F WOES

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 3:07 am

I AM STARTING TO WONDER WHAT IT REALLY IS, THAT I THINK I LIKE ABOUT MY F'S. AFTER ALMOST TWO YEARS OF REFUSING TO RIDE MY FATHERS NEW GOLDWING GL 1800 I FINALLY GOT ON IT. NOW I WONDER WHAT IT IS THAT MAKES ME THINK THAT MY F'S ARE SO GREAT. THIS HUGE TOURING MACHINE OF MY FATHERS IS FASTER, YES I SAID FASTER, HANDLES BETTER, IS MORE COMFORTABLE AND HAS THE ADDED BONUS OF A RADIO AND BAGS AMONG OTHER THINGS. THIS REALLY PUTS A HAMPERING ON ALL THE UPGRADES I HAD PLANNED FOR MY F'S. AFTER A FEW DAYS OF THINKING ABOUT IT, ALL I COULD THINK OF THAT MY BIKES HAD THAT MY DAD'S DIDN'T IS NOSTALGIA. WHICH NOW CHANGES THE WAY THAT I'M GOING TO TREAT MY FS FROM NOW ON. I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT THESE BIKES ARE NEVER GOING TO BE FAST AND HANDLE GOOD IN TODAYS STANDARDS, SO WHY TRY AND RUIN A NICE BIKE IN THE PROCESS. I THINK IF YOU IF WANT A CBR BUY ONE AND LEAVE YOUR F BE. BECAUSE NOSTALGIA IS ALL WE HAVE LEFT.

CB1100F Joined: Jul 02, 2003 Posts: 3189 Location: Phoenix

Brent wrote:

I AM STARTING TO WONDER WHAT IT REALLY IS, THAT I THINK I LIKE ABOUT MY F'S. AFTER ALMOST TWO YEARS OF REFUSING TO RIDE MY FATHERS NEW GOLDWING GL 1800 I FINALLY GOT ON IT. NOW I WONDER WHAT IT IS THAT MAKES ME THINK THAT MY F'S ARE SO GREAT. THIS HUGE TOURING MACHINE OF MY FATHERS IS FASTER, YES I SAID FASTER, HANDLES BETTER, IS MORE COMFORTABLE AND HAS THE ADDED BONUS OF A RADIO AND BAGS AMONG OTHER THINGS. THIS REALLY PUTS A HAMPERING ON ALL THE UPGRADES I HAD PLANNED FOR MY F'S. AFTER A FEW DAYS OF THINKING ABOUT IT, ALL I COULD THINK OF THAT MY BIKES HAD THAT MY DAD'S DIDN'T IS NOSTALGIA. WHICH NOW CHANGES THE WAY THAT I'M GOING TO TREAT MY FS FROM NOW ON. I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT THESE BIKES ARE NEVER GOING TO BE FAST AND HANDLE GOOD IN TODAYS STANDARDS, SO WHY TRY AND RUIN A NICE BIKE IN THE PROCESS. I THINK IF YOU IF WANT A CBR BUY ONE AND LEAVE YOUR F BE. BECAUSE NOSTALGIA IS ALL WE HAVE LEFT.

First of all, you may want to turn the caps off before people think you are yelling the whole time. Second thing is I personally don't totally agree on all of your assumptions. More power probably, it does have a bigger motor. Better handling, I doubt it for a few reasons. One, it is a shaft drive. That is normally considered a drawback in the handling department. Also The Goldwing is quite heavier and bulkier as well. With a skilled rider, it can scoot along around the twisties pretty well. I know of two people with such skill on a goldwing(one is a member on the site). The other has been seen on the internet riding a wing side-saddled. And as you talked about being as fast as today's standards, I would also disagree. I took my 1200 Bandit to the Hoot(900 not ready yet) and rode against Larry(1123 kit, CR carbs, V&H pipe). On the Skyway, I had to work pretty hard to stay with him and he packed a pretty good punch coming out of the corners. Also don't forget, there is also Stoutblock's monster and of course the Da Beast which I am sure would give a lot of modern bikes a run for their money.

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 3:33 am

Hi Brent.... you can drop all your F's and their problems off in my garage and go buy yourself a goldwing.... seriously though...... Laughing

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 3:45 am

Brent wrote:

I AM STARTING TO WONDER WHAT IT REALLY IS, THAT I THINK I LIKE ABOUT MY F'S. AFTER ALMOST TWO YEARS OF REFUSING TO RIDE MY FATHERS NEW GOLDWING GL 1800 I FINALLY GOT ON IT. NOW I WONDER WHAT IT IS THAT MAKES ME THINK THAT MY F'S ARE SO GREAT. THIS HUGE TOURING MACHINE OF MY FATHERS IS FASTER, YES I SAID FASTER, HANDLES BETTER, IS MORE COMFORTABLE AND HAS THE ADDED BONUS OF A RADIO AND BAGS AMONG OTHER THINGS. THIS REALLY PUTS A HAMPERING ON ALL THE UPGRADES I HAD PLANNED FOR MY F'S. AFTER A FEW DAYS OF THINKING ABOUT IT, ALL I COULD THINK OF THAT MY BIKES HAD THAT MY DAD'S DIDN'T IS NOSTALGIA. WHICH NOW CHANGES THE WAY THAT I'M GOING TO TREAT MY FS FROM NOW ON. I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT THESE BIKES ARE NEVER GOING TO BE FAST AND HANDLE GOOD IN TODAYS STANDARDS, SO WHY TRY AND RUIN A NICE BIKE IN THE PROCESS. I THINK IF YOU IF WANT A CBR BUY ONE AND LEAVE YOUR F BE. BECAUSE NOSTALGIA IS ALL WE HAVE LEFT.

please don't yell....

This disussion of F bikes never being as good as newer bikes has been beat to death and people keep digging it up and beating the same dead horse.... thank you for your opinion I will take that to a cup of coffee.... Why don't I just buy a CBR you ask.... because I don't like spending $5000 for a USED bike.... what I really want is a hayabusa... but all I can do is keep making my F cool...

if you think people are crazy to trick out their F's fine thats great n all... its more like making it your own... like there isn't another bike like yours out there. Like take mine for example... oil pressure and temp gauge, voltage gauge 160MPH 2 1/2" speedometer and tach... clip on handlebars that I MADE!!! thats right I slaved over a hot welder to make my own handlebars! Next I will cut up my stock exhaust to put a pair of hayabusa cans on there... then I will put a CBR front end on and a CBR backend. Then I will stand back, crack open an ice cold Corona and love my bike because I know it loves me back!

Even if I get my new hayabusa I couldn't imagine selling my honda F.... Don't know why don't care but it will remain part of me for a long long time. So if you don't love your F like your child then please do the humane thing and post in the FOR SALE/WANTED forum.

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 3:48 am

well i don't think i'm going to get rid of my f's because they are worth more to me than than the cash they can bring. My point was in that whole paragraph I wrote is that I think that some of us are delusional and think that our f's are crotch rockets. I see all these folks modding there f's to try and keep up them. Yes our bikes are fast enough but not what we hype them up to be.

Oh, and i can promise that gold wing will out handle a stock f anyday of the week it has a cbr based aluminum chassis. A goldwing now, is a crotch rocket hidden under all that fairing and bags.

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 3:56 am

Hi Brent,Welcome aboard.
There have been alot of bikes go thru my garage in the last thirty years
Big ones {three KZ1300} little ones {1966 susuki 80} Fast ones
{CBR1100XX} Quik ones {1500ccKawi 250horse} But none of them have
captured my heart like my 82 CB900F an I don`t know why, maybe it`s
cause it`s out lasted my last three old ladies & give me less trouble
than anyone of them.
DanimalOXO7

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 4:04 am

I won't slam you for your comments,we are all entitled to our opinion. Let me tell you a little about my bike.And when I'm done you tell which bike is the better one. Here's what my bike (1100F) has done for me in my life.

1- Never left me on the side of the road
2- Has great handling
3- It ain't the quickest but she ain't the slowest neither
4- Limited production bike, only 1 year,not like so many othe bikes made
5- Increasing in value ,not depreciating like most other bikes
5- Brought me to this forum
6- Introduced me to the "Honda Hoot"
7- I have great pride when I ride it, constantly looking at my reflection when I pass by buildings.
8- And the most important thing of all.....Met some terrific people,and out of that made some good friends whom I know I will see every year god willing of course at "the Capri Hotel"
The spirit that is attached to these bikes is phenominal. The passion these guys have for their "F's and the type of characters that have em are the kind of people I want in my life.

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 4:05 am

Last year I was riding with a guy that has a goldwing ,
yes he was faster- (on top end)
quicker in the twisties-(doesn't know bikes have limits)
BUT
when whenever we'd go anywhere ,
NOBODY I mean NOBODY
was checking out his bike ...........
My OLD '79 F was drawing quite a few questions.
I have no intention of trading off my F for a newer bike,
fuel efficiency this guys i'll suffer with my POOR OL "F"

I like that.
Twisted Evil

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 4:27 am

Brent wrote:

well i don't think i'm going to get rid of my f's because they are worth more to me than than the cash they can bring. My point was in that whole paragraph I wrote is that I think that some of us are delusional and think that our f's are crotch rockets. I see all these folks modding there f's to try and keep up them. Yes our bikes are fast enough but not what we hype them up to be.

Oh, and i can promise that gold wing will out handle a stock f anyday of the week it has a cbr based aluminum chassis. A goldwing now, is a crotch rocket hidden under all that fairing and bags.

Thanks for the advise and now won't you take your three post total and just walk away and leave us poor deluded souls to our dreams of glory. Razz

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 4:56 am

Well put jons !!!!!!!!!!!!! Twisted Evil

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 5:04 am

My F is just that....MY F! It's not the fastest...it's not the best in the twisties....and it's not the nostagia.

I built this bike from boxes of parts. I custom painted it in my garage to my liking. I don't give a damn if the next guy's bike is bigger or faster or handles better. This bike does everything I ask of it and doesn't give me any grief.

If I wanted a gold wing or a crotch rocket, I would have one....along with my F.

My F is a tank.....it's not a crotch rocket by any means. It rides like a Cadillac, handles like a bicycle, gets 47 mpg consistantly, looks great, and most importantly, makes me smile when I ride it.

The bike is a 24 year old standard with a soul of it's own. I've tried but I could never replace it. That's what makes an F a great bike.

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 5:11 am

I'm thinking that Brent just doesn't get it!!

Just like most things, motorcycles go as fast as the operator has the skill to control.... Many a newer, faster, better suspended motorcycle gets passed by these old F bikes ridden by us old, deluded F lovers...But that is not the point...!

The point is that we have made a choice to pursue and perpetuate the F bike mystique for what it is....!

I say love it or leave it!!

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 6:00 am

In my motorcycling lifetime, dating from 1961, there have been three motorcycles that (for me) had a Whoa factor upon first sight. They look(ed) to me the way a motorcycle should look. It happens that they are all Hondas.
CL72 scrambler - not the later CL77 with the "can"
CB400f
CB1100f (and it's direct ancestors 750f, 900f)

Even when new, they were not the cutting edge of performance. In fact, that old Scrambler was a tank. Then again, it didn't matter. When I bought my 11f new in 1983, I waffled a bit about the Suzuki. The Suzuki was probably a better motorcycle, but it didn't look right to me.

Now that I'm old and fat with no pretensions of being remotely fast, I find the "lesser" performance of my stock(ish) 11f to fit my bill exactly. A level of sporting performance which exceeds anything that I could possibly do. What the hell would I do with a Hayabusa?

By the way, young man, if you view a radio and saddlebags as a "bonus", you sure are missing the point of the 'F'. SPORT touring is an exercise in minimalism, not lap of luxury comfort. A Wing does comfort touring brilliantly, its just not my kind of motorcycle.

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 7:35 am

Brent wrote:

I AM STARTING TO WONDER WHAT IT REALLY IS, THAT I THINK I LIKE ABOUT MY F'S. AFTER ALMOST TWO YEARS OF REFUSING TO RIDE MY FATHERS NEW GOLDWING GL 1800 I FINALLY GOT ON IT. NOW I WONDER WHAT IT IS THAT MAKES ME THINK THAT MY F'S ARE SO GREAT. THIS HUGE TOURING MACHINE OF MY FATHERS IS FASTER, YES I SAID FASTER, HANDLES BETTER, IS MORE COMFORTABLE AND HAS THE ADDED BONUS OF A RADIO AND BAGS AMONG OTHER THINGS. THIS REALLY PUTS A HAMPERING ON ALL THE UPGRADES I HAD PLANNED FOR MY F'S. AFTER A FEW DAYS OF THINKING ABOUT IT, ALL I COULD THINK OF THAT MY BIKES HAD THAT MY DAD'S DIDN'T IS NOSTALGIA. WHICH NOW CHANGES THE WAY THAT I'M GOING TO TREAT MY FS FROM NOW ON. I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT THESE BIKES ARE NEVER GOING TO BE FAST AND HANDLE GOOD IN TODAYS STANDARDS, SO WHY TRY AND RUIN A NICE BIKE IN THE PROCESS. I THINK IF YOU IF WANT A CBR BUY ONE AND LEAVE YOUR F BE. BECAUSE NOSTALGIA IS ALL WE HAVE LEFT.

Wait a sec.. Back the lovin' fullyloaded 'Wing up a sec Laughing

!

I like all the extra comforts the new 'Wings have and all .
But ... I love to work on and modify every aspect of my bike and to improve it to better than stock. and in my opinion better than new!
New bikes are all "sealed up" you can't even see any part of the motor .
And taking off the fairings to make the new bikes "naked" don't cut it either Twisted Evil

Me and my 1100f are a perfect fit .
I've ridden against the 10 or so New 'Wings , and here are my findings:
They handle great but my F gets out of the turns carrying a lot more speed ,IRL Top speed not sure nobody on them wanted to go past 140.
Off the line they aren't worth me starting my F for, they are slow compared to me and my F when we get to "draggin" from 0 to what ever i feel like that day.
And my engine is stock except for bolt on's .
Perhaps a combination of rider and bike ???
That is a lot of it !
But for me , i found there are a lot of slow new bikes as far as drag racing goes. Gixxer 600's , 750's 1000's from my experience have never gotten me off the line , and usually with the big bikes we both would end up side by side unless there are some corners coming up or if the other guy is willing to split traffic at 120 then the other guy's long gone.
My point is never underestimate the Rider/Bike combo .
I've beaten 'Busa's on the straights cause the rider didn't know his bike .
Now when i get my very own 'Busa i'll be sure to learn how to "Ride" that one ! Laughing

<Lee>

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 11:23 am

razor02097 wrote:

Even if I get my new hayabusa I couldn't imagine selling my honda F....

You better not sell your F! Shocked

You'll need it more than ever then just to keep from snapping the needle off the ugly meter when you pull the Eyeabuser in the garage... Rolling Eyes

Just kidding... Twisted Evil

...sorta....

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 12:46 pm

quik900f wrote:

razor02097 wrote:

Even if I get my new hayabusa I couldn't imagine selling my honda F....

You better not sell your F! Shocked

You'll need it more than ever then just to keep from snapping the needle off the ugly meter when you pull the Eyeabuser in the garage... Rolling Eyes

Just kidding... Twisted Evil

...sorta....

I'am not!!! Razz

The Hayabusa is one butt ugly motorcycle. It maybe fast, but I find it hard to look at.........kinda like the chicks you bring home when you are really drunk, they only look ok when your under the influence. Shocked

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 2:54 pm

a goldwing faster than an 1100f......did i miss something here?......best time of the day for an 1100f......11.10...uh since when is a goldthing a 10 second screamer?....... Confused

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 3:08 pm

BluesMan wrote:

I'am not!!! Razz

The Hayabusa is one butt ugly motorcycle. It maybe fast, but I find it hard to look at.........kinda like the chicks you bring home when you are really drunk, they only look ok when your under the influence. Shocked

The 'Busa has a specific purpose in the world, the same goes for alcohol and coyotes! Laughing

Bryan

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 3:15 pm

BBrandt11 wrote:

BluesMan wrote:

I'am not!!! Razz

The Hayabusa is one butt ugly motorcycle. It maybe fast, but I find it hard to look at.........kinda like the chicks you bring home when you are really drunk, they only look ok when your under the influence. Shocked

The 'Busa has a specific purpose in the world, the same goes for alcohol and coyotes! Laughing

Bryan

coyotes=butt ugly women

I'll assume

Hawk Joined: Sep 18, 2003 Posts: 317 Location: Bangor, ME.

I have sat at many a stoplight only to have a couple of kids slide up beside me on their CBR's, R1's and Gixxer's and ask me what I've done to my bike. I don't get passed an awful lot. What has been said so far is true. Knowing your bike and how to ride can make you much faster than youth and money. I have owned a Gold Wing, I consistently buried the sidestand and pipes in the pavement and finally traded it for a V65 Sabre, which I gave to my best friend because he always wanted one. You need to find the bike that's right for you and try not to convert everyone else to your opinion. Good luck in your recliner.

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 7:09 pm

Then there's the value thing.
For the price of the new 'Wing you could buy a garage full of 1100fs.

And my ole RAT is still WAY faster than I am. Cool

Gord

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 7:20 pm

Hey Brent.....

There are LOTS of cars that can carry more, are more comfortable, and actually CHEAPER than the Goldwing.... Why not just try one of those out?

Point is.... I'm glad you like the GWING.... or as I like to call them.... the DairyQueen Cruiser. But that doesn't take ANYTHING away from the F. Part of the enjoyment of the F for me is knowing I restored the thing and can fix anything on it... Although it's never left me. If you can say that about the new Hondaminiums then I would be impressed since most of the "certified" techs in Honda shops don't know all the ins and outs of the goldwings.

The new Goldwings are GREAT BIKES for what they are. Can they outhandle and run an F... probably on PAPER. Rider competence is 90%+ on the handling and performance scale though. If you don't believe that then pull in behind Gene Walker (82 yrs old)on his 1968 R69S of Gene's Cycle Service in Richmond Virginia on ANY BIKE YOU CHOOSE.... and prepare to be spanked hard.

Good luck with the Wing.... make sure to get a cup holder for your peanut buster parfait installed by the dealship. That should only add a few dollars to the monthly payment. Make sure to let us all know if the 5 years of payments and extra insurance is worth the difference.

Fact is, I'd rather have the 10 NICE F's of all decriptions in my garage than 1 goldwing for the same price.

Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 11:03 pm

jeeze I didn't know the busa was so well accepted! whenever I get my busa I'll be sure to post pics on this site! Laughing

CB1100F Joined: Mar 03, 2004 Posts: 3278 Location: Seattle

Quote:

Stoutblock's monster and of course the Da Beast which I am sure would give a lot of modern bikes a run for their money.

At least till 140 or so...... Twisted Evil

CB1100F Joined: Mar 03, 2004 Posts: 3278 Location: Seattle

Quote:

If you don't believe that then pull in behind Gene Walker (82 yrs old)on his 1968 R69S of Gene's Cycle Service in Richmond Virginia on ANY BIKE YOU CHOOSE.... and prepare to be spanked hard.

PLEASE, post a picture of this Gene, I wanna say HI!! Is it the Gold/Rust colored Boxer with accompanying mini fairing?? Shocked

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2005 3:54 am

Blainethemono wrote:

Quote:

Stoutblock's monster and of course the Da Beast which I am sure would give a lot of modern bikes a run for their money.

At least till 140 or so...... Twisted Evil

For Sale: Cb1100F Transmission overdrive upgrade ... (In your dreams Crying or Very sad

)

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2005 4:05 pm

Blainethemono....

No... not rust /gold... dover white..... no fairing.....

top speed of about 100 but that's not where he leaves you... twisties and he's gone.... carries speed right through corners with wreckless disregard for his valve covers and anyone trying to keep up with him.

Be careful who you doubt.... 60+ years of riding and a pile of scraped-through valve covers off that R69 tells his story.

If you want a picture of him he has been in Motor Cycle a couple times. Not sure what you can tell from a picture but... what ever flips your trigger.

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2005 7:45 pm

I am confused, no dumbfounded!!! I bought my 11F with money I didn't have and a wife giving me the icy cold stare because I COULDN"T WALK AWAY AND LIVE!!! I keep it because of the huge grin on my face when the tach swings up through 9 grand and my heart stops beating, I've seen ONE other red 11F on the road with me, I get looks and questions at every stop light, my buddies' 750 Interceptor eats my dust off the line EVERY TIME. She's been a cruel mistress on occasion but I'm coming back for more. So why'd you buy ann F? Like the man said, drop your F's and all their problems on my doorstep and I'll take care of 'em for you. In the meantime, I've got something big and red out in the garage to occupy my time, SEE YA.

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2005 11:48 pm

I ride and enjoy both my 1100Fs' because they are fun. They are unique in that they were made one year, 23 years ago. I have an 1123 kit in one bike with a pipe and Dyna Ignition. My blue bike dynoed at 96 rear wheel HP whereas my red made 126. I have no illusions that I have built some kind of speed demon that is faster than some of the newer bikes or that it can outhandle them. I built up the motor because it smoked and I said why not. Even the engine builder that had the machine work done told me his daughter could probably beat me on her Kawi 600. I did not care. That is not why I ride. I enjoy talking about the bike to other riders every where I go. I like the head turning ability of these bikes, kind of like driving a 63 split window Corvette. The Vette handles like a pig, stops whenever it decides to and cannot beat many a newer car, but people still pay a ton of money for them. At the Honda Hoot this year I was riding down the main drag and rode up beside a guy on a Goldwing. He looked over, smiled, and gave me a thumbs up. I thought he was going to loose it when I slowly passed him and Blizzard was right behind me on his red 11F. They guy did a double and tripple take. I know he had to hurt his neck,LOL. He had probably not seen another 11F for years and then seeing two back to back just amazed him. He was lucky it was not the previous day when we had Fasterspider with us and 3 red 11Fs riding together. VBG It is what it is. A classic, well designed bike that is fast enough to get me killed and fun enough to give me a smile whenever I ride it.

CB1100F Joined: Jul 02, 2003 Posts: 3189 Location: Phoenix

Blainethemono wrote:

Quote:

Stoutblock's monster and of course the Da Beast which I am sure would give a lot of modern bikes a run for their money.

At least till 140 or so...... Twisted Evil

Anybody can go fast in a straight line. Besides, someone who looks very similar to me very rarely goes above 140 MPH.