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Retro? I guess I understand it, but IÔÇÖm not a big fan.
I sort of like the CB1100f. I sat on it at the M/C show but was not real impressed.
It could be because I have already owned the bikebefore it became retro, when it was cutting edge in 76.
[IMG]http://rad.smugmug.com/photos/194560403_PGYih-O.jpg[/IMG]
I am a big Honda fan, I have owned a few. Now the new Honda NC700X, that was a nice scoot at the show.
What about the "retro" Duc from four or five years ago. Did not sell worth a cr_p!
I liked it, but most people did not. To this day, I don't understand why it did not corner the market on retro looking bikes.
To me, all the Jap bikes look the same and always have. I can only think of three that stand out. Honda Transalp, the Pacific Coast,and the XN85(compare it to the K75s).
I don't understand why people think the Honda 750 was a put the bike world upside down cutting edge machine. The Yamaha XS750 was shaft drive(Yamaha's equal to the K75 standard ?)and to me it was much more cutting edge (a little newer too). Still, it just looked like another universal jap bike.
While I do like a standard Jap bike for running around town, as I have stated before, I am not going to give $10K for a bike that was designed in 1976. $5K or maybe $6K sure, but at $10, Honda is out of their mind.
I like it.
[QUOTE=lkchris;842403]Sure, back in the day when UJMs were the thing, the Airhead was a better choice.
BMW today has lots of better choices than this Honda, although I'd have to admit I wouldn't be happy with BMW if I were so seriously looking for nostalgia. But, I'm a looking forward kind of guy and that's a great way to be happy.
(UJM = universal Japanese motorcycle for those that missed that era, and this is exactly that look.)
As for "going and going and going," well that's another market entirely. I suggest to my friends on Mercedes and BMW car forums, for example, that their cars are closer to Ferraris than they are to Camrys (or refrigerators). Same pretty much applies to BMW motorcycles.
It's kind of silly I know, but I think those looking for refrigerator-like reliability and "economy" owning BMW motorcycles are simply suffering buyer's remorse or feeling otherwise guilty about how much fun they're having and how nice their bike is. There's even more fun to be had if the guilt is left behind.[/QUOTE]
Not to "attack you":wave again but you obviously haven't bought refridgerator lately cause they're not like they used to be, I know from my pocketbook.
[QUOTE=ARGENT BRICK;842424]The Yamaha XS750 was shaft drive(Yamaha's equal to the K75 standard ?)and to me it was much more cutting edge (a little newer too). Still, it just looked like another universal jap bike.[/QUOTE]
Love that triple!
I loves my K13GT but the Honda ST1300 I had was one fine machine. I hope my K gives me as many trouble free miles as the Honda did.
[QUOTE=lkchris;842403]As for "going and going and going," well that's another market entirely. I suggest to my friends on Mercedes and BMW car forums, for example, that their cars are closer to Ferraris than they are to Camrys (or refrigerators). Same pretty much applies to BMW motorcycles..[/QUOTE]
It's not another market at all. Many people and I consider reliability the first and key component of quality. The fit and finish along with all of the other traditional components of a high quality product are pretty much out the window if it is constantly sitting beside the road or in the shop.
If my '77 GL1000 ever gives up the ghost (very unlikely), I might consider one of these.
My GL has a 4cylinder boxer engine with a shaft drive...the bike BMW never built!
The CB1100 looks like the bikes of my (our) youth. Nostalgic or not, I thing it's a great looking bike...and you can't kill a Honda!
[QUOTE=Rad;842402]
Pic from 2007 motorcycle show
[IMG]http://rad.smugmug.com/photos/i-NS6Tm2F/0/M/i-NS6Tm2F-M.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
I'm thinking very hard about getting a 2013 CB1100. My dealer says they should have them in March.
Honda finally is getting its bike game running again after becoming a car company. The new 250s, a pair of 500s soon coming this way, this 4 cyl, the 700, etc- and it is all exactly what's needed right now. Decent stuff at decent price. Not everyone wanting a new bike can afford BMWs prices.
New and beginning riders haven't had the range of choice we had years ago with the J brand folks bringing out mostly Harley copies and crotch rockets (and that 4 they didn't make would have been just one more of the latter) for the last 10 years. Its a safe bet all new Honda models will sell well to both new and experienced riders.
Honda is going to have to learn about cutting weight to continue to play in the sport bike arena where BMW, Aprilia and Ducati are all doing better machinery at the moment. I suspect we'll see a seriously updated Honda sport bike line in 2015..
Comparing a Mercedes to a Ferrari is funny. At comparable speeds a Merc feels a lot more like some Camry or Lexus and not even remotely like a Ferrari- got enough track time on all brands to know for sure. The Germans could take lessons from the guys at Toyota about how to make 4 cyl engines that run a bit smoother than the tractor quality 4 cyl motors now in low end Mercs What Mercs do have in common with Ferraris is engineering quirks by the boatload- some good, some not so good...
[QUOTE=racer7;842900]Honda finally is getting its bike game running again after becoming a car company. The new 250s, a pair of 500s soon coming this way, this 4 cyl, the 700, etc- and it is all exactly what's needed right now. Decent stuff at decent price. Not everyone wanting a new bike can afford BMWs prices....[/QUOTE]
I agree.
It is nice to see bikes getting smaller again and coming down in price.
This "Ferrari talk", I suppose you might call that preaching to the crowd? :brow
My nephew ($doc$) kept "Ferrari oil" in his Ferrari @ waaaay toooo much$$$, & bought a "Ferrrari battery" for his Ferrari(I remember it costing something far uphill of my present Honda project bike @ like $700+) and had it serviced while in FL @ his 2nd home. He might fit right in here? Well, excepting that he sold the house & the Ferrari & bought a pusher RV...
It's kind of amusing to see the comments about "refrigerators" and other less than complimentary terms applied to bikes that have a decidedly good reliability record compared to current beemers. As one who rode beemers back in the 70's I can say that they were looked upon as the same thing back then. The refrigerators of the two wheeled market. They had a great record for longevity and reliability but an abhorrent one for "performance" and design. They were the "granpaw bike of the day. Only "old folks" cared about them. :gerg Now the "worm has turned" and the derision is levied at the "jap crap" that left beemers behind in the dust back in the 70's and 80's. :whistle
I learned a long time ago that I would ride what I wanted to with my money. Anyone else's opinion was immaterial and frankly unwanted. :nono If the other person wanted to provide me with money to spend on a bike then they had a reason to care about what I rode. Until then, it really wasn't their concern. It worked for me back in the 70's 80's 90's and up to 2010 when I rode a Beemer. Now that I have switched to a Honda, it still applies. My money, my bike. :dunno You are certainly welcome to ride whatever you want with your money and are welcome to ride the same roads as I do at any time. I don't care what you ride, just that you ride and grant me the same courtesy.
:bikes
Clearly we riders want a wide choice of styles: weight, performance, appearance, cost, etc.
But the one thing we ALL want is a reliable ride. If I am correct from conversations and also reading this forum: 1. airheads were/are reliable but require fairly frequent maintenance. 2. The K-bikes from about 1985 to 1995 were/are reliable, require much less maintenance, and the only common fault (final drive failure) can be dealt with by replacement by a sturdier final drive and better lubricants now available. 3. There were issues of vibration and other problems on the earlier oilheads - not sure if there are now common fixes for the problems. 4. I seem to have read MANY more common problems, not easily resolved, in BMW bikes made this last decade.
There is no question that the complexity and sophistication of both cars and bikes has increased dramatically since my bike came off the assembly line in 1992. And there is no question that cars, with a few exceptions, last much longer in miles and have fewer problems than those built 20 years ago. If my reading is correct, that is not true of many newer BMW bikes.
BMW has to fix the, at least perceived, reliability problem before I would ever consider buying a new or newer bike of that brand. And I would like to get a smooth, RELIABLE bike that was a lot lighter to replace the current one which I've loved.