The Time Japan Made A Better Cruiser Than The Rest Of The World
The cruiser segment has never been more competitive, and for riders willing to look beyond the usual suspects, that is very good news. For decades, American iron set the standard while Japanese manufacturers largely played catch-up, offering similar style at a lower price point. That dynamic has shifted dramatically — and one bike in particular makes the case better than any other that Japan has not just caught up, but pulled ahead.
The Honda Rebel 1100 DCT Is One Of The Best Cruisers On The Market
MSRP: $10,399
You need only go and take a look at a Honda Rebel 1100 up close to see the difference. Honda’s build quality is right up there with the best in the industry, and while money is always saved somewhere on motorcycles in this price range, no corners have been cut in terms of quality. It is, however, certainly not alone at this end of the cruiser market.
The Harley-Davidson Nightster actually undercuts this DCT model on price. It matches the Rebel 1100 in terms of power and safety features, but has had its fair share of reliability issues in the past. While most of those problems surfaced in the first model year and have since been addressed, some electrical gremlins persist.
The other American cruiser in this space is the Indian Scout Sixty Bobber. It is more of a bare-bones option, but some will prefer that, and following its recent update, Indian appears to have resolved the few reliability concerns it had in the past. If bare-bones is what you want, Yamaha still offers the air-cooled Bolt R-Spec. While reliable, it is both outdated and underpowered compared to any of the similarly priced alternatives.
A Punchy Unicam Engine Powers The Rebel 1100 DCT
Power: 87 Horsepower
This is not a motorcycle that will win any spec-sheet showdown. The Rebel 1100 is all about making good, usable, real-world power. On paper, it is down 14 horses and 10 pound-feet of torque compared to the Africa Twin and the NT1100, which both share the same engine family. But the Rebel has been optimized for torque delivery from right down low in the rev range — pretty much all of its torque is on tap from just over 2,000 RPM.
Automatic Transmission Is A Major Point Of Difference
Honda has bet big on automatic motorcycles, and much to the dismay of some purists, it seems to be paying off in a big way. It has proven to be a major point of difference in the touring segment, and by fitting the Rebel with the DCT, Honda has made it the only fully automatic cruiser on the market. In the past, if you wanted an automatic motorcycle, your only real option was a scooter. Honda now puts an automatic — or E-Clutch — in nearly every category of motorcycle, giving riders more options than ever before.
The Rebel 1100 DCT Is A Feature-Rich Cruiser
A recent refresh brought the Rebel right up to date, which matters in a market that demands so much from its motorcycles. While the TFT dash disrupts the aesthetic somewhat, it is something most modern riders want. You can choose between four ride modes via that new dash, and you also get cruise control, ABS, and traction control. The one miss is something that has become common within the segment, and that is the glaring lack of a passenger seat. While we know this saves money, and you can always check an options box, this is still something that really shouldn’t be optional. It is very much a design-first approach, but on what is an otherwise very practical motorcycle, it beggars belief that it isn’t even standard equipment on the high-spec SE version.
The Peace Of Mind That Comes With Owning A Honda
As much as all the modern tech is nice to have, that most likely won’t be the main reason you would buy the Honda over any of the other brands. Along with the top-notch build quality comes the almost inherent knowledge that a Honda motorcycle will be reliable. The modern Unicam engine is proving to be just as dependable as any Honda product that has come before it, and in this particular state of tune — optimized for midrange performance — it is relatively understressed. All this to say that it is very hard to put a dollar value on the peace of mind that comes with owning a motorcycle like this.
Even so, it won’t be to everyone’s taste. It certainly does not offer the same theater as a V-twin. Honda’s metronomic reliability and exceptional build quality are, in some respects, a double-edged sword. This is precisely what makes them feel appliance-like, and an automatic transmission will only serve to exacerbate that feeling. Objectively speaking, this might be the best cruiser on the market — but you will still need to take it for a test ride before you decide if it is actually the best cruiser for you.
Sources: Honda Powersports
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