Honda CBR1100XX > Reviews > '03 CBR1100xx-Oh what a motorcycle!

Author's product rating:   

Comfort	Good
Handling	Excellent
Looks	Excellent
Features	Excellent
Fuel consumption	Good

Advantages:	POWER, handling, smoothness, stability
Disadvantages:	Some may need time to adapt to riding position

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I've had my CBR1100xx only a month and have logged about 1450 miles so far. I came from cruiser bikes so the riding position took some adjustment for me. If you haven't ridden forward seating bikes like the XX, you'd be wise to get a book ("Sport Riding Techniques” by Nick Ienatsch is invaluable) or some pointers from someone who has one. Otherwise, you're likely to position yourself wrong and end up with unneeded pain. Helibars or VFR bars is a common upgrade to these bikes as the stock handlebar position can be a bit low especially if you're under 6 ft like I am. I have VFR handlebars installed on mine with gel grips, which raise the bars about another inch or so and is much better for me.

For the record, the proper way to ride is to sit with your crotch 1 inch from the tank, with your elbows totally bent and relaxed (not sticking out and definitely not straight or locked), and your back slightly rounded but not slumped.

I'm still adjusting to riding this way but everyday I like it more and more. Unless you have lots of riding experience, you better take it easy breaking yourself into the XX. It has insane power. It's very manageable and power delivery is ungodly smooth but twisting that throttle too hard can get you in big trouble if you don't know what you're doing. So take it easy at first. This is not as easy at it sounds as the XX is very easy to drive fast and will tempt you to be a hooligan. The engine makes beautiful music even in stock form. Once you get the rpms's over 5 grand, it begins to really roar and you'd better hold on.

The bike handles extremely well. It doesn't carve like a supersport bike in the twisties but nonetheless is easy to lean and does a great job. If you want a hardcore cornering bike though, the XX is too heavy for that. But for everyone else, it's more than adequate to have a blast on in the corners. It's also so easy to drive/steer slow. In traffic, you'll find you can almost keep your feet on the bike while you're not even moving and front end is very easy to control and doesn't wander at all.

On the highway again, the XX is very stable and comfortable. The stock windscreen does an OK job at blocking out wind but if you're looking to tour on this bike, a taller screen would be better as it's still a bit windy on the highway but doesn't bother me. Nevertheless, b/c of the aerodynamic shape of the xx and the riding position, this bike still slices thru the wind and feels like it's going a lot slower than it is. 100mph on this bike felt like 65 on my old Honda Magna. And fuel mileage is decent depending on how you ride. Spirited riding will get you usually low 30's for mpg. Tamer riding will yield around 40mpg. A 6.x gallon tank means you can usually get about 200 or so miles before hitting reserve the bike.

Braking is simply excellent. The dual discs up front a marvelous job. I find the linked braking system (LBS) to be just fine and easy to adapt to. In short this bike has great stopping power.

The stock seat so far is very good in my opinion although I haven't gone on rides longer than 80 miles. Riding 2 up on this bike is also a breeze. You hardly notice there is a passenger on it. However, the stock seat lends to your passenger sliding forward a bit, which can be annoying. An aftermarket Corbin Gunfighter and Lady supposedly is much better.

To round it all out, the XX comes with a great tach, digital speedo, fuel gauge, temp gauge and some decent under seat storage that also have clips to lock 2 helmets to the bike. The fuel injection is also great. This bike starts up like a car and is warmed up a minute or so later.

In sum, there's really very little not to like with the XX. If anything it may be too fast for some and could lend to a lot of speeding tickets if you're not careful (get a radar detector). But if you like speed, smoothness, handling, decent comfort, and Honda reliability....you will have a stupid grin on your face (and probably some drool) after riding a CBR1100xx.

I hope this info helped anyone considering this bike.