Rebel without the Power: Honda finally unveils Rebel 1100

The Honda Rebel is one of Honda’s longest lasting cruiser bike nameplate that has brought many people to the cruiser life. Easy to ride, lightweight, and cheap, the Rebel became a huge success in the American and international market, right from its birth in 1985, right up to the Rebel 500 released in 2016.

Part of that charm is the Rebel’s approachability. It was never going to be an intimidating bike, since the power levels were not very high. Not only that, but the Rebel was also much lighter than most cruiser bikes, making it even more approachable from a beginner’s standpoint. It became the gateway for many riders looking to start riding something with a bit more girth.

Since 2016, though, many have speculated why Honda never put the engine from the Africa Twin – a 1,087cc, 270°, Parallel Twin adventure bike – into the Rebel. The Rebel is by no means a fast bike, after all, with just 47 horsepower and 45 Newton-meters of torque on tap.

Well, it seems Honda listened, since just a few days ago, Honda pulled the covers off the Rebel 1100. Literally, it was exactly as enthusiasts asked for, being just a Rebel with a larger engine.

Or at least, that’s what we think at first.

You see, the Rebel 1100 gets the Africa Twin’s Dual Clutch Transmission as well, which means that people who don’t want to shift gears can move much more easily into the Cruiser market. Along with that, the Rebel 1100 gets a lot of technological features like wheelie and cruise control, as well as 4 new riding modes, much like its Africa Twin stablemate. And unbeknownst to the naked eye, the Rebel 1100 has more structural rigidity to cope with the extra weight of the bigger engine, as well as the higher performance levels from the new engine.

More than that, the Rebel 1100 is what happens when a company listens to its customers. People have been asking for years for a bigger engine Rebel, especially after the VTX series was discontinued. Honda listened to the people who bought the Rebel and decided to give them exactly what they wanted. So, it should come as no surprise that people have gone gaga over it. I would be completely unsurprised if the 1100 Rebel sells out as soon as it hits showrooms. And that’s even before we get to the pricing of the bike, which is still on the cheap side of the cruiser market, at just 9,299 US Dollars for the Manual model.

So, if any other companies are paying attention (which they likely are), take note: Listen to your buyers, and give them what they ask for, within reason. Doing that means you respect your customers enough to know what they would buy, and that you actually want to keep them as customers.