Anybody own a Honda CB1100.........if so what do you think of it?

pricedo

pricedo

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Does anybody own one of the new air/oil cooled Honda CB1100 motorcycles?
If so, what do you think of it? :confused:
It has an in line 4 cyclinder engine that puts out about 88 hp at lower RPM and has a 6 speed gear box.
It is a back to the future extrapolation of the old CB 750 bikes of the 70s.
I've heard one criticism of excess heating and a "cooked foot" after long rides.
The 2013 model had a 5 speed gear box and the 2014 version has a 6 speed gear box.

I'd love to hear opinions from anyone who currently owns one of these bikes.
 
CafeRay said:
It weighs 540lbs, over 50 lbs more than a CB750. I think sales of these bikes were pretty low.
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One gives 2cc/lbs. the other 1.5cc/lbs. Neither are svelte.
 
I was interested in the CB1100 but I talked to a few dealers and apparently they only imported 50 bikes in Canada in 2013. They still had a hard time moving the bikes out of the show room. I don't think many dealers stocked the 2014 model as well. The main reason for this? Probably price. It's a very expensive bike.
 
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Heavy, expensive, unremarkable, mediocre power...it was aimed at nostalgic 50+ yr Olds with money, much like the various retro muscle cars.
 
CafeRay said:
Heavy, expensive, unremarkable, mediocre power...it was aimed at nostalgic 50+ yr Olds with money, much like the various retro muscle cars.
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Pretty much describes all retro bikes. Only positive is they tend to be easy to work on and serve well for a country bimble.
 
Had Honda seen fit to price it in Canada as they did in the U|SA ($9999.00) they'd have sold like hotcakes. I love the bike.....but it's almost as pricey as a Ducati Hyperstrada.
 
Was told by a knowledgeable bike buddy that if I wanted to spend $14K on a CB category bike I'd be much better off with a CB1000R.
Much more power, liquid cooled, lighter.
Trouble with the over 10:1 compression ratio high performance bikes is the requirement for expensive high test gas.
Things were simpler back in the day (70s) when the obvious choices in "rice burners" were the CB750 for the adventuresome or the KZ900 for those who really liked knocking on heavens door.
I'm fast developing the strong conviction that both the CB750 and KZ900 were apparently much more bike per pound and dollar than those made today which are essentially big, heavy, expensive and gutless.
No wonder I quit riding 30 years ago.
Riding my lawn mower tractor is more thrilling than jockeying the emissions detuned "lead chariots" they are now calling motorcycles.
Rant off.
 
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pricedo said:
Things were simpler back in the day (70s) when the obvious choices in "rice burners" were the CB750 for the adventuresome or the KZ900 for those who really liked knocking on heavens door.
I'm fast developing the strong conviction that both the CB750 and KZ900 were apparently much more bike per pound and dollar than those made today which are essentially big, heavy, expensive and gutless.
No wonder I quit riding 30 years ago.
Riding my lawn mower tractor is more thrilling than jockeying the emissions detuned "lead chariots" they are now calling motorcycles.
Rant off.
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???? I rode CB 750 and Z1B for over a decade, both with all the frame stiffening mods of the day, in retrospect they were bad motorcycles compared to what's available today. No comparison. Lead chariots today? We're not talking cruisers here are we?
 
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The cruisers are dogs.
I want an inline 4 cylinder bike for my next ride.
I'm taking a serious look at the CB1000R.
The 70s were great but those years are gone like my trim waistline & hair.
Sat on a CB1000R at the Milton dealership that was right beside the sign that warned against sitting on the bikes until I got the stink-eye from the floor attendant and really liked the feel and comfort of it.
 
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RetroGrouch said:
The problem with Japanese retro bikes is that people also expect retro prices.
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You can say that again.
I paid $1600 and change for my first new CB750 back in the early 70s.
It's close to $15K tax inc for the retro CB1100 now.
Almost 10x as much.
 
omnivore said:
Had Honda seen fit to price it in Canada as they did in the U|SA ($9999.00) they'd have sold like hotcakes. I love the bike.....but it's almost as pricey as a Ducati Hyperstrada.
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Even as a cheapskate, I was willing to stretch the budget to 12K, so Honda could still have been greedy and got away with it. 13-14K++ was BMW greedy, though. You need stern Germans to get away with that kind of pricing schedule. Plus, the CB1100 is a bit cramped, which was extra-disappointing. There are plenty of pretzel-bikes already for people to defend as comfortable. I wanted a beer-&-smoke-after-work-with-a-long-ride-in-the-countryside sort of machine.
 
RetroGrouch said:
The problem with Japanese retro bikes is that people also expect retro prices.
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But at the price of a retro-kinda-old school bike you can buy the real thing fully restored, at far cheaper insurance. Honda failed on this bike because they thought it would be the base bike for custom build and cafe racers, but they ended up with a heavy and expensive bike, the two things custom builders avoid. Same is true of the new BMW R9T.
 
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