2013 Honda CB1100

[dirtdreamer50]

Originally Posted by Mambo Dave

A buddy at work that I showed the new CB1100 to was impressed, but countered with the Tiger 800 ... which I admit is a real nice looking all-'rounder.

Gosh, I'm torn now.

I promised myself that if they ever came out with a good UJM (of which the ergos on this CB need to be felt and seen)... I'd get one as it would be a keeper for life. And with as many good paved roads as exist in the USA... it sure wouldn't hurt much if that bike was just meant for pavement like the CB1100 seems to be (with that 18" front wheel that no-one seems to make a traction-y front tire for).

But if the Tiger 800 has the ergonomics of the old UJM's... then wouldn't it win by default? I mean, seriously, it's about the ergos and all-day, multi-day ride-ability here, isn't it?

The dealer where I got the Duke, has an '11 Tiger 800XC with the tall windshield and Triumph hard bags for a negotiable $9999. I considered it, but as I have the RT, the Tiger would be kinda redundant. Check the cycle ergos site to see how the 800 fits you. May be an additional easy deciding factor, for you.

[RedRocket]

Originally Posted by Mambo Dave

A buddy at work that I showed the new CB1100 to was impressed, but countered with the Tiger 800 ... which I admit is a real nice looking all-'rounder.


But if the Tiger 800 has the ergonomics of the old UJM's... then wouldn't it win by default? I mean, seriously, it's about the ergos and all-day, multi-day ride-ability here, isn't it?

No, most people buy the bike that turns them on while looking at it.

[straightrod]

^ I agree with that, but something in me wants to know why all those DL650's sold.

[mtwillyman]

Originally Posted by straightrod

^ I agree with that, but something in me wants to know why all those DL650's sold.

I bought mine cause I'm cheap. I got tired of the time my BMW's were in the shop for warranty work. The wee strom is like a toyota camry. It does most things well, and it starts everytime. I still miss my GS though..........The wee strom did not turn me on ever while looking at it. It is my practcal bike. YMMV.

[Starkmojo]

Originally Posted by straightrod

^ I agree with that, but something in me wants to know why all those DL650's sold.

Cause there are some sick effing bastards out there...

[Gregster]

Originally Posted by ZappBranigan

Yeah, I don't buy new. If you look at the depreciation chart on a new motorcycle, it resembles one of those vertical cliffs in the old Roadrunner cartoons - straight down. So I won't be buying anything new, ever again most likely (the "newest" bike I ever bought was my current 08 Scrambler, which was a dealer service loaner and demo bike with 1275 miles on the clock when I bought her - with a full factory warranty and with the 600 mile service having been done by the dealer.)

The rub for UJM lovers like me is this: Do I spend upwards of $8k (even at a discount) for this one? Or do I drop $1000 on that sweet 1982 CB900C I saw on CL last week? Even if you assume I have to dump another $1500 into getting it road worthy (and it's rideable now, according to the seller) that gives me the classic UJM I love at a fraction of the price of a new one. And anyone who's scanned CL knows that there are thousands of bikes just like that: CB900s, DOHC CB750's, GS850's, GS1100's, KZ1000's, XJ1100's, etc, that can be gotten cheap. Not quite as reliable as a brand new bike with a warranty, but at less than 1/5th the cost, what price reliability?

You ever had an older CB? Well I had an '82 CB900F a few years back and enjoyed the heck out of it. It was a wonderful bike with lots of character and I even took it on a 2000 mile road trip which was a testament to the trust I placed in its reliability. However, it was an old bike and Honda quit making parts for it long ago. You have to be resourcefull and lucky when you need parts and eBay becomes your friend. The other thing that dissapointed me about the bike was the pathetic stator output - there is no way to generate any extra power to run so much as a phone charger let alone heated grips or heated gear. So the experience of owning an older CB is typical of owning any classic or antique bike, you have to be dedicated, resourceful, patient, and accept the limitations, but the reward is that you get to ride a cool old bike.
Now if you want the experience of a modern Honda where reliability, comfort, handling, and piece of mind are part of the deal, then forget the old CBs and man-up with your wallet for a new one. I would absolutely love one of the new ones myself but I'm dreaming about an "adventure" bike instead.

[Guth]

More reviews starting to trickle out:

[mrbreeze]

Originally Posted by Mambo Dave

A buddy at work that I showed the new CB1100 to was impressed, but countered with the Tiger 800 ... which I admit is a real nice looking all-'rounder.

Gosh, I'm torn now.

I promised myself that if they ever came out with a good UJM (of which the ergos on this CB need to be felt and seen)... I'd get one as it would be a keeper for life. And with as many good paved roads as exist in the USA... it sure wouldn't hurt much if that bike was just meant for pavement like the CB1100 seems to be (with that 18" front wheel that no-one seems to make a traction-y front tire for).

But if the Tiger 800 has the ergonomics of the old UJM's... then wouldn't it win by default? I mean, seriously, it's about the ergos and all-day, multi-day ride-ability here, isn't it?

I was really excited about the Triumph 800. I went to see it as soon as the Triumph dealer got it on the floor. I was disappointed. It just didn't fit me very well. The first time I threw a leg over it, I busted my shin on the passenger grab handle. I have been back and looked at it a few time since. On paper it is exactly what I want. In reality, it isn't.

[NJ-Brett]

A modern vintage looking bike is the best of both worlds.
I have had plenty of both old and new, and it IS great to be able to just hop on and ride a modern classic.
Just decide today is a good day to ride cross country and go.

With some old bikes, after 3 days of all day riding, the bike needed quite a bit of work.
With the new ones, that turns into months or years.

Everyone should own a real vintage bike at some point, and learn to work on it, if only to realize how nice the modern stuff can be.

Originally Posted by The other Ferret

The pitfalls with a true classic bike can be many..how it was maintained? At the least you need oil, oil filter, air filter, battery, couple of tires, probably a set of sprockets and chain, probably fork seals, fork oil change, all new fuses, new bulbs, points and condensers if it had them, possibly all new cables and hydraulic hoses, buggered up screw and bolt heads and you are still dealing with 30 to 40 year old electrical wiring and connections, Thats if it doesn't have much rust, its not presently leaking oil, and the carbs are in decent shape. ( can you tell Ive been there? lol)Don't get me wrong owning a classic is immensely pleasurable if you are the mechanical type and don't really plan on going anywhere.

A true classic is not a bike you check the oil and chain tension and then jump on and take off on a 2000 mile round trip without spares and a back up plan. Personally I love the idea of modern classics like the Triumph Bonnevilles, the Moto Guzzi classics and the Honda CB 1100, bikes you can check oil level and chain tension, hop on and take off for anywhere pretty secure in the knowledge that its going to bring you back home again without any drama. I don't like drama on my motorcycle rides. I like going and coming home again drama free.

[Mobiker]

Originally Posted by Guth

More reviews starting to trickle out:

You know, most of the adjectives he uses are the same ones I used after test riding a Triumph T100 a year or so ago. I think the CB is going to be a very attractive bike in a lot of ways. Hope Honda sells a bucketfull.

[ZappBranigan]

Originally Posted by Gregster

You ever had an older CB? Well I had an '82 CB900F a few years back and enjoyed the heck out of it. It was a wonderful bike with lots of character and I even took it on a 2000 mile road trip which was a testament to the trust I placed in its reliability. However, it was an old bike and Honda quit making parts for it long ago. You have to be resourcefull and lucky when you need parts and eBay becomes your friend. The other thing that dissapointed me about the bike was the pathetic stator output - there is no way to generate any extra power to run so much as a phone charger let alone heated grips or heated gear. So the experience of owning an older CB is typical of owning any classic or antique bike, you have to be dedicated, resourceful, patient, and accept the limitations, but the reward is that you get to ride a cool old bike.

An old CB? Not in a while but in 2007 I bought a 1982 Kawasaki Spectre 750 off of CL for $800. Great running bike and it had obviously not been stored indoors for most of its 25 years of life. It did have an intermittent electrical issue that I would have fixed had I not gotten the Scrambler in January of 09 but I never had any issue getting parts that I needed. I guess I was fortunate that there are a couple of shops nearby that specialize in older Japanese bikes.

In addition, living in a dry part of the country (CO) even bikes that are stored outside for decades are usually in pretty decent condition - I understand that not every part of the country is that lucky.

It pissed me off a little that the 25 year old UJM I bought had full instrumentation (to include a fuel gauge!), a factory center stand, shaft drive, cast wheels and a seat that locked with a key and flipped up for access to the battery, whereas the "new" Triumph that I paid $7k for had none of those things. Made me realize how much we've regressed in terms of everything except EFI and brakes. Oh, except that the Spectre had a double-disc up front where the Scrambler had a single.

And yes, I get that the Scrambler is a "retro" bike (hence the wire wheels and the chain drive) but still, the stupid seat attachment, lack of a factory center stand and lack of full instrumentation is inexcusable IMO. (Note that Triumph has fixed the instrumentation on the newer Scramblers but you still have to pay an extra $200+ for the center-stand that ALL Japanese bikes used to come with.)

EDITED TO ADD: How could I forget the tool kit? Yes, kids, motorcycles used to come with took kits. : No, they weren't fancy, they were good enough for most routine maintenance duties.

[RaY YreKa]

Originally Posted by mrbreeze

I was really excited about the Triumph 800. I went to see it as soon as the Triumph dealer got it on the floor. I was disappointed. It just didn't fit me very well. The first time I threw a leg over it, I busted my shin on the passenger grab handle. I have been back and looked at it a few time since. On paper it is exactly what I want. In reality, it isn't.

Everyone busts their shin or knee on the grab-rails.

TADT.

[Mambo Dave]

Gosh... that MCN video was sure nice.

Thanks for all the follow-ups on the Tiger as well. It helps to put it all into perspective.

I await more to hear just why he described it as geared more for beginners. One other thing I'm sure we're all careful of after decades of being poorly done - those front forks were using up a good bit of their travel while that rider seemed to be on a regular ride. Please tell me the CB1100 won't require me, at 180 pounds, to have to put stiffer fork springs in it from the get-go.

[Scoobynut]

Originally Posted by Mambo Dave

I await more to hear just why he described it as geared more for beginners. One other thing I'm sure we're all careful of after decades of being poorly done - those front forks were using up a good bit of their travel while that rider seemed to be on a regular ride. Please tell me the CB1100 won't require me, at 180 pounds, to have to put stiffer fork springs in it from the get-go.

I think in typical British fashion, he's equating ease of use with novice-friendly; I don't think it was necessarily a negative in that context. I also noticed the fork absorbing bumps -- we really have no idea how big the bumps were -- but it didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary, or that the forks were using up a good bit of their travel, at least to me.

[The other Ferret]

Wow...just heard that Kevin Ash who did the report in post # 944 was killed in a motorcycle wreck at a BMW new model launch in S Africa

RIP Mr Ash