Cruiser afficionados are a curious bunch. They want a style of motorcycle that is laid back, but they also want it to have good performance. They want it to absorb bumps in the road but not get too wallowy. They want it to be minimalistic but not poverty spec.How does one choose the right cruiser, then? There is a bewildering amount of choice available today, and every manufacturer wants in on the action. But if you want a little bit of all the good things, you know that the only real place to go looking for a solution is Japan. And among Japanese cruisers, one bike promises no compromise. The Honda Rebel 1100T DCT Is For Riders Who Hate Compromise HondaThe Rebel 1100 is Honda’s largest modern cruiser, and it uses component sharing to great effect. The engine and gearbox are shared with the Africa Twin and NT1100, but use the engine in a much lower state of tune to focus on torque delivery rather than outright performance. The result is a friendly cruiser with real-world performance combined with good fuel efficiency and great reliability. The last update also gave it creature comforts like a 5-inch TFT display with Bluetooth and navigation, and in combination with the automatic gearbox, wind protection, and luggage, it is now the Japanese cruiser built for riders who hate compromise. Priced Like A Midsize Product HondaYou’d think that a product that displaces nearly 1.1 litres from two cylinders and has options like an automatic gearbox will have a premium price – but you’d be wrong. The Rebel 1100T DCT is priced at $11,599, and you will not need to dip into the accessories list at this price. It is a full-size cruiser/light tourer that is priced like a midsize machine! Only Cruiser Of Its Kind With An Automatic Gearbox HondaThe Rebel 1100T doesn’t have an engine that jumps off the page at you when you look at the specs. This is a 270-degree parallel twin that displaces 1,083 cc, is a short-stroke design, runs the Unicam SOHC head, and has a compression ratio of 10.1:1. If any of those figures look familiar, that’s because it is the very same engine that powers the Africa Twin and NT1100.Here, however, it makes 87 horsepower at 7,000 RPM and 72 pound-feet at 4,750 RPM, a considerable dip from the 100 horsepower available in the other two bikes. Honda has done this in an attempt to give it a better, more cruiser-ish torque spread. Suffice it to say that it succeeded, since most of the torque is available from 2,000 RPM onward.HondaThere are two gearboxes available – one is a standard manual six-speed gearbox with an assist and slipper clutch. The other is a six-speed dual clutch automatic that it shares (once again) with Honda’s full-size ADV and sport tourer. This makes the Rebel 1100 the only product in its class and category to offer the option of a proper automatic gearbox. Manual control of the shifting can be done via paddles on the handlebars. A Chassis As Modern As The Engine HondaThe Rebel 1100 uses a diamond frame with the engine as a stressed member. This is a trellis frame of sorts, which means making sweeping changes to it will be difficult – but it does help keep the weight down and the fun factor up. The suspension is good quality but basic. 43 mm Showa cartridge forks and twin rear piggyback shocks with preload adjustment are available. The travel available is 5.5 inches at the front and 3.7 inches at the rear.Braking is via a single disc at each end – 330 mm at the front, and 256 mm at the rear. Stopping power is courtesy of a four-piston radial monobloc caliper at the front and a single-piston caliper. It isn’t often that one gets to see a radial brake caliper with forks that are the right side up! The alloy wheels have a 18/16 inch diameter front to rear. Low Seat Height, Manageable Weight HondaThe choice of a parallel twin engine meant that Honda risked having a high seat, which is a no-no for a cruiser. However, it worked around this problem by using an engine with the Unicam SOHC head, which is more compact than a DOHC one, and by choosing twin rear shocks; a monoshock would have had to be fitted under the seat. Still, the 27.9 inch seat height isn’t very low.Size-wise, the Rebel 1100T is fairly large, with a wheelbase of nearly 60 inches and a ground clearance of 4.7 inches. It weighs 549 pounds wet, and the fuel tank holds 3.6 gallons of gasoline. This is enough for a good tank range figure, since the engine is quite efficient. Latest Updates Elevated The Features Package HondaAn update in 2025 gave the Rebel 1100T a 5-inch TFT with Bluetooth and navigation, which means its usability is so much better now. The luggage can store 9.3 gallons, and the fork-mounted fairing offers decent wind protection. However, a pillion seat and footpegs are on the options list. We know Honda has done this for aesthetic reasons, but surely offering it as standard and making it easily removable would make more sense?The electronics now include a by-wire throttle, so you get four ride modes, ABS (non-switchable), traction control, and cruise control. These are all standard features – but a two-way quickshifter isn’t available even as an option. Honda Rebel 1100T DCT Competition Harley-DavidsonThere are some fairly strong products that can compete with the Rebel 1100T at the price. There are the Indian Sport Scout ($13,499) and the Harley-Davidson Nightster Special ($12,499). The Harley in particular comes surprisingly close to the Honda in value, because it has a TFT display, Bluetooth and navigation, a trellis frame, and a liquid-cooled engine just like the Honda.Where it better than the Japanese bike is that it has a V-twin engine with variable valve timing, a six-axis IMU with all the safety that it means, and a pillion seat and footpegs are standard. However, the single-rate rear springs are an anachronism in an otherwise great motorcycle.KawasakiBut we’re looking at Japanese cruisers, so we’ll limit ourselves to products from that country. The Suzuki Boulevard C50T Special ($9,779) is a versatile cruiser that can handle some light touring. It has a good price, and the shaft drive is a clear winner for those who prefer low maintenance, but the rear drum brake and lack of ABS work against it.The Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic LT also does not have ABS, even as an option, but it does have a rear disc brake. The V-twin engine also has modern amenities like electronically controlled secondary valves that help smooth out power delivery. It has a five-speed wide ratio gearbox and final belt drive, which might feel more ‘authentic’ to fans of cruisers. Honda Rebel 1100T DCT Vs Kawasaki Vulcan 900 LT