Ride Along on the 2017 Honda CB1100 EX

Does Honda’s retro air-cooled CB1100 take you back in time?

It’s no secret we’re always trying to get our staff to work a little harder. Especially the ones who always seem to have too much to say. “Write it down!” we always shout at each other. Zack Courts is a classic case, always arriving to the office after his commute with a bunch of opinions about the bike he’s riding. Anyway, it’s always too much this, not enough that, and occasionally has some decent insights that we thought might help consumers or entertain enthusiasts.

So we strapped a camera and microphone to his helmet and told him to turn it on when he leaves his house. A lot of his talking in his helmet is complaining about drivers, yelling at red lights, and wondering why billboards aren’t more expensive. But sometimes he actually talks about the bike, and those are the parts we keep. Got a bike you would like to see discussed? Let us know and we’ll send him home on that one next.

Smooth as can be, just like the CB1100 in general. The power and torque isn’t superlative, but it’s nice and linear.Motorcyclist Staff

QUICK SPECS

PRICE AS TESTED $12,199
DISPLACEMENT 1140cc
CLAIMED WEIGHT 540 lb. (245 kg)
FUEL CAPACITY 4.4 gal. (16.6L)
SEAT HEIGHT 31.2 in. (792.5mm)
MEASURED HORSEPOWER (2014) 85.1 @ 7200 rpm
MEASURED TORQUE (2014) 65.5 lb.-ft. @ 5390 rpm