Gentlefolks
I was always intrigued by the CB750, the first super bike released in 1969 that caused a revolution that pushed Honda to the leadership, while destroying European motorcycle makers (almost bankrupting HD) and starting the UJM (Universal Japanese Motorcycle) trend of the 70's and 80's.
But owning a CB750 in these days is an expensive and painful endeavor. Leaky carbs, dodgy electronics (mostly due to decades of previous owner's mods) and sky high prices are definitely a problem.
In 2010 to celebrate the 30 years of the CB750, Honda released the CB1100. It was designed to offer the closest experience to the CB750, while incorporating modern tech (i.e. fuel injection, better brakes, better suspension, etc) without forgetting the essence of the original.
The bike was introduced in the American market in 2013, but unfortunately it was never a big seller. It was pricey (around $10K-$11K), offered less raw power than other competitors (e.g. BMW R nine T) and wasn't 'retro enough' for some public.
The CB750 MSRP in 1970 was around $1500 bucks which converts to around $9K in 2013, the year of release of the CB1100 in the USA for around $10K. I honestly think that Honda did it on purpose with the pricing.
While it was a weak seller in the USA market, apparently it sold really well in Europe and Japan. The list of fairing mods and body parts available in Japan is pretty awesome.
Unfortunately, thanks to the Euro 5, these oil heads are no more as it can't match the requirements for emissions. A last 'final edition' model was announced in Japan for late 2021 (https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/news-and-views/news/2021/october/new-honda-cb1100-final-editions) and I realized the window to buy one started to close.
I was fortunate enough to find a 2013 Honda CB1100 for sale near my neck of the woods for a killer price. She has 20K miles and a folder with dozens of receipts with all the maintenance performed by the Honda dealership (it is a single owner bike).
It also has installed a Japanese fiberglass front fairing that complement the looks (like a cafe racer) and a Givi trunk (that is functional but ugly as f*ck). It even came with a corbin seat!
I only put 100 miles on it, given that is raining no-stop this week in Cali... but I got share:
a) The engine is crazy smooth. On lower RPMs, it resembles the Valkyrie flat six.
b) Torque? Yes! Lots! It pulls from 5th gear around 25-30 miles per hour.
c) Past 4000RPM its engine wakes up and it shows lots of character.
d) The brakes are really good. Seriously, remembers my ST1300.
e) The sound and feeling of the bike is pure perfection. The engine even 'pings' when it is cooling, like the old CB750.
Overall, really happy with the bike and I'm planning next to perform the mandatory maintenance and getting it ready for spring time.
Mandatory photos:
The launch video is pure poetry:
A comparison between the old vs new:
And this video shows the CB750 and the CB1100 side by side:
I was always intrigued by the CB750, the first super bike released in 1969 that caused a revolution that pushed Honda to the leadership, while destroying European motorcycle makers (almost bankrupting HD) and starting the UJM (Universal Japanese Motorcycle) trend of the 70's and 80's.
But owning a CB750 in these days is an expensive and painful endeavor. Leaky carbs, dodgy electronics (mostly due to decades of previous owner's mods) and sky high prices are definitely a problem.
In 2010 to celebrate the 30 years of the CB750, Honda released the CB1100. It was designed to offer the closest experience to the CB750, while incorporating modern tech (i.e. fuel injection, better brakes, better suspension, etc) without forgetting the essence of the original.
The bike was introduced in the American market in 2013, but unfortunately it was never a big seller. It was pricey (around $10K-$11K), offered less raw power than other competitors (e.g. BMW R nine T) and wasn't 'retro enough' for some public.
The CB750 MSRP in 1970 was around $1500 bucks which converts to around $9K in 2013, the year of release of the CB1100 in the USA for around $10K. I honestly think that Honda did it on purpose with the pricing.
While it was a weak seller in the USA market, apparently it sold really well in Europe and Japan. The list of fairing mods and body parts available in Japan is pretty awesome.
Unfortunately, thanks to the Euro 5, these oil heads are no more as it can't match the requirements for emissions. A last 'final edition' model was announced in Japan for late 2021 (https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/news-and-views/news/2021/october/new-honda-cb1100-final-editions) and I realized the window to buy one started to close.
I was fortunate enough to find a 2013 Honda CB1100 for sale near my neck of the woods for a killer price. She has 20K miles and a folder with dozens of receipts with all the maintenance performed by the Honda dealership (it is a single owner bike).
It also has installed a Japanese fiberglass front fairing that complement the looks (like a cafe racer) and a Givi trunk (that is functional but ugly as f*ck). It even came with a corbin seat!
I only put 100 miles on it, given that is raining no-stop this week in Cali... but I got share:
a) The engine is crazy smooth. On lower RPMs, it resembles the Valkyrie flat six.
b) Torque? Yes! Lots! It pulls from 5th gear around 25-30 miles per hour.
c) Past 4000RPM its engine wakes up and it shows lots of character.
d) The brakes are really good. Seriously, remembers my ST1300.
e) The sound and feeling of the bike is pure perfection. The engine even 'pings' when it is cooling, like the old CB750.
Overall, really happy with the bike and I'm planning next to perform the mandatory maintenance and getting it ready for spring time.
Mandatory photos:
The launch video is pure poetry:
A comparison between the old vs new:
And this video shows the CB750 and the CB1100 side by side:
