Honda’s motorcycle division has been on a roll when it comes to upgrading some of its lineup of motorcycles. Naturally, all of that work also creates its own share of rumors, and one of them centered around the possibility of the company creating an all new iteration of Rebel motorcycle. The company has thankfully confirmed this rumor, and has formally unveiled the 2021 Rebel 1100
Rebel without a cause, well except for style
This latest iteration of the Rebel thankfully brings a number of familiar traits to Honda buyers, with the bike continuing to ride on its cruiser style chassis. However, the front is hooked up to a 43 mm telescopic fork while the back features a pair of Showa sourced shocks with accompanying piggyback reservoirs. This allows the Rebel to not only have an impressive degree of comfort, but also gives the bike the ability to accommodate a wide range of riders at the same time.
Single disc brakes are used front and rear, with the 18-inch front wheel being equipped with a 330 mm disc while the smaller 16-inch rear wheel features a 256 mm disc. The bike sweetens the deal slightly by adding front and rear mounted ABS, as well as Honda’s Selectable Torque Control with baked in wheelie control. This technology helps compliment a very stylish package, and Honda revealed that the bike can be painted in several eye catching colors including the purple hue featured in some of its press photography.
This Rebel is packing heat
Performance for the 2021 Rebel 1100 comes from a reworked version of the CRF1100L’s 1,084cc parallel twin cam engine. This powerplant is equipped with Honda’s ride by wire system that allows the bike to be placed in three different riding modes (Standard Sport and Rain) with the last mode giving the bike an additional layer of security if you happen to ride straight into a rain storm.
A six speed manual gearbox is standard issue, but buyers can also opt for an optional DCT to help provide more confidence when tackling twisty backroads or even narrow urban city centers. This performance is also paired with an impressive degree of range and practicality, with the Rebel 1100 being equipped with a 3.6 gallon fuel tank versus the smaller 2.9 gallon unit seen on the Rebel 500. The bike is also relatively light too, with a manual version having a dry weight of only 487 lbs. In contrast, the DCT equipped variant weighs in slightly higher at 509 lbs, but this is still a very light curb weight for a cruiser grade bike.
Value Quotient
Pricing for the 2021 Honda Rebel 1100 aims to be its strongest calling card, with a base model starting at $9,299 which is very good for the segment. In fact, the Rebel manages to be about $700 cheaper than the $9,999 Harley Davidson Iron 1200 which is usually one of the more premium entries in the cruiser bike segment.
Honda is also planning to unleash a wide range of factory built accessories to help riders add a dash of individuality to the bike including saddlebags, quilted leather saddles in either black or tan, and even a bat wing style fairing assembly. With all of these add-ons as well as the impressive amounts of value focused performance baked into it, the 2021 Honda Rebel 1100 aims to be a real crowd pleaser, and Harley Davidson should be taking some serious notes on how to successfully combat the arrival of this promising bruiser.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.