I've been lusting after a CB1100 for years now. Was very excited when the came to the states finally, but decided it was going to be a long while before I could afford one. I wasn't thrilled with the black engine, mismatched side cover thing, but would have been content. When I found out they fixed all that for 2014, along with a 6 speed transmission, I decided to buy one anyway.
After reading about how long you guys had been waiting, I figured it was going to be a long wait. I walked into the local dealer last friday, and they had both a 2013 non-ABS and a 2014 standard model sitting on the floor. I, however, wanted the deluxe. They assured me that it would only take a week to get one.
Sure enough, exactly a week later, there's a 2014 deluxe sitting in my garage. Here's a photo at the dealer:
I've owned a '73 CB350 for a few years, I've put over 10,000 miles on it and love it. Once drove it from Colorado to Tennessee and back:
My 50 mile (each way) commute with a 3,000 foot elevation gain on the way home, especially with a passenger is just too much for the little bike to handle. Before the CB1100 came to the US, none of the modern bikes looked very interesting to me, so I'd planned on trying to find a CB750. Probably still would, except that 90% of them have been mutilated, half the rest are basket cases, and the remainder cost a fortune.
I'd actually already ordered two sets of what you guys are calling "rubber lever end thingies" hoping that they'd fit the CB1100, glad to know that they do. I was ordering a replacement set for my CB350, because they're all chewed up after 40 years, and they're cheap enough I thought I'd see if they'd fit on the new bike, too. After reading about your obsession with them, I can't help but laugh. But, it was actually one of the first things I noticed when sitting on the bike (other than the fact that it felt *huge*), was that it was clearly missing them. Probably only because of the many hours I've spent on a '70's CB...
Anyway, just thought I'd say hi, and I'm glad there's a community here, you guys have answered several questions for me already.