Your thoughts 2 (+) years later?

[pdedse]

It's a slow night...my rides will be less frequent and for shorter distances as the NW rains begin to compete with beautiful fall days. My KLR650 is my rain bike--the CB1100 is just too pretty for me to ride it daily in adverse conditions. But I still ride it a couple times of week all winter long.

I bought my '14 standard new Jan 2 of 2016, so I'm coming up on two years of ownership. I went back and forth between the Triumph Street Twin, Moto Guzzi V7 and the CB1100. At the time, the Street Twin was just coming out and I didn't figure they would lower MSRP at around 9K something, and the Honda was simply a much better bike than the MG, so I went with the standard for less than 8k--a good price then.

Initially, I'll have to admit, I wasn't so sure of my decision. It felt fine on a test ride, but at nearly 6'4" I soon felt I was too tall for the bike on hour plus rides. It was too quiet, too refined...or was it? Besides the KLR650, I had a Sportster before the CB...a 2004 1200C. The internet forums said upgrade this, buy exhaust that, new seat, etc...and I listened. This time I was determined to let the CB1100 stock self speak to me before I did anything major to it. Instead of a new seat, I added a foam pad to raise the height and comfort. Instead of rushing out to buy exhaust, I tried to retrain my brain to accept its smooth hum. But for a long trip, I put on crash bars and forward pegs to have somewhere else to put my feet.

Now, nearly two years later, I ask myself..."so, what do you you think?" Keep in mind I'm one of those lucky ones with the high / low idle issue for 4 months now at 10k miles on the bike. I still have the original tires on the bike. I haven't had to adjust the chain since the 600 mile service. I have had zero issues besides the idle. The exhaust...sounds wonderful...the seat...awesome. I can't think of anything I want to do to this bike other than...ride it!

I am concerned about the idle issue long term. It doesn't stall on me, so that's huge. But despite this issue, I am growing to really dig this bike. Today I got on for the first time after two weeks (bought a new pickup, so the CB got neglected for a spell). Wow. Such a sublime ride. I know you folks like your red CBs, but if you're gonna go black, the combo of chrome, other bits of sparkle, the red/grey relief on the black tank, tubeless tires (a first for me!) with black rims...for me they add up to a beautiful machine.

Lone story short...I'm liking my bike more now, let's say a good 50% more, than when I first bought it, even though it has that issue.

What say ye? After two, three, four or more years of ownership, what do you think of your CB1100 now? Has it exceeded your expectations? Does it do all you want it to? Or are you thinking it's time to move on because of this or that?

Like I said, slow night.

Oh, and thanks to all those who run this site and make it work, not sure if that gets said enough. I look forward to daily seeing what's going on in the CB1100 world.

[Cormanus]

I bought mine in September of 2013, a black 2011 model with 2091 kms on the clock. It now has a tad over 70,000 kms.

I’ve enjoyed every one of them—short or long distance and I’m looking forward to racking up many more.

I’m on the 4th set of tyres, and the second chain and sprockets. I’ve a fork brace (but only because I won it on a forum raffle), an Air Hawk cushion, a Givi Top Box and black-painted side covers. Otherwise the bike is standard.

I’ll not be looking to change it for another bike.

[Wisedrum]

After 3,5 years and 43.500km I found out that my 2013 CB is a very modest bike. The Bridgestone tires last long, especially the rear tire, still using the first chain and battery, no oil consumption til yet, it needs only 4,6l gas per 100km and is reliable. What else schould I want more? To look good. It does. Not to bother me with irregular idleing. First it astonished me with higher idle revs, now it is on the low side from time to time, but the engine works beside of this quite good. I want it to last and stand the test of time and km. Hopefully it will. The finishing of the engine color could be better, it is the way it is.

I enjoy every ride with the Honda, wether it will lead me nearby or very far out. It's a commuter bike with enough power, easy to handle and offers enough room to ride longer trips, although I'm not small. And not to forget, it is aircooled.

Not in a slow night but on a fresh morning I once again come to the conclusion that the friendship between me and my bike will go on and on.

Wisedrum

[MM300]

I bought my DLX in June of 2014 as a commuter and, for the ‘14, ‘15 and ‘16 seasons, that’s all I did with it. I liked it it and I thought it looked cool but beyond that I really wasn’t further involved with it. It was at about the level of a car for me. I don’t care about cars at all.

Once I decided to quit commuting on the bike things changed.

Wow, what a fine bike.

It’s capable of blasting through the twisties but I rarely use it that way. I’m currently using the bike as a cruiser. A cruiser with excellent power, handling and brakes. I only ride it for fun now and the ‘Joy of Riding’ factor has shot through the roof. It’s the perfect bike for me.

[Tezza]

7 and a bit years on mine..purchased March 2010. 4 sets of tires but yet to replace sprockets and chain. It's currently on about 55k kilometres and has only had a rear rack added for the occasional top box fitment. The only other bike I lust after is the new Africa Twin but since I'm vertically challenged it will always just be a dream.

[use2b]

have had my 2013 CB1100AD for a little over a year now and still ride it most every day. have 9 vehicles to choose from and it is still my go to toy.
I bought it for the looks after seeing it with the full K10 kit and 4 into 4 exhaust but i do miss the center stand . It is smooth and does not have any idle problem , so smooth i removed the bar weights and can not tell they are gone. the progressive power which winds for such a long time was the biggest shock for me as i expected more along the 1200S Bandits power . but then again i got rid of the hayabusa and BMW R1200R because of the power and being uncomfortable 2 up .
The brakes are the finest i have ever experienced and do not know if the 6 piston front calipers or even the ABS makes a difference or not as i have never needed the ABS so far. the Avon roadrider tires are just wonderful and i will probably buy them again. they were on the bike when i bought it with 2200 miles and now at 6000 miles they still look at ride great. she is a little top heavy especially with a full 4.7 Gal tank but i am use to that now. certainly does not handle like my sport bikes but so much better than my VTX1800S . all in all i am well pleased and no one knows what to think of it any where i go but i only get praise on the beauty with a lot of curiosity. have no plans to sell this bike and with two other CB's it will probably be my last bike.

[The ferret]

A slow night of pondering can be very rewarding.

I am on my second CB. I bought a 2013 and put 8500 trouble free miles on it before Honda brought out the Deluxe. I had to have one, so traded the 2013 for the 2014, no regrets. Had the DLX 3 years now. It is not my primary bike, my ST 1300 is, but I have taken multiple trips on the CB from Ohio to North Carolina, down the BRP, to central Kentucky, to West Virginia, to Arkansas and ridden it in the mountain passes and canyons of Colorado. It actually tours pretty well. Even though it is not my primary bike I have still managed to roll up 36,000 miles on the DLX. I will ride the ST for 5 days to a week and then ride the CB and EVERYTIME I am amazed at what a fine motorcycle it is. At how well it pulls, at how lightly it handles and at how efficiently it stops.

I am still on the original chain and sprockets (although they are probably due for replacement) It's on its 4 th set of tires, 2nd set of brakes, 2nd air cleaner, 2nd set of plugs, and tomorrow I will perform its 10 th oil and filter change. So far the bike has been utterly reliable, and the only thing that has broken was the left front turn signal lens. If the average guy rides 3000 miles a year that's 12 years of wear on my bike in only 3, and the bike has performed flawlessly. Love my CB, plus it's drop dead gorgeous.

[pdedse]

(10-07-2017 05:33 AM)The ferret Wrote:  ... Even though it is not my primary bike I have still managed to roll up 36,000 miles on the DLX.

... 3 rd set of brakes,

12k miles per year on your seconday bike!?! Ah, retirement...

Prolly 70% of my 10k miles in two years were long trip hiway miles, so not much brake wear. What mileage did you have have with brake jobs?

---

(10-07-2017 01:02 AM)MM300 Wrote:  ...
Once I decided to quit commuting on the bike things changed.

Wow, what a fine bike.

It’s capable of blasting through the twisties but I rarely use it that way. I’m currently using the bike as a cruiser.

That's funny, once I began with WOT tactics to see if that helped the idle, I discovered I had a bike that I knew not. : ) I put about 5500 miles on an OR to Illinois trip summer of '16 and next summer I'm looking to do another long ride. Can't get enough of Montana, Wyoming and Utah...Western Colorado probably deserves another look.

[LongRanger]

I've owned my DLX since August 2015, so two years of ownership for me. I have several other bikes, so it's not ridden each time, but it is pushing 15k miles. I'm on my third set of tires and second set of rear brake pads but have had zero mechanical issues with the bike. I bought it to replace a lovely Moto Guzzi V7 Classic and use it the same way -- Sunday rides, 4-5 hours max, two-lane mountain roads. I rarely take the CB on the interstate, don't commute with it, and have never taken it over 75 mph. I'm 6'6" and have no issues with comfort or legroom. The bike is in as-new stock condition aside from a SuperBrace. I refer to the CB as "my Harley," since it has the most cruiser-like tendencies of the bikes in my fleet and seems to catch a lot of attention. A keeper for now.

[Nortoon]

I try to ride my 2017 CB1100 EX once a week, but the weather this year has been cold and wet. Summer did not show up until the last week in July, so there is only 8516 kilometers – 5292 miles on the odometer so far.

I bought the EX because of its retro looks: big inline-4 engine, chrome headers, dual mufflers, lots of chrome, and no plastic shrouds or plumbing. The bike attracts attention wherever I stop for gas or food. The guys who are familiar with earlier CBs have a hard time believing it is not a restoration.

I would have preferred the all aluminium engine like the Deluxe, as it is the center piece of this motorcycle. The fat fuel tank on the EX also looks like it melted in the sun. If it held 16.8 liters of gas like promised, I probably could have over looked it. Unfortunately it only holds 14.6 liters, so my run dry fuel range is only 300 kilometers – 185 miles.

I rode a CB500XA previously, and found the EX riding position slightly more cramped. The seats on both are uncomfortable after an hour. An inexpensive Coleman MadDog seat pad added a bit of seat height and a little more comfort.

My CB500XA tank bag with its 4 straps and large magnets looked like a fat octopus sitting on the EX tank which spoiled the looks of the bike. So I now use it as a tail bag strapped to the rear of the seat instead. It holds my helmet and gloves and keeps them out of sight when I am in a restaurant.

Speaking of ugly. I bought a large windscreen to block bug spatter and the wind during cold weather. After setting it on the EX I realized it really spoils the look of this retro machine. So until I find it too cold to ride, it will remain in its shipping box.

Both Hondas have hard and small diameter handle grips which cramped my throttle hand within an hour. I bought slip-on foam Grip Puppies for both to eliminate that problem. The Grip Puppies also eliminated the engine buzz of the 500, but not completely for the EX. I also found the foot pegs on the EX have a buzz. I believe it may have something to do with the new noisier mufflers. However neither the grips nor pegs are uncomfortable or distracting.

No need to buy an aftermarket exhaust system for the 2017 CB1100 EX. The shorter and redesigned mufflers sound like something out of the 70s. I wear ear plugs to lessen the wind noise while riding. But I can still the motor hum while cruising, and howl when I pass slower traffic. If it wasn’t for my ear plugs, I probably would find them too loud.

I do like the power of the CB1100 EX motor. Effortless riding at any speed and quick to pass on the highway with a downshift. However the tall motor does add to the top heavy feel of the bike at slow speeds.

The new front forks on the EX smooth out the ride on rough roads. The bike also handles well for a large and heavy motorcycle on twisty roads.

The front brakes are great. The rear brake not so much. It always dragged when I spun the rear wheel while lubing the chain. The disk and pads were replaced by Honda Canada because the disk discoloured with heat over time. The problem persists, and now the rear brake is just mush. I could slow down faster by dragging my feet. Fortunately I have always used the motor to slow down and the front brakes to stop, and seldom used the back brake.

A number of different chain lubes were tried. They all claimed not to fling, but I had to clean the spokes and alloy rim on my rear wheel after every day long ride. Cleaning spokes is tedious. Fortunately forum members suggested chain wax, so I bought a spray can of Tirox Chain Wax and Honda Cleaner and Polish. Problem solved. No more fling, and the polished rim and spokes collect less dirt and are easier to clean.