I’m riding a Honda CMX1100 because of a Harley Owner. During our everyday motorcycle conversations, he would suggest that the type of motorcycle I prefer to ride did not encourage me to enjoy the journey.
I would then inquire about the scenery at the last place his Harley came to an unscheduled stop, and from there, the well-humoured insults would continue throughout the day.
As much as I don’t want to admit it, there is some substance in the point he was making. I enjoy the single-minded focus that riding brings. The challenge of riding each section of road as efficiently as possible while searching for that effortless smooth style which maximises forward motion. I’m still working on the effortless part.
The roads I enjoy the most are typically B roads and backroads, which often come with stunning scenery. Yet I’m usually staring intently at the next corner and miss the magnificence around me.
The answer is obvious: slow down and enjoy the ride, and for that, I need a change of mindset. Hence – thanks to those excellent humans at Honda – I have a Honda CMX1100 for a couple of weeks to enjoy the summer scenery with.
Honda CMX1100 – Numbers
It is peculiar, perhaps, given I’m riding a cruiser to get myself into the mindset of enjoying the journey, that the first thing I do is look up the weight and power numbers.
Call it a Bobber – although technically it can’t be because the CMX1100 has a rear seat – a Cruiser or a Custom, with a seat height of 700mm (27.5 inches), it will accommodate most riders.
To move the CMX1100’s 233kgs kerb weight, Honda has used a remapped version of the 1084cc parallel twin from the Africa Twin. Another variant of the power plant also moves the NT1100.
In CMX1100 tune, the motor produces 85.8HP, 87PS or 64Kw at 7,000RPM and 98Nm of torque at 4,750RPM, which is down slightly on the 75Kw/102HP and 105Nm of torque it produces in Africa Twin mode.
To give the CMX1100 the easy roll-on, roll-off throttle response you are looking for from a Cruiser, Honda has pushed max torque for the CMX1100 two thousand RPM lower than on the Africa Twin, giving the bike a smooth yet eager motor as soon as you crack the throttle.
There’s Different
As someone whose only other experience of a Cruiser was on a rented Harley, the first thing I wondered was where the foot pegs were. Muscle memory kicked in as I pulled away, and my leg went looking for the foot peg in the normal position, finding nothing but fresh air.
The riding position isn’t the exaggerated feet forward found on other Cruisers; it is more subtle than that. What a sports tourer is to a traditional road bike, the CMX1100 is, but in the opposite direction.
Being six feet tall (1.82m), I wouldn’t want to be any taller if the CMX1100 was my daily ride. Other riders over six feet have found the bike comfortable, so perhaps I simply don’t bend as easily as I once did?
Whatever the reason, I can see the riding position being a Marmite moment (love it or hate it with little in between).
On my initial 50-mile ride, I was enjoying it. I was riding back roads I know well in the early evening sunshine, rejoicing in how the fat Dunlop D428F tyres smoothed out the carved-up tarmac.
The suspension, though, is going to need some tweaking. The straight-out-of-the-factory settings are harder than I would have expected at the rear for a motorcycle that is all about a relaxed ride. It is nothing five minutes with a C spanner won’t fix.
Points for Style
Besides the riding position, I noticed how quickly the CMX1100 changed my riding style.
Usually, it is all about looking, leaning and rolling. My head and body look where I want to go. Everything leans in that direction, and around the corner, we roll.
Twenty minutes into my first ride, I noticed I was tilting my head upright as I rode through the bends. It seems to be a typical style for Cruiser riders, and either I’m just copying what I’ve seen, or the riding position and low seat height encourage this style.
There is nothing wrong with the change. It only helped to broaden the grin on my face riding motorcycles always brings.
What’s Next
The weather forecast for the next two weeks looks pretty good. I’m hoping for numerous explorations of the countryside on warm evenings while learning the art of chilling the **** out.
