Top test Honda VTX 1800

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Top test Honda VTX 1800
Bilski

Top test Honda VTX 1800

Dick and Schwof

Under the guise of a clumsy cruiser hides something that the world has never seen before. A thunder bolt that is available for almost every dance.

It’s that sound. Schroaankk! Shocked pedestrians jump back onto the sidewalk, motorists lift their sunglasses, suspecting a rear-end collision next to them. The expression of the VTX pilot on the other hand merges into a smug smile? he only engaged first gear. Twenty centimeters below him, it thunders with a soft sound, but bassy, ​​and the front tire pulsates discreetly up and down in front of the white marking of the traffic light intersection. Depending on the mood of the driver, the VTX can continue its show.
Tender application of the gas converts the thick ship into guttural forward thunder in the Lanz Bulldog style. Brute turns on the thick throttle grip the 92 PS of the mighty V2, on the other hand, with a lurching rear end and a spinning tire. Time to switch. The change to second gear is accompanied acoustically in the same way as engaging the first. But don’t worry, the gearbox has to be shifted exactly, even though the distances are quite long. The last three gears can even be stepped into the teeth almost noiselessly. This is because the speed difference between the gear shafts is lower and the claws of the huge gears find each other more quickly.
The crash that engages the first two gears has what it takes to achieve cult status. Powerful noises just go with this motorcycle. Because the VTX is not for baby boys. Timid maneuvering attempts leave the 345 kilograms cold. They want to be parked, turned and pushed with a bold grip. On the other hand, the motorcycle doesn’t force the rider’s legs from basketball players to reach solid ground. With a seat height of just 71 centimeters, the little ones are also happy and can even manage the positioning of the fittings, the handlebars, the footrests and the hand levers. Where these ?? and you could actually expect that at a price of 31590 marks ?? should be adjustable.
The feeling of sitting loosely flaky at the beginning loses its appeal while driving. Because the pilot has to brace himself against the head wind and finds little support due to the footrests positioned too far forward to defend himself against rough breezes. And if you want to, the VTX will easily catapult you over the 190 mark on the speedometer. On longer tours, relaxed gliding turns into tense gliding. Typical cruiser, you will say now, it’s all a matter of getting used to it, okay. But this cruiser is a wolf and sheep in one coat.
The Honda engine technicians deserve great praise for this. In the USA, where the VTX comes off the production line, marketing strategists have given the child a name: V-Twin Performance Custom. So a power cruiser. An oversized one on top of that. America, the land of opportunity. This even applies to displacements, because no one in series motorcycle production has yet distributed 1800 cc between two cylinders. The piston, 101 millimeters in diameter, covers a tight 112 millimeters on its way through the cylinder. When the going gets tough, even up to 5800 times per minute. If not and you chuck back in front of you in the last gear at 100 km / h (2500 rpm), this means exactly 69 centimeters of marching command to the rear tires per piston stroke. An insane number compared to all high-revving sports motorcycles. The torque mountains towers above everything. If it rises a little above the idle level to over 100 Newton meters, it reaches its peak with 136 Nm at 3300 rpm. All of this would be far less insane if the engine were ??? obvious with such mass movements ?? would convey listless indolence, like many of his other large-volume brothers and sisters.
The opposite is the case. The moving masses never remind you to switch, and the heart of the VTX never looks at risk of infarction or overloaded. The mighty V2 can be described as lively. With a cylinder angle of 52 degrees and a crank pin offset of 76 degrees, Honda has already gained excellent experience. It remains to be seen whether these can be transferred to “small marine diesel engines”. The technicians have spared no effort, at least as far as the cultivation of the displacement monster is concerned. With the VTX drive, a balance shaft tames the vibrations on site, and a total of five shock absorbers in the drive train ensure that the commands from the engine are converted into smooth propulsion without stress or jolts.
But no light without shadow. So much dampened jolt? and the associated play in the drive train ?? In connection with the request to set up the cardan, it causes uncomfortable load changes while driving. In stop-and-go traffic in particular, you are often as jerky on the road as some hip-hop stars on the show stage. The strong load changes are also annoying in tight bends or bends. It is recommended, just as with card-driven two-wheelers of the Guzzi, BMW type & Co. to surf the curve with a steady engine thrust, if possible.
Several factors are responsible for the fact that the VTX and its incredibly long wheelbase of 1715 millimeters still give rise to real feelings of pleasure. On the one hand, the low steering forces on the wide handlebars. On the other hand, the homogeneous driving behavior in curves. The 1800 can be turned with absolute precision, has almost no self-steering behavior, drives neutral, is precise and in no way sneaky. The sum of these properties, coupled with a very low center of gravity, gives the huge motorcycle a manageable impression.
And thus makes it unique among its competing companions. Anyone who has ever driven one of the pompous large-caliber V2 cruisers will be surprised by the VTX. The others drive the way they look. Clumsy and sluggish in terms of driving dynamics. They all annoy with a pronounced self-steering behavior. The 1800s, on the other hand, appears agile and cooperative. Honda’s technical trainers have turned a plow horse into a riding horse. What remains are the footpegs that touch down relatively early. If you overdo it in the sportsman style, let them paddle until they fold in, you won’t be levered out of the curve by the frame that sits on top of you.
All you need is a mediocre bump. Because the suspension of the VTX is underdamped. Very rough bumps are passed on to the spine, almost unfiltered. Although the rear struts in the spring base can be changed, this does not change the soft tuning of the power cruiser. So on uneven roads, slight unrest creeps into the chassis, dilutes the accuracy a little and nibbles on the cornering stability. The single CBS braking system, on the other hand, sets new standards in the cruiser sector. As usual, the front brake is activated by hand, and both the front and rear brakes are activated by foot. The effect of the system is satisfactory, the dosage excellent, but the pressure point is slightly doughy.
Aside from the facts, where the senses rule and the driver is embedded in a cozy cloud of freedom and enjoyment, the VTX is a really big number. The engine, a mix of agility, power and sharpness, paired with its outstanding torque muscles, conjures up a smile around the corner of the mouth in any driving situation. Spurts, chugs, pulls brutally and shakes without the driver perceiving it as annoying, provides him with good vibrations, with a real chopper feeling. The high weight also contributes to this. Because a cruiser needs mass in order to be able to convey its calm, must not fidget with every pebble. In the saddle of the VTX, far behind the beautifully styled headlights, over which the horizon flows as if time would soon stand still, and far behind the mighty tank, the feeling of immortality quickly arises. And that of strength. This part could punch a huge hole in any wall.
Even if the romantic gets out of the saddle again and mutates into a technician, he will be delighted. Because the regulated Kat in connection with a secondary air system calms the environment, the good workmanship the financial conscience. However, the headlights and side covers could be made of metal instead of plastic, and the exhaust pipe maybe more in the direction of sidepipes than stovepipe. A question of taste? Perhaps. In addition, the indicator lights drown in the sunshine and refueling is a bit cumbersome. Marginalia, okay. And incidental to such a well-trained, beautiful iron mountains. This word may be allowed for a two-wheeler over 300 kilograms.
ZAbout 500 copies are still being offered for sale this year by Honda dealers in Germany and are available for sale. Let’s see if someone asks.

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Top test Honda VTX 1800

Top test Honda VTX 1800
Dick and Schwof

MOTORCYCLE readings

Performance1 Maximum speed Solo (with pillion passenger) 189 (180) km / h Acceleration Solo (with pillion passenger) 0-100 km / h 4.8 (5.7) sec 0-140 km / h 10.0 (11.9) sec 0-180 km / h 23.7 sec pull-through solo (with pillion passenger) 60-100 km / h 6.1 (7.0) sec 60-140 km / h 6.7 (7.9) sec 60-180 km / h 12.5 seconds Speedometer deviation display / effective 54/50, 108/100, 210/189 km / h Fuel type Normal consumption in the test at 100 km / h 5.3 l / 100 km at 130 km / h 6.1 l / 100 km Country road 6.4 l / 100 km Theor . Range 266 kmDimensions and weightsL / W / H 2480/910/1240 mmSeat height 710 mmTurning circle 6930 mmWeight fully fueled 345 kg Permissible total weight * 538 kg Load 193 kgWheel load distribution f / h 46/54% Tank capacity / reserve * 17 / 3.1 liters1 Measurement conditions: Temperature 26 degrees , light wind, measuring location Jagsttal; * Manufacturer’s informationMOTORCYCLE measured valuesBraking and driving dynamicsBrake measurementsBraking distance from 100 km / h 41.5 metersMedium braking deceleration 9.3 m / s² Comments: The rear brake is very effective due to the high weight and the wheel load distribution, compared to other cruisers, the VTX is lane-stable when braking.Handling- Parcours I (tight arcs) Best lap time: 23.8 secVmax at the measuring point: 84 km / h Comments: The motorcycle touches down quickly, so it has to be driven in a very wide arc at the turning point, the high lap time results from the high steering forces when changing lean angles very quickly .Handling-Parcours II (wide arcs) Best lap time: 35.7 secVmax at the measuring point: 42 km / h Comments: The speed is limited by the lack of lean angle. Orbit O 46 meters Best lap time: 14.2 secVmax at the measuring point 39.9 km / h hRemarks: The VTX remains stable, but is levered out when the frame parts touch down when cornering excessively.

Technical data – Honda VTX 1800

Engine: water-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke 52-degree V-engine, transverse crankshaft, a balance shaft, one overhead, chain-driven camshaft, three valves per cylinder, rocker arm, dry sump lubrication, electronic intake manifold injection, Ø 42 mm, engine management, double ignition, regulated catalytic converter with secondary air system, electric starter, three-phase alternator 400 W, battery 12 V / 18 Ah. Bore x stroke 101 x 112 mm, displacement 1795 cm³, compression ratio 9: 1, nominal output 71 kW (97 PS) at 5000 rpm, max. Torque 156 Nm (15.9 kpm) at 3000 rpm Power transmission: primary drive via gear wheels, hydraulically operated multi-disc oil bath clutch, five-speed gearbox, cardan. Chassis: double loop frame made of tubular steel, upside-down fork, guide tube diameter 45 mm, two-arm swing arm made of steel profiles, two spring struts , adjustable spring base, double disc brake at the front, three-piston calipers, Ø 296 mm, rear disc brake, double-piston caliper, Ø 316 mm, single-CBS cast aluminum wheels 3.50 x 18; 5.00 x 16 tires 130/70 -R 18; 180/70 -R 16 Chassis data: wheelbase 1715 mm, steering head angle 58 degrees, caster 146 mm, spring travel f / h 130/100 mm. Service data Service intervals every 6000 km Oil and filter change every 12,000 km / 3.7 l Engine oil SAE 10 W 40 fork oil SAE 10 W spark plugs NGK IFR 6 L 11, ND VK 20 PRZ 11 cardan oil SAE 80 filling quantity 120 cm³ change every 24 000 km idling speed 800 ± 100 / min valve play inlet / outlet 0.13 / 0.32 mm tire pressure solo (with pillion passenger) front / rear 2 , 3 / 2.3 (2.3 / 2.5) barWarranty for two years with unlimited mileagePrice including VAT. 31,590 marks

Conclusion

Cubic capacity, especially cultivated, cannot be replaced by anything. This engine is the stunner, it’s addicting. Honda planted it in a very neutral acting chassis and managed to create a completely new driving experience and destroy a cliche. Because the VTX crumbles the prejudice about inertia: Even fat people want and can dance.

What else caught my eye

Plus, simply check and refill the oilVery good, undistorted view in the rear-view mirrorsLarge range of accessories from HondaStays on track even at top speedMaintenance-free cardan driveMinusDifficult to dismantle the seat, it has to be unscrewed to get to the battery ?? The tool compartment is behind the left side cover The side stand does not fold out very easily with your foot when you are sitting in the saddle The indicator lights are difficult to see in direct sunlight, the petrol warning light begins to glow slightly It takes a long time to fill the tank, the petrol becomes petrol not discharged through an overflow in connection with a hose, but runs over the tank The footrests set too early The hand levers are not adjustable The steering lock is jaggedTiresFront and rear Bridgestone ExedraAir pressure in the test 2.3 / 2.3 bar

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