New Honda 1200 V4 CrossTourer!!!

When i rode the Crosstourer, I felt that the noise when you pull away in low gears was very like a BMW GS, and yet when the revs rise it has definitely got the classic Honda V4 sound, but it is very quiet.

Another thing was how quiet this bike is mechanically, no real engine clatter or noise at all, mind you i have a V Strom 650 which is quite noisy mechanically.

I am already saving up to buy one in red !!!!! next year when i can get a nearly new one for a good saving

I would be very much interessted to read first impressions regarding maintenance costs regarding fuel consumption, regular maintenance, etc from the first buyers coming from 'real live' experiences! So, keep on posting, guys!

Its at my local Honda agent too, since a couple of weeks. And must admitt... in comparising with f.e. the Yam S10 and the new Tiger Explorer (and even the R1200GS) it ís put together very, very well... I really love the build-off quality of the Honda.

And Yes. Red is - by far - the best colour!

Had my first sighting of one today. Had a sit on it too, and was offered a demo ride which I will take up in a few weeks time. After reading others impressions of it I was surprised how big it was. Build quality is indeed very nice. The seat is too low for me, (6ft 33" leg) and the foot pegs felt too far forward but difficult to tell without riding it properly. I really don't know why Honda put on those size of wheels when clearly its not an off road bike of any pretence and they agree it's really a sporty tourer thingamabob. Put some VFR wheels on it fer crissakes or at least the option of a wider rear wheel like guzzi does. This would at least give some it sort of identity. Of all these type of bikes this one interests me the most, I'm not even pretending it'll go of road, I just want a fun bike that will soak up the crap roads we all seem to suffer from. Unless you live in Germany Austria or Switzerland you'll know what I'm talking about. France too come to think of it.
I asked how much the luggage for it was.......... In Portugal it would cost €1836 for the 3 bags holy f..! :huh. But then the bike here is 14.2k and 15.2k for the DCT. with all that said, give it some different wheels and and a taller seat, it could be my perfect ride.

As I understand it, Honda wanted to put the VFR1200 engine in a new Pan European, but the rise of the ADV bike - and the crushing performance of the BMW K1600 - persuaded them to build the XTour.

As a 19" equipped rider on both my current and previous bike, the ability of the front wheel to LESSEN the impact of mid corner potholes is a benefit IMO. I wouldn't see this as a negative. The bike will do gravel and apparently is not too shabby at that task.

I have to deal with the kinds of roads you describe and this kind of machine makes way more sense. The last trip I did I used more than half my suspension travel on the main road back from a ride, all sealed, main "highway".

In Australia and I would say a few other countries around the world, this is the kind of thing that makes sense, regardless of what the marketing department call it. If I didn't want to do off road, this is the kind of bike I would be looking at rather than the VFR variant.

And just to throw my two cents in, the bike looks really well made ON THE SURFACE. I have to assume at this point that that attention to detail on the inside if typical Honda. Maybe it's not but time will tell.

Cheers
Graham

I'd agree with all this for Canada as well. Some of our best, most fun to ride roads are broken and frost heaved so that they're not a lot of fun on a sport bike at all, while on a dual sport they're a blast. You honestly need that extra few inches of suspension travel that you just don't have on a sportier bike.

That's true, we are all just a bit carried away with the "ultimate" whatever. I would like an XT900Z, l but that did not appear in time and I would like it to be a shafty as well, but that's not a deal breaker for me though. The 1200 is just less busy and fatiguing on long trips and the weight has been handled really well.

Honda, Triumph and BMW at least have an 800cc option. Good on 'em.

I agree, but sadly Honda neutered their 700X to meet certain market targets that cap horsepower (so they e-limited revs to 6500rpm :ddog ), otherwise that would have been a VERY interesting product.....

That leaves the 1200CT....at least outside of North America. It won't be coming here in 2012, if ever. :dog

-SM

Don't you get the Crossrunner? you know 800cc V4 and lots of power? All dressed up in Cross gear?

Nope. We get the incredibly stupid NC700X. Why do I say that? Because it was made for a market that DOESN'T APPLY HERE!!!!! We don't have a tiered license system, but the 700X is still limited to 6.5k revs. To add further insult, they don't plan to ship the larger, more "open spaces" oriented bike to a place where you can ride 3,000 miles in one direction and STILL BE IN THE SAME COUNTRY!!!! Idiots.....

Yeah...I'm ticked because both bikes look good to my eye, but one is fatally flawed and the other we can't get. Thanks Honda.... :fyyff

-SM

Ah well, There are other brands mate. Try them all pick one that suits you best. Honda's loss. It's not something that will be thinking about on your death bed i suspect.

Indeed. It's just frustrating to see the Veradero, Transalp, and now CrossTourer not available here. Choice is good, and more choice is....MORE good! I think Honda got stung years ago in the US market w/ the TransAlp and they can't get over it.

Ah well. Another few days and dealers here will have their Triumph Explorer demos prep'd and ready for test rides, so I'll line up in that queue and see how the big Tigger runs.

-SM

Hi,

I'm planing to buy a CT

For the CT owners with normal clutch, I want to know if fuel consumption is much higher than the varadero?

Just spent the morning on a manual XTourer. Impressively quick - but bloody heavy. I'm no shortarse or lightweight, but this is a big, heavy bike. Lovely fueling and driveline. Very comfy. Handguards are shite but the small screen is quite effective. Dash layout is good. Suspension felt crude compared to my S10. Jumping back on my Yamaha makes me appreciate the work of magic the R&D boys at Yamaha have done in getting a big heavy bike like mine to feel so nimble.

Interesting as I'm also considering an S10. In what way did the Honda's suspension feel crude in comparison? How was the power of the Xtourer compared to the S10?

Soqi suspension mate, Soqi. The Ohlins of the east.

Yes did the power feel like the hand of God pushing you ever onwards, like a Triumph?

Or did it just feel like a bloody big linear silky smooth torquey V4.?

Indeed. Not sure if it was the extra mass - on smooth roads it was fine - less so on rough ridged surfaces. The power of the V4 was evident. Wringing it out saw some big numbers on the dash. However, throw in a few twisties and the sphincter clenched up. It's no KTM SMT - that's for sure.
I think it'll be a good GT with that motor. Just not for me though - which is odd as an ex-VFR12 owner.
I guess the "one bike fits all" policy just doesn't work. It's convinced me that the S10 is a long term keeper. The more i ride it - the better it gets.

Well in Hinda's defense, I think they have been pretty straight up about the bikes configuration. They did say it wasn't an S10/GS but more of a GT that could handle a few gravel roads and the more I read the more I think it would suit the more dirt nervous out there. Or depreciation anxiety afflicted.

It definitely hasn't had much done for mud-stone-sticks tolerance (radiator and pretty paint) or fording ability either, but it looks really well built (on the outside).

This bike probably had loose head bearings as mine did and two others that I am aware of.

Possibly. Odd oversight by Honda though..