Click the pic above for more high-res images.
Retro is fast becoming an accepted design theme industry-wide with vehicles such as the New Beetle, Mini Cooper and Fiat 500 shining as examples of the genre. The same can be said of motorcycles, with such designs as the Ducati SportClassic range as well as half of Triumph's line acting as flag-bearers. Harley could be grouped into that category as well, although they've never really changed since... well, the beginning of time. Anyway, Honda is considering capitalizing on the market trend with a new design inspired by the ground-breaking CB's of the 1970's. When it was first introduced, the CB750 turned the motorcycle world upside-down and went a long way towards making the sporty English bikes of the day obsolete overnight. As an odd turn of events, though, the CB1100F seen above would be anything but revolutionary in the sporting bike game today, considering that the air-cooled engine, skinny "right-side-up" fork and dual shocks are carry-over pieces from the original design. Of course, that's why it looks retro and why many people would likely run to their nearest Honda dealership to place their orders.
[Source: Motorcycle Daily]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
dik Wolharig badeendje @ Jan 5th 2008 5:02PM
nice exhaust
nil8r73 @ Jan 5th 2008 5:25PM
"Retro" is becoming code for no imagination.....What happened to forward thinking?
indymcsc @ Jan 5th 2008 5:42PM
It's being phased out in favor of "playing it safe".
Gungosa @ Jan 5th 2008 10:05PM
i get really excited about these bikes and it has nothing to do with nostalgia (i was born in 83). harleys have never done it for me and every other bike seems to look like a harley knock off or a plastic rice rocket. then i stumbled onto the triumphs, then the ducati gt1000, now this (hopefully) newcomer. I'm not sure what you want in the way of forward thinking, but, honestly, it's a honda... when was the last time they came out with something that really pushed any envelope? It's rare in my life that a product/trend seems aimed squarely at me, but these retro bikes are for sure.
Jaymez @ Jan 5th 2008 5:54PM
The only Hondas I would ever buy are two wheelers. I had three CB's way back and wouldn't mind having another one. Any word on the pricing?
adam @ Jan 5th 2008 6:37PM
This is pretty old news. You report on the CB1100F, but not the 1100R (which is far more retro looking in my opinion)?
TheKneeSlider.com reported on this back in September. Have a look:
http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2007/09/20/honda-evo6-cb1100r-and-cb1100f-concepts/
Michael @ Jan 6th 2008 1:00AM
That 1100R is sweet!! I want it. As far as this 1100F is concerned, it's a little boring, but would make a great starting point for customization.
Jaymez @ Jan 5th 2008 6:41PM
Why does it matter how old the news is?
I'm a biker, in the market for a new ride, and I didn't know about it.
HotRodzNKustoms @ Jan 5th 2008 6:48PM
My favorite bike built today is the Triumph Bonneville. It's not fast. It does not ride great at all. It isn't particularly spectacular in any way, but it has that old time Cafe racer soul. And soul is what most modern bikes are missing today. Yes a 'Busa or ZX-14 are both devastatingly fast, great to ride, and are spectacular pieces of modern engineering, but they leave me cold. I want a bike that looks as if it is alive like these retro bikes. If I owned a 'Busa or ZX-14 you'd see me on the 6:00 news "Man get's killed doing 220mph on his turbo 'Busa. His helmet was found 5 miles further up the road." So just give me something cool looking like these retro bikes.
Lee @ Jan 5th 2008 6:50PM
Retro styling and Retro engineering are two different things. If Honda's digging into the old parts bin...this horse is dead before it even gets out the gate.
Lee @ Jan 5th 2008 6:58PM
Actually, japanese retro could be code for retro copy of >insert European marque here
aman @ Jan 5th 2008 8:36PM
you sure this is a Honda and not a harley? Suzuki already went the hot-rodder route, I wouldnt want Honda to follow.
2007RC46SP2 @ Jan 5th 2008 9:22PM
hope that honda doesn't get out of hand with the pricing. this thing has ABS so there's a $1000 right there.
im not digging the squared off tank. wish it had some more curves to it. but other then that this thing is gonna be a hit.
$7500 w/ ABS would be a great price. im just afraid that its gonna be $9k non ABS and $10k w ABS
HONDA, WHAT WE REALLY WANT IS THE EVO 6 and CB1100R!!!
Price the CB1100R at $10k and keep the EVO 6 under $17000 (preferably $15k) and im gonna have trouble keepin these things on my sales floor.
Gungosa @ Jan 5th 2008 9:59PM
finally a bike i like more than the ducati gt1000! the early pics of this bike on kneeslider looked lame, but these angles show a little more attitude. the ducati goes for around 10k, so surely this will be cheaper. it should also be safer and more dependable that the '76 750 four my dad gave me a couple months ago.
That One Person @ Jan 5th 2008 10:49PM
Nice.
I am actually buying my first bike soon...a 1979 Kawasaki 650 (not sure of the model...might be a Z650...I gotta talk to the owner). Everyone told me to get a crotch rocket (cuz that is supposedly the "cool" and "in" thing right now). Eff that! Sorry but I don't want to be humping a fuel tank all day. Heck, I couldn't even stand sitting on one.
I am a huge cruiser fan. And any new addition to the market is welcom. I have had enough of the crotch rockets and all the dumb kids that ride around on them like they are God's gift to this world...
WS @ Jan 5th 2008 11:25PM
I hope the production model comes with a four into four exhaust, or at least a two sided dual exhaust.
kevin @ Jan 5th 2008 11:42PM
This looks like my 91 NightHawk with a square tank and better brakes.
digitalzombie @ Jan 6th 2008 12:57AM
to Gungosa, last time they did it they had the vayarkie(I can't spell T_T) rune.
This one is pretty nice looking for a retro. Exhaust is wow. The pictures resolution is too small.
Matt @ Jan 6th 2008 2:27AM
That's sweet.
My dad has a 76(i think) CB750, and I have a 78 Suzuki GS750. great bikes.
Dr. Greenthumb @ Jan 6th 2008 9:18AM
Sorry to say, but these bikes have been around for almost two years. Just about every Japanese bike manufacturer builds one. They are selling better in Europe than in the US.
US bike scene currently split between Crotch Rockets and Smelly Davidsons, with everyone and their brother literally building customs.
BTW: Harley Davidson's V-Rod can be looked on as a first in this renaissance, since it predates any of these, and is neither a crotch rocket or a cruiser.