The allure of the Blackbird

Venus97 · 01-28-2007, 9:00 AM

I got back into street riding in 1999 and through the next 6 years went through about 9 bikes (everything from a Nighthawk S, Shadow, VFR 800, Bandit 1200S, etc). I loved most of them and regret not keeping some of them, but something was lacking in each of them such as comfort, or smoothness, or power, etc. It was hard to find the "perfect" bike. I always thought of a CBR as a high reving vibration making machine, but then learned the XX was not like that. I talked to a few friends, and heard the XX is very nice-smooth, powerful, a true gentleman's sportbike. I started the search and found a very clean low mileage XX with several pricey options (Corbin seat, Convertibars, etc). I paid a little more than I wanted, but I felt it was worth it to get one in prestine condition. I have owned her now 14 mos (a record for me) and have no interest in parting with her. Once I get through the high maitenance period now (21k and in need of new tires, chain/sprockets/valve adjustment service/etc) she'll be ready ride at low cost for years to come.

DosXX · 01-28-2007, 6:10 PM

Before the XX my last sport bike was a VF750F one of the first ones in NM, loved that bike. Then I got into collecting the Factory Turboed machines, had one of each and my favorite was the Kawasaki followed by the Honda 650TC. Then I got into the sport touring stuff and bought the ST1100...bullet proof absolutley bullet proof.

I was looking at replacing the ST1100 with the ST1300 when I saw a 2000 XX on the showroom floor and it was discounted $2,800.00. At first I thought it to be uncomfortable and fugly but then I saw a Busa...now that was fugly. By the time I decided to give it a go the XX was sold. So for the next year I looked around, test rode a few and finally came up with one.

I guess I was sold on how smooth it was,and once I had bars and a seat it was pretty comfortable. I also liked not seeing many around, Go to the local hangouts and there is a sea of R1's and Busa's In three years I have seen one other XX in ABQ. I like that.

I also like that this machine is as bullet proof as the ST1100. I have no reservations about a ride into some of the more desolate areas of NM.

Aurora · 01-29-2007, 1:15 AM

A buddy told me about an XX his friend was selling. Up to this point in time I was a Harley owner for 23 years (also originally from Milwaukee).

The whole HD scene changed from "Live to Ride, Ride to Live" to "Live to Trailer Chrome." Being fed up on the HD scene I sold my last FLHTCI with the intent to buy an XX. My buddies friend sold his 97 in the mean time.

So, I bought an 2003 XX with 370 total miles. Now Warchild is trying like mad to spend all my money on group buys.

Buy the way, when is the Blinder M-20 Group Buy?

lois · 01-29-2007, 4:24 AM

For myself, in 01 I needed to replace my aging ride. I started doing research into what else was out there for other than cramped up little sport bikes. I knew that I wanted performance, but also wanted something that I could use for long rides and high speed touring. Looked at a tonn of bikes, and sorry

, but I hadn't even heard of a black bird before. One day I walked into my local honda dealer and told him what I was looking for.....without even batting an eye he led me straight over to a pair of birds....one red , and one blue.

The first time I swung a leg over the red bird and sat down on her, I new I was in love....no no no, not the sick twisted kind of long distant love that I have for Redd

, but one of being on a machine that totaly fit me.

I left the dealership and went home to do some detective work. Every search I did online turned up nothing but praise and happy rider talk....3 days later she was sitting in my garage at home.

6 years later....no regretts....and still very much in love

2dealdrive · 01-29-2007, 9:53 AM

I remember the first time I saw one. My wife and I were out for a ride on my 1991 ZX-11 and we'd stopped for a rest at a gas station. This black, stealthy looking bike roared by and I saw the XX on the side. Wow, that thing was sweet looking and sounded so cool. But the 11 was my dream bike, at least at the time. I'd wanted the big Ninja every since I had my '87 750 Ninja. A few weeks after spotting the XX, I was on a group ride and one of the riders had a black XX. I got to look it over up close. Honda sure puts together the total package, the dash, the polished aluminum triple, everything was so sleek and stealth. Then 4 of us rode back together early and the BB was with us. I pulled up next to him and gave him the "look" and held up 3 fingers. We hit 3rd gear and it pulled my jetted, 4 into 1 ZX-11, which is quite a thing, the 11 is no slouch when it comes to acceleration. That XX was like a black missle, low and fast and I had to have one. The next year I'd had my 11 for 6 years and it was in need of major suspension surgery so I dumped it with 64k miles for the same price I bought it for.

And I found the perfect '99 FI CBR 1100XX. The other colors are OK, but for me, it had to be black, it is a blackbird afterall. Plus my first sighting was a black one and the memory of that cool sound and look was etched in my mind. High gloss black with a tinted screen, polished edges on the wheels, Corbin G&L seat, black gloss powdercoated clutch and alternator cover. 23k on the clock, nicely broken in. Perfect. The Blackbird has to be the pefect all around bike. It's so smooth, shifts by mere thought and corners well past the comfort zone of most riders. Does 2-up like it's nothing, brakes to match the weight. There's nothing that it doesn't do well. It's perfect.

Mossy · 01-29-2007, 3:48 PM

Went to the shop for a ride on a '98 VFR 800 and when I returned, I said yes! He said, "no you want this, try it" (referring to the 2001 BB in the showroom)I tried it! I bought it!

bpg · 01-29-2007, 9:24 PM

Had an '82 CX500 as my first bike, had it from '00-'01..
Almost bought a Shadow ACE (because that's what bikes should look like, right??

) I HATED sportbikes at this point - all plastic, no way could they be comfortable, ugh!

Instead, discovered the Magna, had it from '02-'06 - damn what a great sleeper bike for a 750 cruiser (well, for ANY cruiser)! Did plenty of squid-busting with that bike, and started doing 700+ mile rides from PA to the Smokies for twisties assaults..

Started paying attention to LD riding - forums, books, talking with riders.

Realized that the Magna, though capable for 90% of the twisties I tackled, was not the ideal commuter/tourer/sporty machine. Started looking at its sporting brethren - the Viffer. Slowly got used to the idea of owning a sportbike, and appreciated the look much more! Also looke very seriously at the Fizzy at that time - in fact

The XX, though, was always in the background as some sort of unobtainable beast (high insurance, scary fast speeds). Sexy, inaccessible - the desire grew!

Last year I decided I had to sell the Magna (I'd racked up 37K miles on it, one more year and it wouldn't get hardly anything on the open market)... Figured if I was gonna get into sport-touring, I was gonna do it right! Sold the '01 Magna for $5K, and got an '02 XX for $6K!

Very happy I did it - insurance is a lot higher but not as bad as I expected, and the thing is so smooth, reliable, and stable that I feel bad for anyone who doesn't get to experience it!

hey_allen · 02-01-2007, 12:09 PM

I'm yet another that the test ride hooked!

I was fairly happily riding an older 600 F2, learning to wrench on bikes. It had it's little gremlins, but it was a decent bike overall.

Then I heard about the 'bird, found the .org site, as well as the UK 'bird site, and started reading. After that came the 'what-if' speculation and pricing them on cycle-trader, watching the for sale listings on the boards, and general comparison to the bike I was currently riding.

The last straw was finding a '00 up at a dealer that was willing to allow a test ride. I'd already been eyeing a silver '02 at another dealer, but they wanted a princely sum (and when I'd finally decided to make an offer, someone less indecisive had already made one, and was headed in the next day to finish financing).
I ended up travelling a little to take that test ride, and was amazed at how smooth the power delivery was, and amazed at the top end. Mind you, I was still riding an older, carbed bike that needed a bit more experienced maintenance than I was able to render. Opening up the throttle on the 'bird once I got it out on the highway was eye opening, even having read everyone's comments in the forums. Then bringing it down the surface roads back to the dealer, I was amazed by the predictable handling.

The only hitch was that this dealer wanted more than the last, for an older, and considerably higher mileage bike! The search was on again, but now with serious intent. With the help of TexHoss, another was found. An '01 barely over 10k/mi, and best of all, reasonably priced.

I still like how smoothly the '00 at the dealer ran, but I love getting mine out on the road.

Fonzie · 02-09-2007, 4:34 AM

Basically grew up on the back of a bike. Dad had a '76 Honda 750 four as his first bike and absolutely loved that thing. Upgraded to a brand new '80 Suzy GS1000G with the full Vetter tour package.

We went to California, Smokies, and upper Canada with that thing and a Jawa hack on the side for me. He got rid of the Suzy for an '82 Wing. While he respected the Honda "reliability".......he felt the Wing was a bit more tankish than the other two had been, but he still rode the piss out of it....Minnesota, Nova Scotia, etc.

The Honda reliability stuck with me, but I was enamoured with the new sportbikes that were hittin' the scene in the mid/late 80's as I was coming of age.......Katana, Ninja, Hurricane......sleek, sexxy, powerful!!!

Liked the Ninja & Katana, but always had my heart with Honda! My 1st bike was an '82 Yamaha Vision 550. Bought it for $500 from a previous coworker. It was in good shape, plus shaft drive, water cooled, monoshock, monochromatic fender, V twin for that nice rumble........ahead of it's time. Kept it for 3 or 4 years, but unfortunately always had electrical problems with it.......starting a few weeks after I bought it. I spent more time wrenching on it than riding it, which got VERY aggravating!!

Started working for the railroad 3 years ago which provided OK income, and decided to take my income tax return 2 years ago and get a new bike. Wasn't sure what though. Friend found the 'Bird for me at another friends. Never heard of it before, but it was a Honda, and the biggest/baddest sportbike they'd ever made........and I was definately ready for some reliability!! Went over and took her for a test ride........and I was HOOKED!!

Been love ever since!!!

Fast.Eddy · 02-11-2007, 6:23 PM

Well I have to say it was dumb luck for me. I have had a few Honda's(76 CB360, 86 nighthawk 650, 86 VFR750) and always thought highly of them but I was getting to wreckless with them so I took a break from riding/crashing.
In 97 I decided to get a bike again, then a friend was in need of cash for a business start up and talked me into his Katana 1100. A couple of years later I was just out for a ride when I stopped at a used bike dealer and saw the XX for first time. I sat on it and it felt right, it looked so good I had to have it. It was 2 years old with 2,200 mi. so I figuered it had to be in good mechanical shape, it's a Honda, plus it was perfect it couldn't have been to beat. It's been a great bike an I hope to continue enjoying it for a long time.

Leftlaner · 02-26-2007, 6:10 AM

Started out carefully with a Suzuki GN 125 as soon as I had the drivers licence for bikes. Used that little sowing machine as a commuter whilst finishing my education. Then I stepped up one notch to a Suzuki GSF 400 Bandit. That was a truly great bike - for it's purpose, I mean. Had the Bandit for 2 seasons before deciding to get myself a "real" bike. Ended up with a '86 Kawasaki GPZ 900R (aka ZX900 Ninja). Great bike - as long as it was working properly. Unfortunately, I soon found myself spending more time on repairing the damned thing, than riding it.. So I started looking for a new bike.

Firstly, I was determined to get myself a VFR. Tried a 1996 model with 4-2 carbon exhaust cans. It handled nicely, and the sound of the V4 from those cans gave me wood..

However, I realised that the Viffers were a tad pricey, so I started looking for some alternatives. After reading a lot of motorcycle articles and reviews, I decided to start looking for a CBR1000F, preferrably a 1994 or newer model. They were within my price range, and they looked "lean, clean and a little bit mean".

One day, I had the chance to test ride a 1000F, and it was by far the most comfortable machine I had ever ridden. However, I was a bit disappointed about the somewhat weak engine on low and mid range (less grunt than my tweaked GPZ900). Nevertheless, I was determined to get myself a 1000F - just not this one (long milage).. By now, I had read on internet forums that the BB was considered to be the "big brother" of the 1000F - an even smoother and more refined machine. There was no way I could afford a BB, but one day a BB was advertized in the local newspaper. I decided to test ride the bike - just for kicks.

I rode it, and I immediately fell in love with it..

I raised the extra cash and purchased my BB only a few weeks later. The rest, as they say, is history..

rdkng88 · 02-26-2007, 8:55 PM

first to last
home built mini bike honda honda honda triumph kawasaki kawasaki lowrider kawasaki kawasaki honda sporster xls roadking and now blackbird and ultra classic love them both but the blackbird puts me in touch with the road 56 years old 50 years and not a moment without two wheels I'm still riding everyday and enjoying it more than ever. the blackbird is my favorite and the harley my wife likes and even though her first ride with me was 40 years ago this past summer on a cb 160 honda she loves a ride on the XX

Jswan · 02-27-2007, 4:05 AM

I am a 6’5” almost 20 stone; this is the only sports sorry birdies sports tourers that i feel comfortable on can .
Test road a R1 I think that what I was called, felt like i was on a kiddie’s bike
And I still get Muppets saying is it a six hundred..?

rdkng88 · 02-27-2007, 7:37 AM

I'm with you Jswan ar 6'3" and 235# the XX is the bike there is no other like it. I looked at the Busa as a replacement it don't come close I will keep the XX until Honda finds a market in the US and gives me a replacement.

mikedevine · 02-27-2007, 2:47 PM

I stumbled onto the XX while looking for a ZX12. I went to a dealer to look at a ZX12 and it was all hacked up. On the way out, I saw the XX. It was a big, sporty looking bike which I really like in a bike! I'm 6'1" and 235lbs. The dealer was asking way too much for a used 98 bird, but I was impressed by the bike just looking at it. I started doing research on the bike and it has good reviews across the board. I decided to look for one and managed to find an 01 with low miles in fantastic shape. It had to be fate. I ended up buying it and I am impatiently waiting for spring so I can see what this baby can do!

rdkng88 · 02-27-2007, 10:11 PM

you are in for a treat in georgia we get to ride all year 110 works well on the 4 lane

jboroff · 03-22-2007, 2:25 PM

Like Warchild I was coming off a CBR 1000F ( started with an 84 Nighthawk 700 S then I had a 93 CBR 1000F and later a 96) but even when I bought my last bike what I really wanted was the XX. At the time I couldn't swing the $$.
I've always owned Hondas and I just feel like they are better built than the other UJMs based on some friend's experiences and riding their bikes myself.

I decided to buy myself a bike as a reward for finishing grad school last year and the XX was my first choice. I also considered a newer ZX-12R but once I found a '99 XX with only 4,991 on the odometer I couldn't not buy it. Reading some of the posts on this forum has got me ready to start putting a lot of miles on her this season. Thanks for making these last few weeks of Winter (we got a foot of snow in the Boston area last week) bearable.

jboroff · 03-22-2007, 2:27 PM

Hey Mike Devine,

Where did you buy your bike. I picked mine up at Weymouth Honda and I know that at one point they had three left over '03s.

billypf · 03-22-2007, 2:49 PM

My friends Dad has a 1999 blackbird. That was it for me, the look, the speed, everything about the bike is great. I couldnt get a bird right away, so i picked up a 1985 Yamaha FJ1100 for $2000. It was a good bike, only had 20,000 miles on it. I was content with the FJ for the time, and then i was browsing online for motorcycle and found the 1997. Two weeks later I had sold my FJ and bought the blackbird for $4000. It had a couple mods already in place, just under 16,000 miles, and was in mint condition. It's wierd i am 19, on my second motorcycle that will probaboly be one of the best bike I will ever have.

Ben · 03-22-2007, 5:21 PM

I first really took notice of the 'bird when I parked up next to one at the TT. The minute I got off the ferry when I was back home I rang my local dealer. Two weeks later I bought the bike I'll never sell!

ironmountain · 03-22-2007, 6:13 PM

I was thinking about buying a zx11 (zzr1100 code here); Honda produced the BB; so i decided to buy one. I am tall and heavy, I can not easily sit on every bike.The BB is a little bit small for me but there is not any other alternative. I am waiting for 1300, 1400 cc' of blacbird, with wilder lines..

mikedevine · 03-22-2007, 7:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jboroff

Hey Mike Devine,

Where did you buy your bike. I picked mine up at Weymouth Honda and I know that at one point they had three left over '03s.

Hey! I saw that bike on the showroom floor! That was when I first saw the BlackBird. It was the last one left if I remember correctly, but I could be wrong. I found one private party from a guy in Milford. It's a red 01, 6K miles, all stock. I have two bros pipes on the way, and a pro oiler to keep the chain lubed. That's all the mods I'll do this year. I love this bike! I hope you love yours too!

666f · 03-23-2007, 7:35 AM

I have always been a honda fan, my previous bike was a CBR 900RR fireblade -95, had it for two years but since im not a track rider i started to look for a more sport tourer bike that can carry some stuff and ride nicelly with two passengers, the cbr 1000 f was too heavy for me im 173cm high and 60kg

it was sure that the next bike as well had to be a honda so the blackbird was the only choice and a very good one, so its my 7th Honda

jboroff · 03-23-2007, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikedevine

Hey! I saw that bike on the showroom floor! That was when I first saw the BlackBird. It was the last one left if I remember correctly, but I could be wrong. I found one private party from a guy in Milford. It's a red 01, 6K miles, all stock. I have two bros pipes on the way, and a pro oiler to keep the chain lubed. That's all the mods I'll do this year. I love this bike! I hope you love yours too!

I think the one you saw in the showroom was probably one of the left over '03s that they had. Mine was in a garage out back, at least it was when I first saw it and when I picked it up. Weymouth is a small dealership but they seem pretty trust worth, I had them do some work on my old CBR 1000Fs, mostly minor stuff.

I'm looking to change out the exhaust this year as well but probably toward the end of the season. I really like the look of high mounts but the Two Bros carbon fiber or titaniums are high on my list.