Big guy on a CB1100

[Wisedrum]

I'm 'bout 6"3 tall.

To sit on the CB is no problem, but it depends on how supple your legs and knees are. Didn't change anything and can ride on it for a long time. Sometimes I use the highway pegs, which are mounted on the crahbars. More for variation and pure fun than beeing nessesary.

The Honda driver footpegs are placed kind of sporty compared to my other bikes.

Wisedrum

[meowguy]

Seriously. You have not been on a motorcycle since 1984? Why not give your reflexes a chance to get back on line with a much smaller displacement bike like a 250 or 300. Do you really need to go 125 miles per hour anyway. I sold my 1100 two years ago and got a Suzuki 250 and love it. I had the seat reupholstered to add an inch of foam. It works for me and I don't worry about dropping it all the time.

Suggest you also watch McRider youtube videos. Kevin Morris will set you straight. Maybe after you have your reflexes up to snuff you could consider the "bike of your dreams" but right now I think you need the "bike of your skill level".

JMHO.

[Ulvetanna]

(02-14-2018 05:33 AM)meowguy Wrote:  Seriously. You have not been on a motorcycle since 1984? Why not give your reflexes a chance to get back on line with a much smaller displacement bike like a 250 or 300. Do you really need to go 125 miles per hour anyway. I sold my 1100 two years ago and got a Suzuki 250 and love it. I had the seat reupholstered to add an inch of foam. It works for me and I don't worry about dropping it all the time.

Suggest you also watch McRider youtube videos. Kevin Morris will set you straight. Maybe after you have your reflexes up to snuff you could consider the "bike of your dreams" but right now I think you need the "bike of your skill level".

JMHO.

I am surprised anyone even bothered to try to talk him out of it. Most of what I've seen is "It's a great beginner bike, take it easy and you'll be fine."

Meowguy, of course you are right. I agree. I just gave up a while back. You have not reached that level of cynicism, you still care about your fellow human.

BTW, heed the meow and get a 250 for a few months. THEN consider a CB1100.

[EmptySea]

(02-14-2018 09:54 AM)Ulvetanna Wrote:  

(02-14-2018 05:33 AM)meowguy Wrote:  Seriously. You have not been on a motorcycle since 1984? Why not give your reflexes a chance to get back on line with a much smaller displacement bike like a 250 or 300. Do you really need to go 125 miles per hour anyway. I sold my 1100 two years ago and got a Suzuki 250 and love it. I had the seat reupholstered to add an inch of foam. It works for me and I don't worry about dropping it all the time.

Suggest you also watch McRider youtube videos. Kevin Morris will set you straight. Maybe after you have your reflexes up to snuff you could consider the "bike of your dreams" but right now I think you need the "bike of your skill level".

JMHO.

I am surprised anyone even bothered to try to talk him out of it. Most of what I've seen is "It's a great beginner bike, take it easy and you'll be fine."

Meowguy, of course you are right. I agree. I just gave up a while back. You have not reached that level of cynicism, you still care about your fellow human.

BTW, heed the meow and get a 250 for a few months. THEN consider a CB1100.

Actually, if you do a search on "great beginner bike" in this forum, you will find that most of results are comments referencing a Motorcyclist Online Article in which that author states this. Our members' comments almost universally reject the author's statement and recommend a smaller, or at least a less expensive, bike for new riders. I fall in to the "start with a less expensive bike" camp. There is nothing extreme about this bike. I find it to be a bit top heavy, but that's about the only thing that I would be concerned about if I were counseling a new rider. It's not a hard bike to ride. The throttle response is quick enough, but not twitchy. The brakes do their job. Handles predictably at speed (not great, but not terrible, at slow speeds). The only drawback I see is that new riders drop their bikes sometimes and I would not want to drop a bike for which I paid $5000+. I am about the same size as our new rider and I started on a 250. If I had it to do over, I would try to find a 500-650cc used bike in the $2500-$4000 price range to ride for a season and then move up to the CB1100.

[VLJ]

A lot of reviewers have made the comment that the CB1100 is so easy to ride, so user-friendly, that it's the first liter bike they would recommend to beginners for taking the DMV riding test, and I can't disagree. The only reservation I would have is the weight. The power isn't a problem, not with the CB's insanely benign, predictable power delivery right off the throttle, and the seat height is so low that anyone can flat-foot the thing, but the weight might be a bit much to handle at parking-lot speeds.

Otherwise, sure, a Ninja 400 or whatever would be even better for a beginner, or for someone who hasn't ridden in over thirty years. Can't really argue with that advice.

[spechg]

Thanks very much everyone for all the good advice. When I have completed the training course I will decide whether to go for a CB1100 or something more manageable. I really don’t want to drop such a beautiful machine, particularly if it was brand new. I’ll also take on board advice from my instructor. I had hoped that a new CB1100 would be the only bike I would ever need, but I do appreciate it might be difficult for a 56 year old beginner to handle, until more experienced. I’ll let you know how I get on.
Simon

[Cormanus]

I'm a supporter of the view that the CB1100 is not a good beginner bike. It may be benign, but it's too heavy and learning or refreshing skills on something smaller, lighter and more nimble is a much better approach. In Australia, a learner would simply not be allowed to ride a CB1100 as a starter bike.

[Wisedrum]

On the other hand, learn to ride a CB, take your time, if possible on lonely roads, and afterwards you don't have to upgrade from a smaller and not so well looking, mostly plastic bike. This is easier written with a lot of biker experience in the background than done as a newbe, I know. But a heart should always approch what it yearns as Paul Simon once have sung. The only way to gain some fulfillment, if it ever can be reached.

Wisedrum

[Macduff]

Re big bloke on a CB - I think bike fit and longer ride comfort is far more than just height as body fitness / injury has far more impact on this than just height followed by limb lengths as I’m a mere 5’11 or was as I may be hitting the shrink curve of older age (and disc compression) but my legs are still a 33” length so I need a short length but taller saddle. For me it’s the short travel rear sussies that are the limiting factor if riding roads that cause a lot of full suspension movement due to the old discs .
Re beginner bike - the CB is the easiest bike to get on go that i’ve ridden for years as it low height and CofG make it very stable an less succeptible to ham fisted rider input. Great bike and lots of ergo adjustment option for riders tailoring it to their frame, bars risers , saddles and pegs can all be swapped fairly easily (with cash input).

[Nortoon]

When I was 20 I started riding on small two-stroke bikes. Then worked my way up year by year to larger and faster motorcycles. My last rides were heavy touring motorcycles: a Yamaha Excess 1100 and a Honda Goldwing. After 23 years in the saddle, I stopped riding in 1989.

After a 25 year hiatus, I bought myself a CB500XA in 2014. It took me about two weeks to get used to new motorcycle. For the next three summers I thoroughly enjoyed the upright riding position, and the fact the bike was light, nimble handling, and fast for its size.

After three summers of enjoyable riding, I traded it in on a 2017 CB1100 EX. A beautiful motorcycle, but plump and top heavy. The reason I nicknamed mine Miss Piggy.

So I would suggest as others have that you buy a smaller motorcycle first to refresh and develop your riding skills.