HONDA CROSSTOURER REVIEWH. Kevin Ash rides the Honda Crosstourer in the UK to see if his initial concerns about the bike's fuel economy and range were justified.
We reviewed Honda’s new Crosstourer last month but questioned its range and economy - both crucial factors for bikes in the adventure category, which are used regularly for long-distance touring.
During the bike’s launch in Spain, it didn’t appear to be very frugal. However, a lot of stop-start and high-speed riding meant it wouldn’t have been fair to condemn it for poor economy. So we grabbed one of the first Crosstourers in the UK and rode that for a week over many more miles than we could on the initial test, fast and gently, and came up with two surprises.
The first was to do with our primary mission, economy and range, and in these the big Honda didn’t just pass the test, it excelled. This raised eyebrows because the 1,237cc engine is a retuned version of the unit which powers the rather thirsty VFR1200F sports tourer. Peak power has been reduced to 127bhp from the VFR1200F’s 170bhp so you’d expect some fuel savings, but Honda has done further work on improving efficiency.
Fast motorway cruising gives 46mpg, resulting in a range of 210 miles, while a little restraint sees that improving to 50mpg and 230 miles. So the Honda is close to the top-selling BMW R1200GS in economy and beats it for range.
The other surprise was less positive: on the launch the seat comfort wasn’t great, but after 150 continuous miles in the UK I was shifting about to try to reduce the ache. The problem is that it’s very narrow at the front but sit farther back and it slopes too steeply, so you can never find a good position.
THE FACTS
Honda Crosstourer
Price/on sale: £11,475/now
Power/torque: 127bhp @ 7,750rpm/93lb ft @ 6,500rpm
Top speed: 130mph
Fuel tank/range: 4.7 gallons/190 miles
Telegraph rating: Four out of five stars
Source : telegraph[dot]co[dot]uk
We reviewed Honda’s new Crosstourer last month but questioned its range and economy - both crucial factors for bikes in the adventure category, which are used regularly for long-distance touring.
During the bike’s launch in Spain, it didn’t appear to be very frugal. However, a lot of stop-start and high-speed riding meant it wouldn’t have been fair to condemn it for poor economy. So we grabbed one of the first Crosstourers in the UK and rode that for a week over many more miles than we could on the initial test, fast and gently, and came up with two surprises.
The first was to do with our primary mission, economy and range, and in these the big Honda didn’t just pass the test, it excelled. This raised eyebrows because the 1,237cc engine is a retuned version of the unit which powers the rather thirsty VFR1200F sports tourer. Peak power has been reduced to 127bhp from the VFR1200F’s 170bhp so you’d expect some fuel savings, but Honda has done further work on improving efficiency.
Fast motorway cruising gives 46mpg, resulting in a range of 210 miles, while a little restraint sees that improving to 50mpg and 230 miles. So the Honda is close to the top-selling BMW R1200GS in economy and beats it for range.
The other surprise was less positive: on the launch the seat comfort wasn’t great, but after 150 continuous miles in the UK I was shifting about to try to reduce the ache. The problem is that it’s very narrow at the front but sit farther back and it slopes too steeply, so you can never find a good position.
THE FACTS
Honda Crosstourer
Price/on sale: £11,475/now
Power/torque: 127bhp @ 7,750rpm/93lb ft @ 6,500rpm
Top speed: 130mph
Fuel tank/range: 4.7 gallons/190 miles
Telegraph rating: Four out of five stars
Source : telegraph[dot]co[dot]uk
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