2014 Honda CB1100 Review

Do you remember how the original [CB750][] felt? Perhaps you're of the age that you had experience with this world-beating Honda and understood the context—how the CB's silky smooth single-cam four was nothing like the raucous two-stroke Kawasaki triples or the shaky British twins. It was quick, modern, reliable, and surprisingly easy to ride. An important machine, sure, but more an example of stunning competence than adrenaline-pumping excitement.

Today, the talk surrounding our 2014 Honda CB1100 review is all about styling, how Honda worked overtime to go full retro with real steel fenders, just-so proportions, and the iconic CB-style tank shape. Big Red even made its first all-new air-cooled inline-four in decades. From most angles, the CB11 totally looks the part. It’s low, long, and appears strangely compact in today’s world of overgrown ADV bikes and big-boned nakeds. Cooling fins, tubular-steel frame members, round headlight, and an unadorned instrument cluster really pull the look together.

But what you can’t tell until you ride it is how soft and forgiving the CB1100 is. “I never thought I’d say an 1100 would make a great beginner bike, but the CB1100 really would,” Group Publisher Andy Leisner said after a day aboard the CB, noting its extremely soft initial throttle response, light (and progressive) clutch, low seat, and generally easygoing demeanor. Give credit to Honda for locking in a personality target and hitting it dead on: From the torquey (but not particularly lively) engine and soft (but well controlled) suspension to the linked, ABS-aided brakes and stable handling, the CB considers your question, exhales slowly, and says, “Take it easy, dude.”

No personality shifts in the year since it debuted, but the CB1100 has an extra gear for 2014, as well as a Deluxe version that includes linked ABS brakes, a two-muffler exhaust system, revised and color-matched side covers, and a 4.6-gallon tank, up from 3.9 gallons on last year’s model and this year’s base bike. Look out for a substantial price bump though; the base bike is up $400, now at $10,399, and the Deluxe runs $11,899.

Sixth gear makes the CB calmer on the highway, though, frankly, we’d prefer shorter overall gearing to make the 86-hp, 571-pound bike feel a little less soggy from 60 to 80 mph. Otherwise, performance is enjoyably brisk if not exactly competitive by modern literbike standards.

Performance is a nearly unimportant discussion, the sprig of parsley next to the juicy cheeseburger. Fact is, the CB1100 absolutely—without the slightest hesitation—looks right, feels right (for the period), and comports itself in exactly the right way. Like the original 750, this CB is not a performance ground-breaker, but it is very good.