So my 97 CBR1100XX has been sitting since March of last year..... Yesterday I decided it was high time to ride it... I put the key in... the lights came on and she cranked over and fired up like she was rode yesterday... it did struggle to idle so I turned up the idle, checked the oil, aired up the tires and rode it up to the shell station. Bought a bottle of carb cleaner, filled up with V power with nitrogen and down the road I went. 70 miles later as I continued to lower the idle she stops back firing and runs smooth as the day she came off the show room floor. I ended up getting in with a group of fast riders on 1000RR's, R-1's, GSXR1K's and a couple BMWS1000RR's and this is the first time I have really ridden the XX hard and let me tell you..... WOW with everything I have done to it, it feels more planted, stable and like its mean to turn than my 09 CBR1000RR. I will be posting a few pictures later from local camera guys that sit on the route and take photos but wow all I can say is the CBR1100XX is truely the best bike ever!!!

hwy94
Hwy94
HWY94

That's awesome....I hadn't ridden my '98 in 3wks......fired her and up and dead as a doorknob! LOL......but really
Hence my thread in this forum.....

Dude ur in SD and ur bikes been sitting 3 weeks..lol the weather hasnt been bad here...

Yeah I don't get to go as much as I use too but the xx fires to life everytime I thumb the starter. Yesterday I cleaned out the carbon and man did she sing beautifully. Little too much throttle in second and the front just lifted a little bit.

Gotta love cool morning air.

Yea, a bike mechanically sound like the XX is almost enough, but throw in eveything else it does better than almost every other sportbike out there and it truely is an amazing machine. Best money I EVER SPENT

light weight mufflers will go a long way in reducing weight. The bike is a bit on the heavy side. I understand light weight wheels quicken turning, but haven't seen any reports from other riders. the 6mm shim is a given.

I have dymag CF wheels which help tremendously, also you dont need a rear shim the ohlins shock can be made right height adjustable by ohlins for just over 100 bucks!

I also have Dymag wheels (the magnesium/carbon-fiber combo) and it steers lighter than my SV650.

If that's true, then there's something wrong with your SV.

Hon da bikes, dirt or street, like to start. Need we say more?

You might be right. I have nothing else to compare it to. Just for clarification, when I say "My bird steers lighter", I mean it takes less effort to initiate a turn and keep it there, even with the same make and model of tire.

Tipping it in is one thing, picking it up and changing direction is where the XX (or any heavy bike) shows it's weight, even with aftermarket wheels.

My Blackbirds are badass, but my Valkyrie sat for five years. I turned on the fuel, set the choke, turned the key, and hit the button and she fired right up. Beat that.

I know what you are talking about with regards to flipping it from side to side but as a 900RR owner, 1000RR owner, RC51 owner, and 1100XX owner I must say that my 1100xx with properly tuned suspension handles better and is more comfortable flipping side to side even if it takes more effort its no noticeable due to the bike being soo smooth. My 1000RR has yet to have any suspension work and other than galfer rotors, lines, slip on and 520 sprocket conversion the bike has no mods to change performance. I will say though as a previous SV owner I dont think i have ridden a bike other than my 99-01 SV650 that handled better and was just more fun to ride but the smile the XX put on my face that weekend and how comfortable I was on it and it has all the power in the straights to keep up with the big boys where the SV didnt... its a better bike all around!

True, but I don't have any problem picking up the bird out of a turn. Just roll on the throttle and she straitens right up. Then I have to hang on for dear life til it's time to brake for the next corner. YEE-HAH!
However, I'm getting too old to do that for more than three 20-minute sessions. Hence, the SV.

How about you take my bird for a spin at OzarXX and tell me what you think?

I also hear that it show's it's riders ablitities on tight and twisty California roads pretty quickly...........

Tim (Redbird), why is your name not on the list for OzarXX?

What, you just show up to take pot shots? BTW, what's are "abilitities? One more "t" and that could sound intriguing ;)







I'm not 100%, and I don't have a street legal bike. What I do have is a truck I'm lucky to get 10 mpg in, but at this point it's looking good that I'll drive down Friday night or Saturday morning. I'll bring gear, just in case. I promise I won't outride my abilitities.

It just comes natural for me, like misspelling words...........

BWAAAHAAAAAHAAAAAA!!!!!

I own a 97 XX and a 2000 RC51 and the statement that the 1100xx changes direction faster than the RC51 almost made fall out of my chair laughing!

And yes, even without my RC51 having Ohlins forks (both bikes have Ohlins shocks).

I was away for 1 week. And had my V-strom at the time and was still in the honeymoon phase....riding it everyday.
New battery is all the Bird needed.