VOL. 51 ISSUE 13 APRIL 1, 2014 P43
merely stepping stones en route
to top gear, where you'll end up
keeping it most of the time. This
semi-auto flexibility would make
fitting the DCT dual-clutch trans-
mission found on bikes like the
CTX700 or V-four Crosstourer
more or less redundant, which is
presumably why Honda doesn't
even offer it as an option here.
However, as you wind on the
throttle, especially from lower
revs, you're aware that as part
of its revamp of the V-four motor,
Honda has retuned the exhaust
to deliver a gloriously addic-
tive baritone growl from the twin
chromed silencers, that's all the
more welcome by being so unex-
pected.
Those gorgeous-looking ex-
haust pipes curving down the
side of the engine give the
CTX1300 heaps of visual ap-
peal, but there's some special
engineering work at play too. The
4-into-2-into-2 design features
unequal exhaust pipe lengths –
there's an added 150mm in the
mid-section of the front-cylinder
pipes, which introduces a delay
to the resonant frequency be-
tween the front and rear pipes.
It's a tuning trick that helps ac-
centuate the engine's distinctive
V-four rumble, and makes the
character of the CTX1300 riding
experience all the more engag-
ing.
It's got long legs too, and
the CTX1300 just lopes along
smoothly on freeways with an
easy, relaxed, mileating ca-
dence. And it's no slouch with
untroubled 80 mph cruising
available with the classy-looking
dashboard's analog tachometer
parked on the 4500-rpm mark,
and the engine's Pan European
heritage manifested by rolling on
easily to 100 mph, with the en-
gine running at 5500 rpm, still
with more to come before that
redline.
Direct shim-under-bucket valve
actuation ensures high-rpm du-
rability and permits 16,000-mile
service intervals, while fuel econ-
omy is okay for such a big bike,
with Honda claiming 42 mpg for
a range of 210 miles between fill-
ups.
There are plenty of riders with
more than one bike in their ga-
rage, maybe a cruiser and/or a
sportbike for Sunday morning
rides, a sports tourer or cus-
tom bagger for trips away from
home, and a simpler, less costly
everyday commuter bike. By
combining in the CTX1300 many
of the attributes found in per-
formance motorcycles with the
level of comfort and practical-
ity normally reserved for touring
bikes, coupled with the style of a
cruiser wrapped up in an individ-
ual-looking package, Honda has
produced a versatile and innova-
tive model replete with original
thought that is indeed four bikes
in one. It's an intelligent rethink of
customer requirements currently
not met by any other single mod-
el in today's marketplace.
Very distinctive – and in today's
context, very Honda. CN
(Top left) The heart and soul
of the CTX is the 90-degree
V-four powerplant. It makes 83
horsepower at 6000 rpm with a
nice fat torque curve.
(Top right) The CTX has distinctive
styling and the stubby windscreen
works well in eliminating
turbulence.
(Bottom left) The cockpit has all
the luxuries for touring.
(Bottom right) Lockable 9.2-gallon
hard cases can be removed for
riding in tight spaces.
