Honda Rebel 1100 (2021+) Maintenance Schedule & Service Intervals
This is the full maintenance schedule and service intervals for the Honda Rebel 1100, also known as the CMX1100.
The Honda Rebel 1100 is a big sibling to the Honda Rebel 500 (CMX500), using similar styling and riding position, but an all-new chassis and an engine borrowed from the Honda Africa Twin 1100, but detuned somewhat.
So the Rebel 1100 is powered by a 1084cc liquid-cooled single cam parallel twin with a 270-degree crank. It has a heavier flywheel, less aggressive camshafts, and overall gentler tuning than the CRF1100L, meaning it puts out a slightly lower peak of 64 kw (86 hp).
The schedule applies equally to newer models released, like the 2023 Honda Rebel 1100T with a mini touring fairing and hard cases.
This site has links for things like oil and spark plugs from which we earn a commission (which unfortunately nobody can save, not even us). If you appreciate this work, then please use those links. Thanks!
Service Intervals for the Honda Rebel 1100
Like many Honda liquid-cooled motorcycles, general service intervals for the Honda Rebel 1100 are 8000 miles / 12800 km between oil changes.
Honda does recommend shorter service intervals for many items like the brakes, clutch (if non-DCT), checking the coolant etc.
The major service for the Rebel 1100 is every 16000 miles / 25600 km, where you inspect or change the spark plugs and do the valve clearance check. Luckily the check is quite easy — the blessing of a mostly naked bike with a parallel twin engine. But you do have to remove the tank for access to the cylinder head.
At the same time, change the oil filter and the clutch oil filter (DCT).
Since the Rebel 1100 has a liquid-cooled engine, keep the coolant up to spec, replacing it every 3 years. Similarly, keep the brake fluid fresh, replacing it every 2 years.
Finally, unlike many cruisers, the Honda Rebel 1100 has a chain drive, so do keep that lubricated.
What you need to service your Honda Rebel 1100
Aside from basic motorcycle maintenance tools, here’s what you need to service your Rebel 1100.
| Part | Honda Rebel 1100 spec |
|---|---|
| Oil | Honda requires SAE 10W-30 with API classification SG or higher or JASO T 903 standard MA oil. Honda suggests Pro Honda GN4. |
| Oil filter | Honda uses the standard oil filter 15410-MFJ-D02 used in many Honda motorcycles. A high-quality substitute is the Hiflofiltro HF204RC. |
| DCT oil filter | On DCT models you have to periodically replace the filter. Use part 15412-MGS-D21 or replace it with a Hiflofiltro HF117. |
| Air filter | Honda part number is 17210-MLA-A00 for the air cleaner. |
| Spark plug | The manual requires an NGK SILMAR8A9S spark plug. |
| Coolant | Honda recommends Honda Coolant, which is based on ethylene glycol (and is affordable and good). |
| Brake fluid | You can use any DOT 4 fluid, but you may as well use Honda DOT 4. |
| Chain maintenance | Clean and lube the chain with Motul chain paste — low mess, highly effective, well-liked. |
| General lubrication | Use a lithium soap-based grease for general lubrication — bearings, pivot points, etc. |
Maintenance schedule for the Honda Rebel 1100
It’s separated into
- A daily inspection checklist
- A periodic maintenance schedule, and
- An annual service checklist
There are also separate sections below on chain maintenance.
Daily Inspection Checklist
This is the daily inspection checklist for the Rebel 1100. Do this before every ride.
Many of these items you’d naturally do by starting to ride, e.g. confirming that the lights, brakes, and clutch work. But you should specifically check the fluid levels periodically.
Before every ride on the Rebel 1100, check the following:
| Honda Rebel 1100 — Pre-ride checklist |
|---|
| Tire tread and wear |
| Tire pressure (see below for spec) |
| Lights, horns, turn signals function |
| Drive chain condition and slack |
| Correct suspension for load |
| Throttle action is smooth and returns |
| Brake lever operates normally |
| Engine stop switch works* |
| Oil level is between upper and lower levels* |
| Brake fluid is between correct markings* |
| Side stand functions properly* |
| Parking brake works (if fitted)* |
Items marked “*” don’t have to be checked every ride.
Major Items Maintenance Schedule
Below is the service schedule of major items for the Honda Rebel 1100.
Notes:
- Observe the earlier of time-based or distance-based service intervals. For example, change the oil every year regardless.
- Keep following it in the pattern shown beyond the end of the maintenance schedule, every 4000 miles / 6400 km.
- If you ride your motorcycle aggressively or in untoward conditions (e.g. off-road or in mud, rain, or on dirty roads, in stop-start traffic, or in cold weather without giving it time to warm up), you may have to service your bike more often.
| x 1000 mi | 0.6 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x 1000 km | 1 | 6.4 | 12.8 | 19.2 | 25.6 | 32 | 38.4 | Every |
| Regular inspection checklist — Perform (See below for list) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year | |||
| Engine oil — Replace (Pro Honda GN4) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year | |||
| Engine oil filter — Replace (HF204RC) | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
| DCT models: Clutch Oil Filter — Replace (HF117) | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
| Spark Plugs — Inspect | ✓ | |||||||
| Spark plugs — Replace (SILMAR8A9S) | 32,000 mi (51,200 km) | |||||||
| Valve Clearances — Inspect / Adjust | ✓ | |||||||
| Air Cleaner — Replace | ✓ | ✓ | More often if riding in dusty / wet conditions | |||||
| Brake fluid — Replace (Honda DOT 4) | 2 years | |||||||
| Radiator Coolant — Replace (Honda Coolant) | 3 years |
Regular inspection checklist
Below are the items on the regular inspection checklist for the Honda Rebel 1100. Honda suggests inspecting some components between services.
| Honda Rebel 1100 Regular Inspection Checklist | Between services? |
|---|---|
| Cooling system — Inspect | |
| Brake fluid — Inspect level (Top up with Honda DOT 4 as needed) | Yes |
| Radiator Coolant — Inspect level (top up with Honda coolant as needed | |
| Fuel Lines — Inspect condition | |
| Throttle Operation — Check smoothness, return, play | |
| Crankcase Breather Hose — Check condition Inspect more often if riding in rain or at full throttle | Yes |
| Engine Idle Speed — Check | |
| Secondary Air Supply System — Check | |
| Evaporative Emission Control System — Inspect (CA only) | |
| Brake Pads — Inspect for wear | Yes |
| Brake System — Inspect correct function | |
| Brake Light Switch — Inspect | |
| Brake Lock Operation — Inspect | Yes |
| Headlight Aim — Inspect / Adjust | |
| Clutch System (non-DCT) — Inspect, adjust play (Target free play of clutch — 10-20 mm, or 3/8 to 13/16 in) | Yes |
| Side Stand — Inspect for smoothness / Return | |
| Suspension — Inspect smooth operation, no damage | |
| Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners — Inspect tightness / presence | |
| Wheels/Tires — Inspect for damage | |
| Steering Head Bearings — Inspect smooth operation / no notches |
Tightening Torque specs
These are the tightening torque specs relevant for maintenance of the Rebel 1100. These come from the service manual, which was shared on Reddit here.
| Item | Qty | Thread (mm) | Nm | lbf-ft | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air cleaner element mounting screw | 4 | 5 | 1.1 | 0.8 | Tapping screw |
| Air cleaner cover screw | 6 | 5 | 1.1 | 0.8 | Tapping screw |
| Spark plugs | 4 | 10 | 22 | 16 | |
| Valve adjusting screw lock nut | 4 | 5 | 10 | 7 | Apply engine oil to threads and seating surface |
| Timing hole cap | 1 | 14 | 6 | 4.4 | Apply grease to the threads |
| Crankshaft hole cap | 1 | 30 | 8 | 5.9 | Apply grease to the threads |
| Engine oil drain bolt | 2 | 12 | 30 | 22 | |
| Oil filter boss (crankcase side) | 1 | 20 | – | – | Apply locking agent to the threads |
| Engine oil filter cartridge | 1 | 20 | 26 | 19 | Apply engine oil to the threads |
| Clutch oil filter cover bolt (DCT) | 2 | 6 | 12 | 9 | |
| Rear axle nut | 1 | 18 | 100 | 74 | Self locking nut |
| Drive chain adjuster lock nut | 2 | 10 | 21 | 15 | |
| Drive sprocket bolt | 1 | 10 | 54 | 40 | |
| Driven sprocket nut | 5 | 12 | 108 | 79 | Self locking nut |
| Parking brake adjuster lock nut (DCT) | 1 | 8 | 17 | 13 | |
| Clutch cable lock nut | 1 | 8 | 8.5 | 6.3 |
Maintaining Your Chain on the Honda Rebel 1100
It’s important to maintain your chain on the Rebel 1100, as on any chain-driven motorcycle, even if the Rebel 1100 is a more relaxed “cruiser” that you’re less likely to belt like a sport bike.
Use a good-quality chain lubricant like Motul chain paste, or a Motul chain care kit which comes with a couple of handy tools to maintain the chain.
Honda recommends you follow the following chain maintenance schedule:
| Chain maintenance item | Every |
|---|---|
| Check drive chain lubrication condition, lubricating if necessary | 600 mi / 1000 km |
| Check drive chain slack, adjusting if necessary Target chain slack: 15-25 mm (9/16-1 inch) | 600 mi / 1000 km |
Notes:
- Do these items (checking/adjusting slack, and checking/applying lubrication) more often if you ride your Rebel 1100 in dusty or rainy conditions.
- Always lubricate the chain after washing the motorcycle.
Measuring and adjusting drive chain slack
To measure drive chain slack on Honda motorcycles, measure the free vertical movement of the chain midway between the sprockets.
You need to measure it with the transmission in neutral, with the bike on a level surface on a kickstand, and with no luggage (or empty cases).
If the slack is out of spec, you need to adjust it by loosening the rear axle and the locknuts, using the slack adjusters on both sides of the axle (evenly, paying attention to the markings), and then re-tightening the axle when you’re done.
Tire sizes and pressures for the Honda Rebel 1100
The Honda Rebel 1100 has the following tyre sizes and pressures. It runs tubeless tires and ships with Dunlop D428 tires.
| Wheel | Tyre size | Tyre pressure (cold) |
|---|---|---|
| Front | 130/70B18M/C 63H | 33 psi (225 kPa, 2.25 bar) |
| Rear | 180/65B16M/C 81H | 33 psi (225 kPa, 2.25 bar) |
Yes, the Rebel 1100 has the same recommended tyre pressure front and rear, unlike many sport bikes.
About the Honda Rebel 1100 (CMX 1100)
The Rebel 1100 is kind of a new concept for Honda… and for motorcycling in general.
Honda is no stranger to cruisers. It has been building them for many years. But like most cruisers inspired by the Harley-Davidson aesthetic, they’ve typically been big bore (or medium bore, in the case of the Shadow) V-twins — high on aesthetic, but low on tech.
For example, Honda sells the Rebel 1100 against the striking but very contrasting Honda Fury, a low-tech but very striking liquid-cooled chopper with a 1312cc V-twin engine.
The Rebel series has also always been predominantly small motorcycles. The Honda Rebel was, for three decades or so, a 250cc mini cruiser that was favoured by many for being an awesome bike to start on. It was replaced by the Rebel 300 single-cylinder bike in modern times.
But the Rebel 1100 is a weird blend of those two things, plus others. What makes the Rebel 1100 stand out are these features
- It’s a cruiser… but it doesn’t sit so low to the ground that it has very limited ground clearance compared to other cruisers. Honda says the Rebel 1100 has a max lean angle of 35 degrees. It has more clearance than the Indian Scout, for example, an already quite sporty bobber (29 degrees). (And as you lean, every degree feels like exponentially more… for an extreme example, degrees 45-90 feel much more intense than the first 0-45)
- The Rebel 1100 comes with optional DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission), which is Honda’s very refined, responsive, and almost unique to Honda automatic transmission. (MV Agusta has a competing tech).
- The Rebel 1100 has cruise control, making it decent for highway work (especially with the optional fairing)
- It has a parallel-twin engine, like the Rebel 500, but like very few other cruisers (notably the Kawasaki Vulcan S), and no other big-bore cruisers. And unlike other cruisers, the Rebel 1100’s parallel-twin engine has a 270-degree crank.
- The feet are forward, but not as far forward as on a big lounge-chair like Dyna. They’re “mid controls”.
- The weight is quite low for a cruiser, bringing it into “standard” or “commuter” territory. Even the DCT (automatic) model is 231kg wet, and the manual model is even lighter at 221 kg wet. This is much closer to the Triumph Speed Twin (about 216kg), a sporty bike, than to the Triumph Bonneville Bobber (about 250kg), with which the Honda Rebel 1100 is meant to compete.
So the Honda Rebel 1100 isn’t trying to be a Harley-Davidson or even trying to be anything. It follows its own aesthetic and is charting its own path.
In the US, another very appealing part of the Rebel 1100 is the pricing. Considering everything you get with it, the Rebel 1100 is cheap! The MSRP is $9,299 for the manual model and $9,999 for the DCT model — a lot cheaper than the Africa Twin CRF1100L from which it borrows its engine, and amazing value considering everything you get with it. Unfortunately those prices aren’t so low when they reach foreign shores, but they’re still not so bad.
The 1084 cc parallel twin engine has some significant changes to how it is in the Africa Twin.
- The flywheel is 20% heavier, which results in 32% more spinning inertia
- The valve timing and lift have been modified, enhancing the low-down torque, at a cost of a bit of top-end power
- There are changes to the intake and exhaust (necessary on the different frame)
The resulting engine has a very linear spread of torque from as low as 2500 rpm all the way up to the 8000 rpm redline.
The suspension on the Honda Rebel 1100 is pretty basic, with only preload adjustment front and rear (no damping, neither compression nor rebound).
If you’re looking for a similar setup but with a sport touring chassis, then you should look at the Honda NT1100 — same engine, very similar ride gear, but fairings and luggage.
with ride modes, and adjustable traction control. And if you get optional DCT, there’s that as well.
To change riding mode, you use the left hand switch gear. There are three preset riding modes plus a user-configurable one.
Press the mode button to choose the item to modify, including riding mode, or two information pages.
You can only change the riding mode when the vehicle is stopped.
When in riding mode selection mode, use the up and down toggles to choose the riding mode.
| Mode | [P]ower level (Low, Med, High) | [T]orque control (Traction control) (Off, Low, Med, High) | [E]ngine brake control (Low, Med, High) | [D]CT aggressiveness (DCT model) (Low, Med, High) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | High | Low | Medium | High |
| Standard | Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| Rain | Low | High | Low | Low |
| User | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
In the first information page, you can use the up and down toggle to show
- Odometer
- Current fuel mileage
- Elapsed time
- Range
In the second information page, you can use the up and down toggle to choose to show
- Trip A distance
- Average fuel mileage in trip A
- Average speed in Trip A
- Trip B distance
- Average fuel mileage in trip B
- Average speed in Trip B
Press mode when you’re done to confirm.
To operate DCT, use the right switch gear.
To operate a DCT bike
- Start the engine. The bike should start in Neutral (N).
- Put up the side stand and make sure the throttle is closed
- Press the button to shift to “D”.
- Go!
While riding, you can use the shift up and down toggles (left handlebar) to shift up and down, if you want.
You can also press the Automatic / Manual toggle to shift to manual transmission, and then exclusively use the toggles.
Remember — when parking the DCT bike, activate the parking brake lever on the left handlebar.
Reference — Maintenance Schedule for the Honda Rebel 1100
This maintenance schedule was sourced from the manual for the Honda Rebel 1100. It hasn’t changed over the years it has been available.
You can get the manual for the Honda Rebel 1100 here.
