News – Motorcycle news for 2013: the Honda CB1100 finally arrives in France! – Honda makes the nostalgic cord vibrate

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Motorcycle news 2013: the Honda CB1100 finally arrives in France !

News - Motorcycle news for 2013: the Honda CB1100 finally arrives in France! - Honda makes the nostalgic cord vibrate

The Honda CB1100, so far available in Australia and Japan, landed in Europe in 2013. Cried out loudly by neo-retro motorcycle enthusiasts, especially in France, this air-cooled roadster marks a kind of homecoming for Honda.

Honda rocks the nostalgic rope

I understood you !": the famous sentence of General de Gaulle in Algiers in 1958 could easily be applied to the launch of the Honda CB1100 on the European market. Because yes, Honda really" understood "the expectations of many bikers by deciding to finally import this neo roadster -retro in Europe !

Encouraged by its success in Australia and Japan where the CB1100 has been on the market for two years already, spurred on by the multiple requests from the Old Continent (especially in France where one has been in circulation since 2010), Honda has finally agreed to reconsider its positions.

So far convinced that this motorcycle discovered in Europe would not find its audience in Europe, the leaders of the winged crest have re-examined the question taking into account the evolution of the market. And especially that of the average biker, who ages a little more each year and who contributes to the success of so-called neo-retro motorcycles..

The enthusiasts with a little bottle seek to relive the emotions of a past necessarily better than the present, while the youngest see in them a way to stand out and escape the traps of the all-repressive. In short, the classic, vintage and neo-retro motorcycle market is popular and Honda thought it would be a shame not to take advantage of it..

Neo-retro? No: authentic retro !

And we must admit that this CB1100, star of the Honda stand in Cologne, has many assets to seduce the "old school" motorcycle enthusiast. Already because it gives off a real aura: its elegant lines refer directly to Honda roadsters of the 1970s, such as the legendary CB750 and the no less famous CB900 Bol d’Or.

Its round headlight, its 14.6-liter tank (reserve included) artistically mixing rounded shapes and more salient angles or even its long saddle and its 4-in-2-in-1 chrome exhaust give it a crazy charm. In any case for the biker who appreciates the pencil stroke of the past !

And unlike some of its rivals who hide modern technologies behind a classic look, the CB1100 does not "cheat": it is an authentic retro! This is evidenced by its "old-fashioned" shock absorbers, its abundance of chrome (rims, passenger handles, aesthetically perforated footrests, headlight and turn signal brackets, etc.) and above all its enormous 1140 cc air-cooled engine. -oil.

Because for its designer, the CB1100 could not be propelled by a "modern" water-cooled engine (read Mitsuyoshi Kohama’s presentation on the next page). Passionate, the Japanese managed to convince Honda to use an "old" air-cooled 16-valve in-line 4-cylinder. Without this, let’s admit that the "flavor" would not have been the same for its future owners. !

The 335 mm oil cooler being integrated in a fairly discreet way near the cylinder heads, the eye immediately focuses on the thin fins (2 mm) of the "4-legs". Imposing, this engine is announced for 89.7 hp and 93 Nm of torque and takes a maximum of 8,500 rpm: values ​​deliberately modest, because the search for maximum performance was not an end in itself..

For the first builder "if the engine turns out to be exciting in use, then the result would be a success". Flexibility, power and torque available"everywhere and in large quantities", these are the characteristics sought – and obtained according to Honda – on the engine of the CB1100. Either more or less the same qualities as those of the" modern old "or of the, only other Japanese roadster with air cooling still produced today.

So that it responds favorably to pollution standards, the block of the CB1100 is powered by a PGM-FI injection, while a balancing pendulum would annihilate its vibrations. It is fitted with a hydraulically controlled multi-disc clutch in oil bath which controls a five-speed gearbox linked to a final chain transmission..

In terms of the chassis, the novelty Honda is also pouring into simplicity and draws its technical solutions from the past: the double cradle frame in steel tubes, the telescopic fork and the rims with forgotten dimensions (18 inches ) are the most visible examples.

On the other hand, braking has not been neglected, as it may be the case on some "old news": Honda installed two generous discs (296 mm) pinched by 3-piston calipers at the front. At the rear, there is a 256mm disc and a single piston caliper. All running under the supervision of the efficient combined ABS from the first manufacturer.

Knowing the qualities of the C-ABS system, there is no doubt that the 248 kg all full made of the CB1100 will be stopped without too much difficulty! Despite this weight also "old-fashioned", agility should be there because the wheelbase is relatively contained (1490 mm) and the tires are narrow: 110 mm at the front and 140 at the rear . A width more common today on a … 250 cc, like the !

The beautiful should also be comfortable given the thickness of its saddle culminating at 795 mm. The practical aspects are not neglected either since it carries a central stand, several anchoring points and large grab handles. Typically classic, the large needle dials of the tachometer and counter enclose a modern digital window where the time and fuel level are displayed in particular..

Yesterday’s sensations, today’s prices ?…

Offered in red (superb), white and black, the CB1100 will be available from "first quarter 2013 in the, according to our information.

It remains to know its price, a "detail" oh so important and for the moment unknown to French Honda officials. Because to make it compatible with European sound and environmental requirements, the winged crest had to make some adjustments compared to the Japanese and Australian model. And its transformations contribute to inflate a note which promises to be "salty": from 10,000 to 12,000 € according to our estimates..

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