow exhaust and some other mods I think I have my Scrambler down to 470, vs. 540 for the CB
All I'm saying is it would be hard for me to pick 1 over the other but that's me, happy to own both :)
 
I've ridden two Bonnies. The first, a T100, no character (perhaps you'd call it souls) and not flickable. The second was not a T100, it was their base model with after market pipes. Much more character and more flickable. That one "could" in theory, replace the CB1100, but I think not.

But hey, still a good bike and it has plenty of happy riders so who cares. :)
 
There are things that are measurable, like horsepower, torque, weight, seat height, fuel capacity, wheelbase, mechanical action of clutches, transmissions, braking distances, acceleration rates, how switches funtion, etc and there are things that are not measurable, how a bike looks, or makes exhaust sounds, or vibrates , whether one has character or soul, how much latent desire one has for a given marque or engine design, how one feels when riding a particular motorcycle.

A lot of people make purchases based on the measurable, and some buy them based on the immeasurable. neither way is necessarily "right", it's only right for the individual buying.
 
One thing I can no longer do is own an ugly motorcycle, but basically I think you are saying, go with your head or go with your heart!!!
 
I've had three injected Bonnies, a T100 and 2 alloy wheeled ones. I loved them all, very retro and quick and agile enough for today's roads without the oil leaks.
Then in 2013 I had a CB1100 which was a little less retro but pulled the right strings for me mainly because of the extra power and the very full engine area when looked at in profile. I loved this bike marginally more than the Bonnies but felt it lacked the 6th gear for motorways (highways) and wire wheels.
This was dealt with by the CB1100EX in 2014 and I knew straight away I had to have one. I had only just got a new Fat Bob at the time but after 6 months I had to get the CB1100EX so the Fat Bob went.
Comparing the Bonnie to the CB basically I find the CB heavier to handle than the Bonnie but it is a price worth paying because everything else is in a different league as well as the overall build quality.
There is nothing better than a ride on my CB on a sunny day along a good road.
 
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