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  • 2 days ago
n this review, we take the 2025 Honda Rebel 1100T on the road to see how it performs as a lightweight touring cruiser. Honda has given the Rebel 1100T a true bagger makeover with hard saddlebags, a handlebar-mounted fairing, and a blacked-out aesthetic that leans into cruiser culture. We dive into the styling and touring-focused features, then put the 1083cc parallel-twin engine to the test to see how it delivers in real-world riding conditions. From its power delivery and throttle response to its ride comfort, wind protection, and storage practicality, we evaluate whether the Rebel 1100T lives up to the expectations of a modern touring bike. Whether you're planning long weekends on the road or just want a cruiser with attitude and versatility, this is everything you need to know about the 2025 Rebel 1100T.

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Transcript
00:00Hey folks, good morning and welcome to this episode of MC Commute. Today we're going to be riding Honda's 2025 Rebel 1100T.
00:07This is a bagger style parallel twin powered cruiser motorcycle from American Honda. Let's go for a ride.
00:15Alright folks, there it is. Honda's 2025 Rebel 1100T. This is a bagger style variation of Honda's parallel twin powered Rebel 1100.
00:24This particular model is equipped with a six speed manual transmission, which reduces the curb weight of this motorcycle down to 520 pounds.
00:33So a little bit lighter, but we have to do shifting the manual old fashioned way.
00:38Alright folks, let's giddy up on this thing and talk about what it's like to ride.
00:43Now for 2025, American Honda's done some nice updates to this bike.
00:47Number one, we have this beautiful color TFT display. This is the same type of display Honda uses on a variety of its other 2025 street bike models.
00:57It also has a new road sync, iOS and Android application that you can use to pair with your smartphone and control things and get turn by turn navigation right on the screen.
01:08How cool is that?
01:09Honda also did some nice modifications in the ergonomics department.
01:14The foot pegs are a little bit more far forward.
01:18The handlebars are a little bit more swept back.
01:21And the seat is a little thicker, which we can definitely feel.
01:25Speaking of ergonomics, this motorcycle employs mid controls.
01:30So where the old Rebel had its foot controls a little bit more rear set, they were still mid controls.
01:35This Rebel 11RT is full mid control setup.
01:39So not a traditional street bike with the rear controls and not the traditional cruiser controls of Ford mid controls.
01:46It's a nice compromise between sport and comfort and it works really well.
01:51The seat's nice and cozy.
01:52I really like the thicker seat cushion that Honda fitted on this bike.
01:56The 2024 Rebel 11RT didn't have the most comfortable seat.
02:00So immediately this seat is more comfortable.
02:02It's a fairly short seat front to back and side to side.
02:06So if you're a person with a big rear end, you might find that the seating size might be a little limited.
02:12But if you're an average human, you're going to fit on this motorcycle really nice.
02:16I wouldn't say this seat's designed for long distance touring rides, even though this is a T designation bike.
02:22Hence touring with its hard case luggage.
02:25I still wouldn't say this is necessarily a touring bike.
02:28It's more of an urban all-rounder, but the seat is definitely more comfortable than before we like it.
02:33This handlebar is really nice.
02:35It's not too far forward.
02:36It's not too far back.
02:37It's not too tall, not too low.
02:39We've got a real nice pleasing bend with your fists in the air in a very commanding position, which we like.
02:47A little fly windscreen here.
02:49Not the biggest, but it really adds the aesthetics to this motorcycle, and that's what's really awesome about this Rebel 1100T.
02:56Now this bike's powered by a 1083cc parallel twin engine, water-cooled, unicam cylinder head with an 8-valve cylinder head.
03:05One intake camshaft and one exhaust.
03:08Now this engine is good for 81 horsepower and upwards of 60 pound-feet of torque from the business end of that 16-inch rear wheel up front.
03:17We're out rolling an 18-inch front cast aluminum wheel.
03:22Now this engine is really awesome.
03:23It's got a ton of torque.
03:25Honda really made it step forward when they added displacement to this engine.
03:28It used to be 1000, now it's 1100.
03:30This engine has a lot of get-up-and-go.
03:33It also has a really pleasing character.
03:35Engine has a nice tone, too.
03:37Obviously, Honda's street bikes are always a little bit muted in their character, but you can feel that offset engine firing order inside the engine.
03:45It's got a nice guttural feel, real torquey, real playful, and fun to ride.
03:49I really like the character of this engine.
03:52This particular model is fitted with Honda's six-speed manual transmission.
03:57So we have a six-speed manual transmission versus the dual-clutch transmission, which is a popular option on this product.
04:06So we're going to make the shifts the old-fashioned way with this cable-actuated clutch and this gear shift lever on the left-hand side of the bike.
04:15The lever has a little bit of pull to it.
04:17Usually, on these Honda street bikes, at least a couple years ago, they were making the clutch actuation rather wimpy.
04:24Well, they've expanded that.
04:26It now has nice tension.
04:28It makes it feel like a real quality motorcycle.
04:30Yet, the engagement point is really easy to find.
04:34I would say if you're someone who's new to riding, you're going to be able to get a good feel for this motorcycle and feel the clutch engagement.
04:40It's real nice.
04:41We have this barrel-style adjustment lever to adjust the tension as well.
04:47So, nice clutch engagement.
04:49It meshes between each of the six gears really nicely.
04:52We don't have an electronic quick shifter, which is kind of a bummer.
04:55I love electronic quick shifters up and down, so it would be nice if Honda fitted the one on this bike.
05:03But, considering that it's more entry-level, at least entry-level in the V-Twin community cruiser, we can forgive American Honda for not fitting that as a standard feature.
05:16Gosh, I love this engine.
05:18It's got so much torque.
05:21Really playful parallel twin.
05:23And, of course, a parallel twin engine makes for really narrow and compact packaging from side to side.
05:30So, engineers have a lot of freedom in chassis development because they can put that engine where they need to put it versus a V-Twin, which takes up more room, especially from front to back.
05:41Now, this 1083cc parallel twin engine drinks from a 3.8-gallon fuel tank.
05:46We recorded right around 39 miles per gallon on this bike.
05:50So, decent fuel mileage for an 1,100cc engine.
05:55I wouldn't say it's the best fuel mileage, but it's also not the worst.
05:5739 mpg is pretty respectable for this engine capacity.
06:02This bike also has 5.5 inches of suspension travel and a pair of Showa shocks, direct mount shocks that mount between the frame and the fender with 3.5 inches of suspension travel.
06:15Of course, we have spring preload adjustment front and back so we can set up the height of the motorcycle the way we like it.
06:23But there is no damping adjustment, but it's not a big deal on a motorcycle like this.
06:28Now, one thing that's really cool about this Rebel 1100 is just the ride quality.
06:33This thing rides really well over bumps.
06:35Now, it's not going to be as comfortable to ride over bumps as a typical Honda street bike.
06:39It's still a cruiser and you don't have a linkage for the rear suspension and the suspension travel is also a little bit limited.
06:45So, you're not going to have the same type of comfort you'd have on, let's say, a Honda NX500.
06:52But still, for a cruiser, for an entry-level cruiser, this thing has really good suspension compliance and comfort over bumps.
07:00It also has good ground clearance for a cruiser.
07:03American and Metric V-Twin bikes are a little bit more limited on the ground clearance.
07:08And for sure, we can get the foot pegs to touch if we really try.
07:11But in general, this bike has pretty decent ground clearance.
07:15There is some inherent engine vibration, but it's very muted and it's very well calculated.
07:22The amount of engine vibration present makes it feel like you're riding a V-Twin engine without it being overkill.
07:30There's not too much buzz.
07:31As you can see, the rearview mirrors still offer a nice, clear view of what's going on behind you.
07:38And in general, this engine, this powertrain feels very well calculated.
07:42If you're someone who's looking for crazy vibration or crazy noise, this powertrain might not be for you.
07:49But if you're looking for a smooth, fun, and V-Twin-esque riding experience, this 1083cc Parallel Twin from American Honda certainly delivers.
08:01Now, this motorcycle is loaded with a lot of modern bells and whistles.
08:05We have traction control.
08:06We have fixed always-on ABS.
08:08So you can use the hydraulic disc brakes aggressively and you have no worry of wheel lockup.
08:15That's a really nice feature.
08:17We also have adjustable engine, adjustable combined engine power and throttle maps, which you can all switch from this motorcycle.
08:26Another nice feature added to this bike is this multi-function button.
08:31It's also backlit for all of you riders who ride after dark like us.
08:36This multi-function button is a little on the teensy-weensy side.
08:41We wish it was bigger.
08:43The tactile feels also not the best.
08:46While we like this 5-inch color TFT display, the user interface of the display is also lackluster.
08:54American Honda always lacks or falls short in the user interface department, especially compared to the other motorcycle manufacturers.
09:02Come on, Honda.
09:03Let's up the ante in the user interface department.
09:05We've been talking about it for years now.
09:07Let's get this button a little bigger, too.
09:09So much better than the previous model, but still, Honda's got some ways to go.
09:13But we do appreciate that they finally developed the RoadSync app, iOS and Android powered, so you can pair your Bluetooth-enabled smartphone to the vehicle and get turn-by-turn directions and other stuff like that.
09:28This bike's also equipped with electronic cruise control.
09:32Yes, I love cruise control.
09:34I love the way this bike handles.
09:36For a 520-pound motorcycle, 520 pounds is certainly no featherweight.
09:42But this motorcycle definitely feels way lighter in motion.
09:46I know we say that all the time.
09:48The seat height also plays into that.
09:51The seat height's very, very low on this motorcycle.
09:54We stand 6-foot tall, 190 pounds.
09:58And this motorcycle is very easy to straddle both the legs against the pavement like we were there.
10:03If you're a new rider, I think you're going to like this motorcycle.
10:06And it's going to be nice, too, because you're not going to outgrow it as fast as you would a Rebel 300 or 500.
10:12All right, folks.
10:13We are now on the highway.
10:15Let's pass this person before we get balked up behind them.
10:18All right.
10:18We passed them.
10:19Yes.
10:21Let's put cruise control on.
10:22Back.
10:23Cruise control is on at 62 miles per hour.
10:25A little bit of wind buffeting.
10:28Of course, this front fairing does an okay job of blocking the wind, but still a lot of wind in our face just because this fly screen is so small.
10:41But I wouldn't say it's terrible.
10:43Of course, these urban-style cruiser motorcycles, they're all about style.
10:48And that's what I really like about this motorcycle is how good it looks.
10:51I love that there's not a lot of branding on this bike.
10:55There's not any Honda logos.
10:56If this was an American V-Twin, we'd see logos everywhere that make the vehicle look very gaudy.
11:02There's no logos on this bike.
11:04I'm hard-pressed to know that it's even not an American V-Twin motorcycle.
11:09That's how good this bike looks.
11:11It has a really nice silhouette.
11:13The proportions are right.
11:15And I just love how it's brand-agnostic with minimal branding.
11:18A very good-looking motorcycle, no doubt.
11:23It's also nice that this vehicle comes with all LED lighting.
11:27So we have a nice, bright LED headbeam for night riding.
11:31Of course, we tested this vehicle at night.
11:34And the headbeam's very nice, and the turn signals work really well, too.
11:38Nice and bright.
11:39We also have an LED tail light.
11:41Now, the twin hydraulic disc brakes on this motorcycle, they work very well.
11:48Very capable of shedding the 520 pounds curb weight on this bike.
11:52The feel is also pleasing.
11:55These brakes don't feel wooden.
11:57They have a nice, pleasing response, yet they're not too aggressive.
12:00Of course, we only have a single front disc brake set up.
12:04So if there was maybe one critique is that the front brake isn't the most powerful, but for this bike, it's fine.
12:10More than anything, I wish there was a double front disc brake on this vehicle, just for aesthetics.
12:16I love the aesthetics of motorcycles with dual front disc brakes.
12:20Top Gear 6 gear.
12:21This bike's pulling 45 miles per hour at just over 2,500 RPM.
12:27Just under, I'm sorry.
12:28And this is really the sweet spot of the motor.
12:32If you get a little bit under 2,000 RPMs, it gets a little herky-jerky at these running speeds, which we'll see here in a minute.
12:41A little herky-jerky.
12:42But you get above 2,000, and it runs nice and clean.
12:46Very smooth.
12:47It doesn't chug at all.
12:50All right, folks.
12:50We talked about the style, and we talked about the ergonomics.
12:53We talked about the power and chassis.
12:55And for $10,800, this 2025 manual transmission-equipped Rebel 100T, this is a great bike.
13:03Not only does it look cool, it looks like an authentic American V-Twin bike.
13:09It's got great power.
13:11Fuel economy's pretty decent at 39 miles per gallon.
13:16Yeah, the fuel capacity's a little limited at 3.8 gallons.
13:20But the fuel tank looks sick, and that's all that really matters.
13:25That's not all that matters, but that's a factor that matters a lot to all of us American and metric V-Twin and parallel twin cruiser riders.
13:33Still, we like that Honda fits this motorcycle with modern electronics.
13:38We like the adjustable combined engine power and throttle maps and traction control.
13:42That's really awesome.
13:44We also like the handling on this motorcycle.
13:46The 520-pound bikes shouldn't handle this well, but they do.
13:51And the cornering clearance on this bike is very nice.
13:55And it also rides over bumps and delivers a real quality ride.
13:59If I was in the market for a brand new American or metric V-Twin or parallel twin cruiser motorcycle for urban riding, I would absolutely consider this Rebel 1100T.
14:11I really like this T variation because it has the lockable hard case storage containers, which you can use to store some of your gear.
14:20They're not quite big enough.
14:22I mean, you can certainly do an overnight trip, but a cross-country tour, I don't know if they have that much cargo capacity, nor is the seat that comfortable for that type of riding.
14:32But for overnight trips, for urban rides, this Rebel 1100T is absolutely functional, and it's a really nice entry-level price, but not entry-level and features cruiser from American Honda.
14:47Well, everyone, that wraps up our MC Commute review on Honda's 2025 Rebel 1100T.
14:53$10,800 for this bike manufactured in Japan with a one-year warranty.
14:58As always, give this video a thumbs up if you liked it.
15:00Sound it off in the comments section.
15:01What do you think of this bike?
15:02And we'll see you in the next episode.
15:03Thanks for riding with us.