Deal or no deal: Honda Blackbird

[RD56]

Saw this for sale, anybody know these bikes? This is a 1998, purchased new in 2001. True mint condition, 9.8k miles, one owner. $4350, stock, new Pilots. May be a nice ride while I get my '85 FJ ready for the summer. Price seems high, any guidance. Thanks in advance, Rick.

[Capn Ron]

I can't speak directly to that bike...in regards to it's riding position as a match to you and/or what you're looking for.  A quick search reveals it as a Honda CBR 1100...maybe with some extra bits like full mid and lower fairings?  Wow...I'm convinced it's a quality ride...every Honda I've been on or owned has been nothing short of precise.  At 16 years old...even with low mileage, it does seem high, but Hondas typically hold high value.

Cap'n Ron. . .

[Pat Conlon]

1998 was the last year for carburetors. I would get a '99 or later edition.

[andyb]

Funny, I'd have said go for it because of the carbs  

Riding position is a little more aggressive than the FJ if memory serves, and they are so smooth as to make the speed nearly boring.  Suspension has no real adjustments, and there isn't a huge amount of aftermarket support if you want more power.  Really heavy too.  Pretty much a push against a ZX11, but more comfortable if you're under 6'.

Still think it's one of the best looking bikes ever made.  Sounds a bit on the high side for price to me, if only because there's only two kinds.  The kind that was destroyed pretty much the first week, and the ones that suffered from wife`n kids syndrome or scared the crap out of the owners, and ended up with few miles in any case.

Ron:  It'd be a CBR1100XX, should have full fairings as stock.  It replaced the CBR1000F, and briefly took the top speed honors from the ZX11 until the GSX1300R came out.

[Bones]

Early carb models had more power than the later efi models. 164 hp - 91 lb ft torque down to 152 hp. Either way, more than enough.

[rusjel]

I can't advise if the bike is good value, but I can say they are great bikes.

Not as comfy as an FJ but can be made a lot better with the addition od late model (43mm) VFR bars.

The suspension can be modified cheaply and with a small mod to the top of the rear shock to lift the ride height they handle better than a big barge should.

But if you are already riding an FJ that's hardly going to be a problem!

Below 4 they don't have as much as an FJ, above 5 the FJ will have trouble figuring out which way the 'Bird went.

The motor is so smooth and refined some say it's a little dull. I find 130 mph in fourth and still pulling hard anything but.

I'm on my second one and reckon you either fall in love with them or not, so maybe you should ride it.   

[Dads_FJ]

Don't know much about them either, but that they were faster than hell.  Here's some in Minnesota if you are comparing prices etc...

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/mcy/4320395725.html

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/mcy/4268252494.html

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/mcy/4285156382.html

[JMR]

The only thing I didn't like about them was the linked brake system. I believe it was Two Brothers that was developing a kit (back in the day) to separate the front/back systems but nothing ever came of it. A very solid bike....typical Honda.

[Dan Filetti]

I had the Hurricane CBR1000F that the Blackbird replaced.  It was sewing machine smooth, and well put together.  the F was a bit peaky, the power was farther up in the rev range than it was on the FJ -not 600 peaky, but noticeably more so than the FJ.  It was too heavy and long to be particularity flick-able.  It seemed to be made for long, fast 90+mph 4th gear sweepers, that was where that bike really felt at home. It was less comfortable when the corners got tighter.   It did super-slab distance as well as the FJ would, and would be my preference between the two bikes if I were going very long distances -mostly due to that smoothness and plush, if not aggressive suspension.

As was said, you need to ride one.  You'll likely either love it or not.

Dan

[RD56]

Thanks to all for your input, as usual the exhaustive lexicon of bike related experience is truly remarkable. To that end perhaps a fun exercise, on yet another snowy day here on the other coast, would be to start a post that is capable of stumping this genetically superior talent pool. Please note that I said talent pool not cesspool.

Rules of this challenge will be as follows:

1) Cannot use any search engines, dictionaries or research materials of any kind, including spouses and especially kids, because they will cheat to get the answer. This is the toughest caveat and takes a true FJ Gentleman with FJ sized balls. Please take a silent oath at this time, or do not participate. WE WILL KNOW IF YOU CHEAT, specially those in Canada.

2) Must be something that everyone of our geriatric age would have some knowledge of, or experience with, in the normal course of every day life. To clarify, this means that anyone who rides with a cherry bomb between his or her legs, is automatically disqualified. You know too much about everything anyhow. Also any of you assholes with a background in quantum physics, sit tight in your basement labs.

3) Prizes will be awarded to winners by RPM Racing, haven't talked to Randy about this yet, but I'm sure he'll be OK with it. You pick ONE item out of his exhaustive lexicon of parts and it will be sent out to you as soon as the proper due diligence is completed by the judging panel. They will make sure that the above mentioned rules are followed to a tee. Judges will remain anonymous so that there will no undue influence brought to bear on these poor, over-burdened  souls.

4) Finally, the cheater who figures out the definition or meaning of the word, phrase, or quantum physics bullshit will be responsible for posting the next challenge. Anyone found cheating will be eliminated from the challenge and sent to Canada.

First Challenge: Define the word

ZARF

.

Hint: Any member of an age that has eaten a hamburger at the counter of an FW Woolworth should know the answer to this question and will not need to cheat.

[FJmonkey]

I had to look it up, funny word.

[RD56]

Monkey, I'm afraid the judges will be in touch with you.

[FJmonkey]

Monkey, I'm afraid the judges will be in touch with you.

Yea, I new I was out as soon I read the word. No shame in being honest. 

[airheadPete]

Here we go again....
Monkey's looking to get spanked!

[andyb]

I had the Hurricane CBR1000F that the Blackbird replaced.  It was sewing machine smooth, and well put together.  the F was a bit peaky, the power was farther up in the rev range than it was on the FJ -not 600 peaky, but noticeably more so than the FJ.  It was too heavy and long to be particularity flick-able.  It seemed to be made for long, fast 90+mph 4th gear sweepers, that was where that bike really felt at home. It was less comfortable when the corners got tighter.   It did super-slab distance as well as the FJ would, and would be my preference between the two bikes if I were going very long distances -mostly due to that smoothness and plush, if not aggressive suspension.

I actually had an 87 CBR1000, before the F suffix I think.  That makes me think though, one of the major issues with that engine was the characteristic of eating camchains sometime past 30k.  Did the XX have that improved/fixed in the transition, or was it a ground-up new motor?

I miss the character of that motor.  It was jetted poorly in part (now I know, years later...).  Under 3k rpm it spat and spluttered, 3-6k was reasonably smooth and usably powerful, between 6-7k there was a big flat spot that was deadly smooth, and very painful to your liscence if you held those revs while cruising.. and once the needle hit 7k, it was going to be time to shift by the time you could react.  Saddled with a ridiculous tiny 140mm rear tire (Dunlop K591 maybe?), I distinctly remember dropping a few gears to pass a minivan once, snapping the gas open, and blowing the tire away while travelling 80mph, with the back jumping sideways about a foot so that I was pointed at the minivan's rear wheel.  Scary stuff, but loveable.


___________________-

I had to cheat.  Interesting word.  And possibly the biggest non-sequitur the forum's seen in awhile