1980s-styling, modern-day brakes, tyres and suspension. The Honda CB1100RS, which is now sadly out of production, is my dream bike. How times change!
‘We
look before and after, and pine for what is not,’ said English poet Percy Shelley,
two-hundred years ago. The English poet was definitely no biker-boy, but what
he said does apply to motorcycles as well. Well, at least for some of us. Let
me explain. When I was young, I lusted after the latest, fastest, most powerful
sportsbikes and superbikes – Suzuki GSX-Rs, Yamaha FZRs, Honda CBRs and Kawasaki
ZXR Ninjas. Exotic Ducatis and Bimotas. And BMWs, which were always a bit
weird. These were machines I only saw in the pages of second-hand foreign
magazines like Cycle World and Bike, copies of which I was
sometimes able to get in bookshops in Hazratganj, in Lucknow. At that time, I
used to have a Yamaha RX100, which had an 11bhp, two-stroke engine that loved
to rev its heart out. Eleven horsepower isn’t really much, but the magic was in
the way in which the Yamaha engine delivered that power – instant acceleration
and long wheelies in 1st gear. I can’t begin to tell you how much I
loved that Yamaha.
When I grew up and went to Bombay, and worked with various car and motorcycle magazines there, I got an opportunity to live the dreams of my youth. As an automotive journalist, I got to ride some of the fastest, most powerful bikes in the world and wrote about those for various magazines. And yes, those bikes – especially the Kawasaki ZX-14R and the Suzuki Hayabusa – were every bit as enjoyable and as memorable to ride as I’d hoped they would be.
When I was younger, I assumed I’d always be riding motorcycles. I simply could not have imagined that there would – or could – be a time when I wouldn’t be riding bikes. But life doesn’t always work out the way you think it would and things don’t always go to plan. And so here I am, in mid-2024, and I haven’t ridden a motorcycle in the last 5-6 years. I will not go into the details of how and why that is – it’s just how my life has turned out. But I do think of my motorcycling days sometimes, and do want to start riding again.
This time around, however, there are no dreams of superbikes and hardcore sportsbikes. For one, I’m no longer willing to put up with a great deal of discomfort while riding, so sportsbikes, with their bum-up, weight-on-the-wrists riding position are no longer an option. And the other thing is, I have absolutely no interest in scrolling through TFT instrument panels and selecting traction control settings or choosing between riding modes or setting up a Bluetooth connection with my phone. I want to ride a motorcycle, not operate a f***ing computer! And hence, the bike I now want is the Honda CB1100RS, which was in production until 2022 but was axed from the Honda line-up after that.
For one, the CB1100RS looks like a proper motorcycle. No wings, no weird headlamp shapes, no overly angular bodywork. Just a simple, round-shaped headlamp, a nicely proportionate fuel tank, a big, comfortable-looking seat, twin rear shocks (adjustable), disc brakes at both ends, and an 1140cc four-cylinder engine that produces 90 horsepower. Okay, I’d have liked a bit more power – about 125bhp would have been perfect. But the CB1100 can still accelerate from zero to 100kph in 3.5 seconds and hit a top speed of 210kph, which is quite sufficient for me. I used to love the idea of 200-horsepower ZX-14Rs and Hayabusas that could do 300kph, but I’m 51 years old now and happy to ride at moderate speeds. I think I’ve simply outgrown my earlier fascination with outright straight-line speed.
The other thing about the Honda CB1100RS is that one doesn’t need to dress like Marc Marquez on a MotoGP weekend in order to ride the bike. You don’t need a Dainese racing suit and the fanciest Arai helmet on the planet. A pair of jeans and a leather jacket should be okay, along with sensible riding boots and gloves. And, of course, a high-quality retro-style helmet with an orange-tinted bubble-visor.
Of course, the CB1100 is no longer in production and I seriously doubt if it’s coming back anytime soon. So, of the bikes that are currently available on the market, what are my options? Well, I like the Triumph Speed Twin 1200, which is priced at Rs 11 lakh (ex-showroom) in India. And the Kawasaki Z900RS CafĂ© looks terrific, though it isn’t available in India. These are the bikes I want to ride. But let’s see if I can get my hand on any of these in the foreseeable future. One lives in hope... :-)
When I grew up and went to Bombay, and worked with various car and motorcycle magazines there, I got an opportunity to live the dreams of my youth. As an automotive journalist, I got to ride some of the fastest, most powerful bikes in the world and wrote about those for various magazines. And yes, those bikes – especially the Kawasaki ZX-14R and the Suzuki Hayabusa – were every bit as enjoyable and as memorable to ride as I’d hoped they would be.
When I was younger, I assumed I’d always be riding motorcycles. I simply could not have imagined that there would – or could – be a time when I wouldn’t be riding bikes. But life doesn’t always work out the way you think it would and things don’t always go to plan. And so here I am, in mid-2024, and I haven’t ridden a motorcycle in the last 5-6 years. I will not go into the details of how and why that is – it’s just how my life has turned out. But I do think of my motorcycling days sometimes, and do want to start riding again.
This time around, however, there are no dreams of superbikes and hardcore sportsbikes. For one, I’m no longer willing to put up with a great deal of discomfort while riding, so sportsbikes, with their bum-up, weight-on-the-wrists riding position are no longer an option. And the other thing is, I have absolutely no interest in scrolling through TFT instrument panels and selecting traction control settings or choosing between riding modes or setting up a Bluetooth connection with my phone. I want to ride a motorcycle, not operate a f***ing computer! And hence, the bike I now want is the Honda CB1100RS, which was in production until 2022 but was axed from the Honda line-up after that.
For one, the CB1100RS looks like a proper motorcycle. No wings, no weird headlamp shapes, no overly angular bodywork. Just a simple, round-shaped headlamp, a nicely proportionate fuel tank, a big, comfortable-looking seat, twin rear shocks (adjustable), disc brakes at both ends, and an 1140cc four-cylinder engine that produces 90 horsepower. Okay, I’d have liked a bit more power – about 125bhp would have been perfect. But the CB1100 can still accelerate from zero to 100kph in 3.5 seconds and hit a top speed of 210kph, which is quite sufficient for me. I used to love the idea of 200-horsepower ZX-14Rs and Hayabusas that could do 300kph, but I’m 51 years old now and happy to ride at moderate speeds. I think I’ve simply outgrown my earlier fascination with outright straight-line speed.
The other thing about the Honda CB1100RS is that one doesn’t need to dress like Marc Marquez on a MotoGP weekend in order to ride the bike. You don’t need a Dainese racing suit and the fanciest Arai helmet on the planet. A pair of jeans and a leather jacket should be okay, along with sensible riding boots and gloves. And, of course, a high-quality retro-style helmet with an orange-tinted bubble-visor.
Of course, the CB1100 is no longer in production and I seriously doubt if it’s coming back anytime soon. So, of the bikes that are currently available on the market, what are my options? Well, I like the Triumph Speed Twin 1200, which is priced at Rs 11 lakh (ex-showroom) in India. And the Kawasaki Z900RS CafĂ© looks terrific, though it isn’t available in India. These are the bikes I want to ride. But let’s see if I can get my hand on any of these in the foreseeable future. One lives in hope... :-)
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