Cruisers are great. They are easy to ride, mostly easy to maintain, and will keep going forever thanks to their mostly unstressed engines. However, somewhere along the way, cruisers have turned into big, expensive luxury items, especially the ones powered by the preferred V-twin engines. This is expected, since all things move up in the world, even motorcycles. So if you’re the kind of easygoing person that the cruiser was made for in the first place, but also would like to ride one every day, things can get a little tricky.
The beginner cruisers are all a little too little, and all the premium ones are, well, premium. What’s left is a smorgasbord of products that are extremely varied and cater to an incredibly wide audience, depending on what you want. It’s more difficult than you imagine picking the most practical and balanced cruiser you can buy right now. There is one model that has the edge – and here it is.
The Honda Rebel 1100 Is The Most Practical And Balanced Cruiser You Can Buy Right Now
The Rebel 1100 is the biggest, most modern cruiser in Honda’s lineup at the moment. It is a full-size cruiser with a large 1.1-liter parallel twin cylinder engine. However, Honda has ensured that it is friendly enough to be recommended to even beginners. It’s a combination of the low seat height, low curb weight, the way the weight is distributed, and, of course, the optional dual clutch automatic gearbox.
Honda Rebel 1100 Price: $9,699
The Rebel 1100 is priced really reasonably and has forced the American competition to lower their entry-level prices to make sure they can compete. However, the Rebel 1100 has everything packaged in its base price, except for the automatic gearbox. That will cost you an extra $700. Another $800 over that will get you the Rebel 1100 SE, which will give you a very distinctive-looking Rebel 1100.
Honda Rebel 1100 Engine
We expect reliability from every Honda as a default, but even so, the Rebel 1100 might end up being the most reliable modern Honda by a country mile. That’s because it shares its engine with the Africa Twin, and that model has a 100-horsepower output. That makes the 87-horsepower Rebel 1100 a much more unstressed engine. Honda has done this to ensure it has great torque across the rev range, and it does. It has fuel injection and liquid cooling, besides the modern 270-degree firing order. It also has a by-wire throttle and ride modes as well as cruise control, but no traction control.
You Can Get A Manual Or Automatic Transmission
You can choose between a six-speed manual transmission and a six-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. You can control the shifting of the automatic via buttons on the handlebars as well. There is no quickshifter as an option for the manual, and you don’t have the option of the foot shifter for the automatic, like you can get for other Hondas with the DCT, like the Africa Twin. Final drive is via a chain.
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Honda Rebel 1100 Chassis
The Rebel 1100 uses a steel diamond frame usually seen on naked bikes. This gives it a modern ride and handling. The suspension is provided by Showa. The front forks are the cartridge-type, and Honda has chosen a twin shock rear setup, which is the only anachronism on this model. However, the benefits of a low seat height and needing a lighter subframe outweigh the drawbacks of less rear suspension travel.
Elsewhere, 18/16-inch alloy wheels with tubeless tires have been fitted. There are disc brakes with ABS at both ends, with a four-piston fixed caliper at the front and single-piston caliper at the rear.
Honda Rebel 1100 Dimensions
An almost-vertical liter-displacement parallel twin engine usually means a high seat height, but the Rebel 1100’s engine has Honda’s patented Unicam SOHC head that makes the engine shorter. Still, the seat isn’t as low as you’d expect, but that’s because Honda has chosen to give it storage space under the seat. It’s still plenty low, and the curb weight is low. The fuel tank is a little small, but the Rebel’s great fuel efficiency gives it a decent tank range.
|
Fuel Tank Capacity |
3.6 gallons |
|
Length/Width/Height |
88.2/33.5/44.3 inches |
|
Wheelbase |
33.5 inches |
|
Seat Height |
27.9 inches |
|
Ground Clearance |
4.7 inches |
|
Curb Weight |
487 LBs (wet) |
Honda Rebel 1100 Features
‘Practical and balanced’ is exactly how we’d describe the Rebel 1100’s feature set. It has a 5-inch TFT display with Bluetooth and navigation built in. ABS is a standard feature, but cannot be switched off. We’ve already talked about the pricing of the different variants of the Rebel 1100, but what none of them get is provision for a pillion rider. You’ll need to add them if you need them, for around $170.
The Rebel 1100 SE adds front fork gaiters, a headlamp cowl, bar-end mirrors, dull gold wheels, and a shade of paint that isn’t available on the other variants. It is available in a pearlescent gray, while the other two are available in either matte black or silver. The options list has a decent set of things like heated grips and even a ‘Batwing’ style fairing. Interestingly, you could build yourself a Rebel 1100 SE (minus the unique colors) from the options list!
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Honda Rebel 1100 Competition
If we’re talking about balanced and practical cruisers, there aren’t too many to talk about. There is the old guard – the Kawasaki Vulcan 900 and Suzuki Boulevard C50 come to mind – that could serve the purpose. However, their lack of basic modern features like ABS and Bluetooth makes them a little impractical.
Like we’ve mentioned before, there are a couple of American cruisers that compete with the Rebel 1100. The first one is the Indian Scout Sixty Bobber ($9,999). However, its traditional downtube chassis makes it heavy, and the five-speed gearbox robs it of performance. You’d also have to upgrade to the higher ‘Limited’ trim, which automatically makes it price impractical, at $12,199.
That leaves us with the Harley-Davidson Nightster, which also has a $9,999 base price. Like the Indian, it is devoid of features for the price, but upgrading to the $12,499 Nightster Special makes a lot more sense. The V-twin engine is combined with a trellis frame, variable valve timing, belt final drive, a TFT display with Bluetooth and navigation, and a safety suite that has traction control, ABS, drag-torque slip control, and tire pressure monitoring. In this case, it is worth the extra money.
Honda Rebel 1100 Vs Harley-Davidson Nightster Special
|
Model |
Honda Rebel 1100 |
Harley-Davidson Nightster |
|
Price |
$9,699 |
$12,499 |
|
Engine |
270°I2 |
60° V-twin |
|
Displacement |
1,083 cc |
975 cc |
|
Final Drive |
Chain |
Belt |
|
Power |
87.1 HP @ 7,250 RPM |
91 HP @ 7,500 RPM |
|
Torque |
72.2 LB-FT @ 4,750 RPM |
72 LB-FT @ 5,750 RPM |
|
Curb Weight (Wet) |
498 LBs |
481 LBs |
Sources: Honda Powersports