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Out in the faster stuff Honda's VTX holds a line well and the ground clearance is surprisingly good, you need to be really charging before you start grounding things out. 45mm upside down forks handle the suspension duties quite well and provide 130mm of travel, even when the strong braking performance is tested to the extreme they cope admirably. Out
back twin shocks offer 100mm of travel and are finished in A tank mounted display houses the tripmeter/odometer reset button, warning lamps for the indicators, neutral, low fuel, oil pressure, temperature, fuel injection and high beam. Above that display is the large conventional style speedo with an LCD display providing odometer and tripmeter readouts. A remarkably low 693mm seat height will suit even the shortest in the leg department. The seat is what the cruiser boys call a 'dragster' style, it is quite supportive but with such an upright riding position I would like maybe a little more padding. Another thing that does not bode well for long distance touring duties is the 16.5 litre fuel tank which can be drained in under 150 kilometres if the rider gets a little excited with the throttle. Gentle cruising should see around 200 kilometres between fuel stops. But bikes of this ilk seem to be mainly used around town or only short strops to the local cappuccino corner rather than any serious touring duties. Pillion comfort is okay but far from luxurious, I believe their will be optional extras that may offer some more comfort for your passenger. A large chrome hooded headlight is extremely effective and much superior to that seen on any other cruiser that I have sampled. In fact it would put some sportsbikes to shame in that department. If you intend to carry any gear it seems that the only option will be the Honda saddle bags. It doesn't look as though strapping gear to the bike will be too easy. Australia only gets one colour option on the American built VTX, and that is the black that you see here. At a RRP of $22,990 + on road costs Honda's VTX 1800 will be available at your local dealer very shortly. If you want a hot-rod cruiser with serious stomp the VTX 1800 will not disappoint. VTX 1800 Specifications
Talk about the VTX 1800 in our discussion database |
Handling is quite good
for such a large motorcycle, with inner city maneuvering hardly a chore
and tight spots in parking bays posing no problems. Minimal effort is required
through the bars to get the bike turned but the reach to the bars seems a
little long and wide, but again this is what the cruiser market seems to like.
Also in trend with the cruiser fashion the grips are very large and thick.
chrome. They work quite well but hard hits over big bumps can be
transferred through to the rider a little sharply, again this is common
with this style of motorcycle.
Engine Type: 1795cc liquid-cooled 52