What makes you prefer the 2014 DLX over the STD?

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postoak_imp

Been there
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Is it the red color or the ABS or the silver engine?

I just went to cycletrader and dealers have 168 new 2014 STDs for sale and of course 0 Deluxes. Prices are as low as $5968 (with, of course, the various fees to be added).

OTOH, a lightly used Deluxe, if you can find one nearby is about $8500.

Would it be a crazy idea to buy a STD and have it repainted, if the ABS is of no concern to you?
 
With the leftover 14 being that cheap, you could make it whatever you want and still be ahead in cost.


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That's what I was thinking. I could have the engine pulled and vapor blast off the black paint, and have the bike painted red, re-decaled and put some of the White House parts I like on the bike and still be below $8500 -- and have a new bike instead of a used Deluxe.
 
postoak_imp said:
Is it the red color or the ABS or the silver engine?

I just went to cycletrader and dealers have 168 new 2014 STDs for sale and of course 0 Deluxes. Prices are as low as $5968 (with, of course, the various fees to be added).

OTOH, a lightly used Deluxe, if you can find one nearby is about $8500.

Would it be a crazy idea to buy a STD and have it repainted, if the ABS is of no concern to you?
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The DLX invokes passion from a bygone era. Everything about it screams vintage. Just look at how much more retro the side covers look. The all black looks like it is trying too hard to be modern. Honda messed up by making way too many. I am sure someone has an example but I am not aware of any 70's bike that was factory blacked out. $6000 OTD though is crazy tempting.
 
DLX has

ABS standard
.7 gallon larger fuel tank
Taller patterned seat
Taller handlebars
4 into 2 pipes
Double walled chrome waterfall head pipes
Polished brake and master cylinder covers
Chrome bar ends
Polished passenger grab rail
Polished top triple tree
Metal counter shaft sprocket cover
Color matched side covers
Smaller turn signals ( I believe)
Repositioned head light
Silver engine
Silver wheels

Both bikes have the revised (different from 2013 models) instrumentation, with trip computer and fuel computer and 6 speed transmissions.
 
Ferret provided the granular breakdown of all the differences but the most substantive ones you covered in your original post with the exception of larger gas tank capacity. The ABS, silver and chrome accents vs blacked out treatment (engine and wheels), and added range via larger tank appear to have been the primary draws to that model.

With the benefit of hindsight, I'd say the Honda product mix and production folks got it all wrong (sending too many STDs and not enough DLXs). The relative success of the DLX version in the USA actually makes sense given the demographics the CB1100 appealed to here. The DLX was clearly more "true" to the late 60s early 70s UJM look and my casual observation is that a lot more of the DLX buyers tend to (A) have more silver on their heads to match their more silver and chrome rides (B) tend to leave the bike more stock, at least with regard to purely aesthetic mods. I don't actually know how many DLXs were sent here vs STDs so perhaps I'm totally off base and the DLXs sold at similar rates (absolute numbers) but there was just a very limited supply?

The blacked out STDs appear to appeal more to a youthful demographic who have done more mods in the cafe flavor. Perhaps a similar type of buyer to those who like the blacked out Bonnie's or might look at a Thruxton (yes I know it's not nearly as good of a comp given seating position and ergos).

I'm glad the two models exist because I love seeing lots of chrome and vintage details like the CBs with the Whitehouse K10 kit that full on nail that look (esp when equipped with 4:4 exhausts) but also the more modern take and cafe bent to the STDs I'm seeing. Love the different looks for different reasons.

But in either case, you're getting a ridiculously well thought out and meticulously manufactured bike and at $6k, stealing it from Honda. Same amazing build quality eye to detail. Same reliability and same air cooled motor.




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Ferret - thanks for that complete list. I had forgotten about the wheels. I'd have to have the paint removed from them also. Except for the taller seat, none of the other things mean much to me. I don't tour, so even the larger tank, while nice, wouldn't be of much value.

Now that I think about it, since I don't need the 6 speed or ABS, or twin pipes, a lightly used 2013 could be a good alternative. Then I'd just need to have the engine pulled and blasted, and the side covers painted.
 
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Houtman_imp said:
I would take the DLX anytime over the standard.
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So would most of us, but the point is you can only occasionally find a used one for sale and they're about $2500-$3000 more than a new STD.

Oh, and you'll probably have to pay another $600 to have it shipped to you.
 
For me, it's the dual exhaust, silver engine and silver wheels of the DLX. I had a deposit on a '13 but once I saw it, the black components were a non-starter. I could live with the 4 into 1 but the black engine and wheels were disappointing.

That said, $8500 for a DLX is unrealistic. They're $7000 around here, if that, and only going lower. I think they'll be $5000 in a year from now.
 
Thread starter
Are 4 into 1, 4 into 2, and 4 into 4 just different in aesthetics? I'm perfectly okay with any of them, looks-wise.
 
postoak_imp said:
Are 4 into 1, 4 into 2, and 4 into 4 just different in aesthetics? I'm perfectly okay with any of them, looks-wise.
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4:1 is actually lighter than the 4:2 from the factory. Per Honda there is no additional power from the 4:2, but I personally prefer the symmetry and sound of the 4:2 vs 4:1.


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I prefer the 4:1 for the sole purpose that I don't have a hot muffler in the way when doing the chain service. I like to clean the chain, take it for a spirited 5 minute ride and lube it when I get back, wash up and when I get back to the bike the lube has set. Also if on a big tour at the end of an 8 hour ride day I can lune the chain before dinner, come out and the lube has set then be off to the hotel or campsite, much easier without a hot chain in the way. If I had a 2017 it is totally something I could adapt and learn to live with, just highlighting a benefit of the 4:1.
 
postoak_imp said:
Is it the red color or the ABS or the silver engine?

I just went to cycletrader and dealers have 168 new 2014 STDs for sale and of course 0 Deluxes. Prices are as low as $5968 (with, of course, the various fees to be added).

OTOH, a lightly used Deluxe, if you can find one nearby is about $8500.

Would it be a crazy idea to buy a STD and have it repainted, if the ABS is of no concern to you?
Click to expand...
postoak,

For me it was the overall flow and balanced design of the DLX that really caught my eye. My first viewing was at a motorcycle show 3 1/2 years ago, where I spied the bike for the first time from the front: dual gauge cluster, dual horns, dual rotors, dual mirrors, dual fluid reservoirs on the handle bars, dual rear suspension springs, dual exhaust! Everything just looked "right," balanced and relaxed from front to back, and it was love at first sight! The red, black, and chrome color scheme was frosting on the cake!

When I happened by chance to go to our local Honda dealer one day some 3 months later, I discovered a brand new, just-out-of-the-crate 2014 DLX that had been sitting outside on the sidewalk for only 15 minutes before I arrived. I asked about it and was told that it had been ordered for a guy who insisted on getting a crated bike but had not yet taken delivery.

I then asked if the other customer was going to complete the purchase. They called the guy right then and there, and they said that he told them his wife put her foot down and said "No!" They asked if he wanted to perhaps buy more time with his wife by putting down a deposit to hold it for later, and he said "No, cannot do it."

So then I told them that I would buy the bike, and I walked right into the finance department and paid for the bike in full right on the spot! Best impulse buy I've ever made, and I keep pinching myself even three years later that I got so lucky! And yes, each and every time I get off the bike, I give it another longing glance before walking away. The bike rides as balanced as it looks! It flows and goes in a relaxed, refined, easy manner all around. Even my son, who has a 2010 Aprilia Tuono, says that he enjoys my Honda for everyday riding far more than his far sportier bike!

BTW, I did take the bike out to the track for one day, and it was a blast! Yet now that I've done that once, I don't feel a need to do it again. The bike held it's own pretty well, but the 3-cyl bikes in the 600 - 800 cc range were far more able to make use of their top-end horsepower to great effect compared with all the other 1-liter+ bikes like my CB1100.

Sorry for my rambling response, but it's hard to squelch my passion and excitement for this excellent piece of engineered fun! Best wishes for success and good fortune in getting a hold of whatever turns your crank!

fritz
 
EmptySea_imp said:
I don't. ;)
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For a second, I thought someone had clicked the "Post Thought" button on my mind, lol.

MTC, I'm afraid that you've simply set the "purchased a new CB1100" bar too high for anyone else to top in my book.

In all honesty, I'm sure that I'd greatly enjoy the DLX, it simply wouldn't be my preference.


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