Honda CMX 1100 Rebel motorcycle test

Menus

• The big one who has everything of a small one
• 1,084 cc in-line twin, 64 kW / 87 hp at 7,000 rpm, 98 Nm at 4,750 rpm, 10,499 euros
• Discovery
• In the saddle
• Contact
• In the city
• On the highway
• On small roads
• Braking
• Comfort / Duo
• Consumption
• Convenient
• The Rebel 1100 test video
• Conclusion

The big one who has everything of a small one

1,084 cc in-line twin, 64 kW / 87 hp at 7,000 rpm, 98 Nm at 4,750 rpm, 10,499 euros

In the 1100 family, I ask for the custom and more precisely the CMX 1100 Rebel! And yes, the family is important and even more for Honda which seems to decline its platforms to infinity.. Twenty years ago, at most, we had the right to a roadster, a non-fairing version of the sports car in the range. But today, if there is one manufacturer who has pushed the platform logic to the limit, it is Honda. Imagine … a 500 platform with the CB500F, ‘sporty’ CBR500R, trail CB500X and custom CMX500 roadsters (released in 2016 and then available in CMX500 S), a 650 platform with the CB650 roadster, the CBR650R sports car, the platform 750 with the NC 750 roadsters, the NC750X trail and the 750 maxi-scooter now an 1100 platform with the trail and today the custom while waiting for the next CBF1100X traveler that we are all waiting for … even the roadster, which Would be fine too. Space is needed in dealerships to accommodate all these people! And it is all the more so that Honda proposes versions with DCT box known as "auto" for many models, of which the version of this Rebel 1100 , new in 2021. We try the mechanical version…

Honda CMX 1100 Rebel custom test

Discovery

Customs have evolved and stopped wanting to copy the American model. They have also stopped so much that there are no more in Europe, neither Marauder or Intruder Suzuki, nor Dragstar or Midnight Star Yamaha nor big Kawasaki VN. And I pass over in silence the VT 1300 CX Fury which did not leave great memories (2010) nor even the CTX700. There is little more than the Vulcan 650 and then this new CMX 1100, a cross between a custom and a neo-retro model, in particular by this very specific LED light..

Round LED headlight with 4 lenses

It is then difficult to judge its displacement. As much as the 500 is almost big, this one is really small. How to navigate between the 125 to the tunes of 250, the 500 to the larger areas and this Rebel 1100 which has medium displacement. To the eye, we would give him 700, 900 cm3 maximum. The tank itself is small; moreover it is only 13.6 liters. In weight also, it is light with its 223 kilos (233 kilos for the DCT version), that is to say the weight of my old 600 cm3. this is not a custom with a big heavy steel, but on the contrary a dancer for the category which tends more generally towards Sumo. Another point of lightness, its saddle height at only 700 mm which will allow anyone to ride it. Is this the reason why Honda presents it with a young lady at its handlebars? Yes, this CMX 1100 Rebel is not scary and makes a call like "come on, I’ll take you".

The new big custom Honda CMX 1100 based on the Africa Twin engine

Under this frail template and this raw foundry aspect, we find the well-known twin-cylinder of the Africa Twin with its 1,084 cm3 but a power down to only 64 kW or 87 hp obtained lower at 7,000 rpm. The torque of 98 Nm especially is obtained much lower, 1,500 rpm lower to be precise, at 4,750 rpm. And there, we recognize the custom, with torque above all and above all before power. To donate a lung ?

1,084cc inline-twin, 270 ° set, 4-stroke

After, it’s traditional, with a rigid tubular steel frame, a cartridge front fork (43 mm), two rear shocks with separate reservoir signed Showa, a simple front brake with 330 mm floating disc but four pistons with radial mounting reinforced by a 256 mm disc with single piston caliper at the rear.

And it all ends with a nice LED light. The finish is at Honda level, clean, well finished, even if we would have liked less to see a few cables at the handlebars.

LED rear light

In the saddle

You barely step over the CMX 1100 because it is so easy to access, with its saddle just 700 mm away. Yes, I’m repeating myself, but accessibility is a big strength of this model. The driver of 1.60 m will easily put both feet flat on the ground. She gets up easily and effortlessly, aided by a low positioned featherweight. Definitely, it is not a big custom and the opposite of an 1100 cm3, a priori heavy and difficult.

Small size (223 kg) and saddle accessible to only 700 mm

There is nothing traditional about the meter. Sure, it’s round, but that’s it. On the other hand, it offers a multitude of information, to be compared to certain competing minimalist meters taking the appearance of a simple line. What is above the full word? Hyper maxi more complete than complete? and in addition without scrolling a lot of information, almost everything being displayed at the same time, thanks to its 120 mm diameter. Speedometer and tachometer of course, fuel gauge, clock, engine temperature, totalizer, partial double trip, but also the 3 driving modes (and user adjustable mode), with the settings and distribution of the traction control, without forget the gear engaged, instantaneous consumption, average consumption, remaining range, average speed, trip chrono … Everything is controlled with the left stalk, once you understand the respective use of the arrows and the "mode" button. You are truly in the twenty-first century and Honda has made no savings on the amount of information available..

A large 120mm digital counter, with all the information

The saddle is wide but relatively spartan in thickness and we are not talking about that of the passenger.

The hands will then perch on the handlebars, with the levers almost too low behind, forcing the wrists to break noticeably and making the brake grip a little less natural. The feet move forward noticeably, for a less upright position than the CMX 500. It is ideal for small sizes. The older ones may on the other hand feel a little cramped.

Commodos that control driving modes and the speedometer

We then manage to enclose the tank with the knees, without being hampered on one side or the other, neither by an invasive air box, nor by the engine and all without rising heat. And this tank is so thin, that one wonders again if it is really an 1100.

So thin, so small despite its displacement

Contact

And there, we seek contact. Yes, there is a lock with the Neiman on the steering column like all customs. But where is the contact since he is not in front? In fact, on the left side, which also allows the saddle to be opened. It is that we get used to the keyless start, available on more and more models including 125, but here, we respect the tradition of the key.

The twin is snorting in a soft hiss … 73 dB announces the plate, or almost 20 dB than the competition from across the Atlantic. We don’t feel any vibration. You can come back early in the morning without waking up the neighborhood. First, without klonk and here rolls, with a very soft gearbox, whose speeds go without thinking about it. One would almost imagine that they integrated an "up" shifter so the box is completely forgotten.

A sober and discreet exhaust

In the city

Once again, we don’t have the impression of driving an 1100 at all, everything is so easy and docile, especially when we get off the previous test on the handlebars of a 107. Once again, we are closer to the impression of a mid-size of 700 cm3 than of an 1100. It’s soft in rain mode, nice in standard mode and dynamic in sport mode, in fact even too dynamic in town.

Maneuverability and ease of setting on the angle

We expect a little smoothness with a big custom, even if it means discovering two faces. Here, we have a homogeneous machine, easy, brutal limit in sport mode in town, which requires to increase the reports to wind on the couple. And yet, you can idle at 20 km / h on the second report and even drive at 50 km / h on the sixth and last report without grazing and under 2,000 rpm. The Rebel is so thin that it passes without thinking about it between the lines, with a relatively good turning diameter which allows to do gymkhana between the lines, where we would have given up long before with a big custom. The Rebel feels good in town, capable of straightforward retakes and with an ease to squeeze everywhere with ease. In short, she is the queen of the city.

In 6th at 50 km / h

On the highway

The Rebel 1100 sets off naturally on the motorway, to stall at 4,500 rpm at legal speed. There is little protection, like all customs and all you have to do is put the cruise control on the right stalk to stall at 150 km / h at 5,000 rpm on the German motorway. All you have to do is let the landscape scroll and wait for the next exit or sneak between the cars with incredible ease..

Stalled at 4,500 rpm at 130 km / h

On small roads

Comfortable in town, accepting the highway without flinching, the Rebel 1100 gives it an extra layer on small roads, where you can really inquire severely, reassured by its low position, its extraordinary handling and its times in all gears. Better, when you pick up the pace, it never lets the pilot get on board too quickly (unlike heavier machines), allowing you to easily correct a slightly optimistic trajectory and close the curve … until it scrapes. Like all customs, it scraps when cornering, even if the ground clearance of only 120 mm is noticeably higher than other models. And under these conditions, the chassis is perfect, confirming a perfectly homogeneous machine in all gears..

A big one who behaves like a small one and which sends on small roads

We like the Dunlops which offer good grip and a good feeling on the angle in the dry and in the wet..

*

In the end, the Rebel 1100 is absolutely nothing rebellious, but on the contrary is all in the ease. I will even go further, it reassures and puts at ease its driver who can quickly have the impression of being a pilot.

87 hp (64 kW) at 7,000 rpm

Braking

As on many customs, there is only a single disc at the front, often because the rear is used a lot. In fact, the Rebel 1100 brakes well and hard, without violence and with a good feeling. In fact, in the city you can almost brake with one finger and that’s enough. And the overall light weight allows you to brake hard, without needing to anticipate. ABS is finally completely forgotten in the dry.

Single 330 mm floating disc, radial mounted 4 piston caliper, ABS

Comfort / Duo

The saddle is not very thick for the rider, but sufficient for the city, when the asphalt is good. But compared to the 500, it’s Pullman, not generating snowshoe hits at the slightest defect in the pavement. The passenger inherits a tiny folding seat, usual on customs, but with one advantage, that of being flat. There is nothing to hang on, but at least the passenger does not pull back at the slightest acceleration. Especially since we can feel the lost horses. As with many customs, the sissi-bar is essential in the event of a duo inclination. And if not, the pouf can be easily removed. You can then do about 150 kilometers, before you start to feel your posterior and want to take a break, the 200 kilometers, arriving on the reserve being the distance where it is important to stop.

A thin seat and a footstool for the passenger
Dual Showa shock absorber adjustable in preload.

Consumption

At 100 kilometers, the gauge is at half, confirming a consumption closer to 6 liters per hundred than the 5.3 liters announced by the manufacturer. We then go into reserve around 170-180 kilometers or 200 km at best, the on-board computer then displaying a remaining range of 50 kilometers, for an overall range between 230 and 250 km with the 13.6 liters of the tank. And even at 130 km / g on the motorway, consumption hovers around 5.6 l / 100km. Note that over the last 20 kilometers, the gauge no longer displays any information, so we squeeze our buttocks until the next station. Either way, you will enjoy taking a break, even before the 200 kilometers.

Range of 230 km with the 13.6 liter tank

Convenient

There is a chest under the saddle. Finally, a three-liter pocket, but enough to put a few odds and ends – such as a vest or small rain pants – especially since it houses a USB-c socket and therefore enough to charge a smartphone. Modernity, we told you.

A machine for small jigs

The Rebel 1100 test video

Conclusion

Easy, homogeneous, light, reassuring, modern, well finished, the Rebel 1100 multiplies the qualifiers, in the tradition of Honda machines. It’s a Honda, eyes closed. And this engine is also starting to prove its worth, a guarantee of reliability. And the last advantage of this model is its price, at only 10,499 euros (1,000 euros more for the DCT version), with a five-year warranty included. To compare to the 6,699 euros of the 500 S. There are smaller much more expensive.

Strong points

• really punchy engine
• weight
• price

Weak points

• comfort

The technical sheet of the Honda CMX 1100

Test conditions

• Itinerary: small varied roads + interurban highways with a bit of town
• Motorcycle mileage: 300 km

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