BY ALAN CATHCART
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN WING
H
onda continues to expand
its post-2008 strategy of
bringing people back to
motorcycling - as well as attract-
ing new recruits - by developing
an ongoing series of unconven-
tional new models, presumably
working on the basis that you
won't attract new customers with
the same old bikes. Thus these
bikes frequently blend frontiers
between existing model seg-
ments and often feature innova-
tive technology - like the compa-
ny's semi-auto DCT dual-clutch
transmission.
So after such innovative nov-
elties as the parallel-twin Integra
scooter/bike hybrid, its related
CTX700 range that provides ac-
cessible, inexpensive motorcy-
cles for novice or returnee rid-
ers, the 1200cc Crosstourer V4
adventure bike, and the F6B six-
cylinder bagger, not to mention
the quirky 125cc Grom, comes
the Honda CTX1300. And this
one should also carry the Cross-
over tag, since it's essentially
four bikes in one.
Because as a fundamental
part of that recovery strategy,
Honda is engaged in rewriting
the rule book in terms of catego-
rizing what a motorcycle is, what
it can be used for, and thus who
it appeals to. So in attempting to
meet the company's mantra that
CTX stands for the Comfort Tech-
nology eXperience, the V-four-
powered CTX1300 combines the
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