Africa Twin powered cruiser breaks cover | 2021 Honda CMX1100

2021 Honda CMX1100

From my first experiences with a DCT equipped Africa Twin I thought right from the off, ‘this powertrain would work great in a cruiser’. With more crank weight and a different state of tune of course, but the fundamentals were there for Honda to capitalise on their well-proven and increasingly well-tuned DCT gear-box. It was always going to happen, but I had expected the first cab off the rank to be a low slung bagger. 

Both manual and DCT versions will come to Australia, for my money the DCT will be the go

Instead Honda have effectively up-sized the successful CMX500 bobber and at a glance, from a distance, you would hardly be able to tell the new CMX1100 and well-established CMX500 apart as they are clearly cut from the same cloth. This also provides riders of the CMX500 a logical pathway to upgrade once they have achieved their full licence. With more than 25,000 CMX500 sold each year across the globe there are plenty of CMX riders that might be keen to upgrade. 

Wheelbase is 1,520mm; the forks have a 30° angle for cruiser style, 2° offset from the 28° ‘rake’ line itself; trail is 110mm.

The CMX1100 will come in both conventional manual and DCT guises so people will still be given that choice. To my mind though the DCT in this application is a natural fit and would be simply fantastic around town. 

Seat height is a very manageable 700mm and with the mid-mount pegs the rider is firmly ‘in’ the motorcycle

Seat height is a very low 700 mm and the 13.6 litre fuel cell narrow between the knees.

Braking power is served up by a front radial-mount monoblock four-piston caliper biting a 330mm floating disc and rear single piston caliper/256mm disc, both managed by ABS

While the CMX1100 is very much a stripped back bobber there are a cavalcade of accessories to extend its touring credentials. A bat-wing style front fairing, soft panniers and a luggage rack will all add long-distance amenity to the CMX1100.

An optional front fairing and saddle bags add some touring amenity

Most Japanese manufacturers have pretty given up on trying to gain a significant foot-hold in the Australian big-bore cruiser market. Most of their large capacity models were simply too expensive to compete against comparable Harley-Davidson models and thus they simply stopped importing them, choosing to keep only affordable mid-capacity models in their line-up. 

Steel mudguards front and rear sit atop a 130/70-18 front hoop and 180/65-16 rear

In the modern cruiser world the CMX1100 could not exactly be called a big-bore, but at 1084 cc it does perhaps tread some fertile middle ground between most current offerings, before that huge step up to the real big American iron on offer.

Under the seat there’s a 3L storage compartment which features a USB-C charging point.

For the Rebel, Honda have added an extra 32 per cent flywheel mass over the Africa Twin while new camshafts are tuned to accentuate the power pulses.

The Honda’s 270-degree firing parallel twin is quite charismatic, especially in the DCT variant where more reciprocating mass adds to that character.

Twin rear shocks feature a pressurised ‘piggyback’ reservoir. Both front and rear suspension are adjustable for spring preload.

I really look forward to riding the DCT version of the CMX1100. The DCT engine even looks more muscular thanks to its extra width and those chiselled covers. It will boast an even stronger beat thanks to the extra weight of the DCT internals.  The DCT can be left completely to its own devices or the rider can select gears manually via paddle shifters on the left bar. 

DCT version would be Trev’s pick

Indian’s Scout is perhaps its most direct competitor.  The CMX1100 matches the Indian for torque and delivers that peak 98 Nm of twist 1250 rpm earlier than the Scout, despite a 50 cc deficit. The American bike does claim 14 more ponies than the Honda, but the CMX1100 tips the scales 30 kg lighter. 

Claimed Power 86 hp at 7000 rpm
Claimed Torque 98 Nm at 4750 rpm

At 35-degrees Honda claim six more degrees of lean angle than the Indian and also boasts larger forks and piggyback shocks. 

Cartridge-style front forks feature blacked-out 2-piece lowers (manufactured from both extruded and die-cast aluminium) mated to 43mm stanchions finished in a dark navy titanium oxide coating

Both the Scout and the CMX only run one brake at the front but the Honda’s is a higher spec’ radial mount four-piston monoblock with much larger 330mm rotor.

Honda claim 35-degress of lean angle which is very generous for this class, especially considering that low 700 mm seat height

Cruise control is standard as is traction control, ABS, and selectable riding modes.

Offset 120mm negative LCD instrument display

If priced right then Honda could have a winner on their hand. Strip off any of the extraneous stuff, add a nice set of pipes along with some bar end mirrors and I reckon it would be a nice thing to buzz around town on.

1,084cc SOHC 8-valve parallel twin-cylinder engine is based on that of the CRF1100L Africa Twin

Australian pricing will not be set until sometime in the new year and the bikes are expected to arrive sometime in the first half of 2021.

2021 Honda CMX1100 Rebel Specifications
Engine 1084cc, SOHC liquid-cooled 4-stroke 8-valve parallel twin with 270° crank and Uni-cam, EURO5 compliant
Bore x Stroke 92 x 81.5 mm
Compression Ratio 10.1:1
Claimed Power 86 hp at 7000 rpm
Claimed Torque 98 Nm at 4750 rpm
Induction PGM-FI electronic fuel injection
Gears Six-speed Manual Transmission; DCT: 6-speed Dual Clutch Transmission
Clutch Wet multi-plate clutch; DCT: Wet multi-plate hydraulic two-clutch
Frame Tubular steel frame
Forks Preload adjustable 43mm cartridge style
Shock Preload adjustable twin piggyback rear shock
Wheels/Tyres Multi-spoke cast aluminium 3.50 x 18 in, 5.00 x 16 in, 130/70B18 M/C, 180/65B16 M/C
Front Brakes Radial mounted monoblock four-piston brake caliper, 330mm floating single disc, 2-channel ABS
Rear Brake Single piston caliper, 256mm single disc, 2-channel ABS
Electronics Riding Modes, Honda Selectable Torque Control and Wheelie Control, Cruise control; DCT: D mode (automatic) shifting
Instrumentation Offset 120mm negative LCD instrument display, USB-C charger
Kerb Weight 223kg; DCT: 233kg
Seat Height 700 mm
Wheelbase 1520 mm
Caster / Fork Angle / Trail 28° / 30° / 110 mm
Fuel Capacity 13.6L
Service Intervals N/A
Warranty 24 months
Available First half 2021
Price TBA

CMX1100 Image Gallery

Source: MCNews.com.au

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