Honda Concept CB Type II
The tame CB1100 finally gets some sport
Honda revealed a new concept model based on the CB1100 at the Osaka Motorcycle Show. The new concept, dubbed the Concept CB Type II, is described as “a new direction in air-cooled CB models.”
The Type II follows another CB1100-based concept shown at Japanese motorcycle shows last year (the red bike pictured below that we’ll dub the “Type I”). The Type I looks fairly similar to the existing CB1100 and appears close to being production-ready while the Type II is a café-influenced variant on the CB.
Both concepts appear to share the same engine and frame as the existing CB1100. The concepts have new, straighter header pipes with the Type II receiving an exhaust from Over Racing. The Type II also gets radial-mount Brembo brake calipers, twin Öhlins rear shocks and a Showa fork, likely the 43mm Honda Multi-Action System (HMAS) fork used on the Interceptor (the VFR800F uses one of the few right-side-up fork designs with a separate fork lowers designed to fit radial-mount brakes.)
The Type I uses wire-spoke wheels for a more retro look, while the Type II sports lighter-weight alloy wheels. The Type II’s sporting intent is revealed by a beefy new aluminum swingarm, solo seat, underslung bar-end mirrors and several carbon fiber goodies.
At the moment, the two models officially remain concepts, though the Type I appears entirely ready for production. The Type II is probably a step further from production, but it would add a measure of sportiness sorely lacking from the existing CB1100 and would make for a well-timed introduction to do battle with Triumph’s exciting new Thruxton.
Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
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No seam on the bottom of the tank?! Finally.
For those of us into the original DOHC-4 Honda series, '79-'83 750/900/1000/1100 models, who were totally hyped on this new project since the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show's CB1100R concept? I should think I speak for us all when I say it's a massive let-down that once again they haven't given us some version of that original, killer, '07 concept bike - Sooner or later, somebody's gonna have to offer a copy of that '07 'R FRAME, and we'll all be able to build one of our own. But would one wish to wrap it around the 2010-2015 engine, or even one from these "new' Type-One & Type-Two series? Or was there something better sitting around on the 2nd-hand market all along??? 'Cause if there's anything one should know about the new CB1100 Type-One or Type-Two, the only question is whether it's got enough power to contend with Honda's own '81-'83 CB1100R & '83 CB1100F!!! Until this thing's making upwards of 140HP ... I mean wtf. The thing should've been given more grunt and it should've been the '07 CB1100R all along. But with widened COMSTAR rims on it or some improved upon version of which - perhaps a 5-spoke/10-spoke/20-spoke (Comstar copy) or 3-spoke/6-spoke/12-spoke (Boomerang style) version of the cast Magnesium composite rims from MARVIC, ala Ducati F1 Montjuich/SantaMonica/LagunaSeca, with the same light-weight Akront "NERVI" rims bolted to the circumference. In 18" diameter of course - perhaps with the new 180/55ZR18 crotch-rocket rubber, same as all of the 17" stuff but in an 18" diameter - Now THAT would be fully modern while at the same time tipping one's hat to the Old's-Cool series. It would also be nice to see Honda bring back some type of externally tune-able FORK, analogous to the TRAC anti-dive mechanism - I mean, TRAC would be nice to have, but some dampening control knobs on the lower fork would be interesting too. 'Cause there's soooo much more to the originals than just an air-cooled DOHC engine....