All Tests – 2012 Honda Crosstourer Test: V4 and DCT as key assets – A heavy-crazy maxi trail

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2012 Honda Crosstourer test: V4 and DCT as key assets

All Tests - 2012 Honda Crosstourer Test: V4 and DCT as key assets - A heavy-crazy maxi trail

The maxi trail motorcycle segment is doing well in France but it is monopolized by one and the same machine: a certain Geesse … To compete with it, Honda is launching the Crosstourer and relying among other things on its V4 and its DCT transmission. Test…

A crazy heavy maxi trail

The first contact with the Crosstourer is somewhat surprising: its compact V4 (even more than the 800!) And its clean lines hide – too – well its weight when fully loaded: some 275 kg for the standard version, and 10 kg additional for the one equipped with DCT !

Taking the Crosstourer off the center stand therefore requires more effort than one might think. Maneuvering with the engine off then requires concentration and firmness, and perching the bike on the power plant – optional, unfortunately – requires perfect synchronization or a serious boost..

The saddle height of 850 mm is quite common for a trail, but the footrests located directly above the buttocks prevent the feet from directly reaching the ground: you have to go around them from the front, from behind or on the exterior…

Better to be provided with long legs to tame this "VFR1200X", especially since it does not offer – unlike a CBF1000, for example – saddle height adjustment.

You suck … but I love you

Once installed, you benefit from a very comfortable driving position. By wedging well back, we benefit from a wide saddle base and the handlebars are not too far. Only the knees are a little too wide apart by the 21.5 liter tank (against 18.5 liters on the "real" VFR).

The steering, even at a full stop, is as light as a feather. The steering angle is excellent (40 ° against 30 on the road) and allows the driver to perform U-turns or circumvents very efficiently, well helped by the wide handlebars.

Once the spacings of the two levers have been adjusted – MNC begins the 180 km walk on a manual model – first gear is engaged and … nothing, the engine has just stalled! The first gear is long and therefore requires playing with the left control. The second try is the right one, but you will have to be careful during the U-turns !

The gearbox does not pose any problem thereafter. We quickly realize that even with a "mecha" box, the Crosstourer allows you to shift gears on the fly without worry. The engine is flexible and alert enough to roam around town without leaving third gear.

After just a few hectometers, the peaceful city walk turns into a fantastic ride on the expressway. "Fantastic", really, because the barely awake Crosstourer accepts to spin in long curves at 160 km / h without faltering.

Guided by its 19-inch front wheel, the Honda maxi trail cuts the road with confidence and absorbs the connections of the few bridges crossed without moving further. The Prolink system is responsible for keeping the rear exactly in line, while perfectly sparing the buttocks.

In sixth gear, the Crosstourer reaches 30 km / h at 1000 revolutions: by setting the needle to 5000 rev / min, the landscape unrolls quickly, without the sensation of speed being striking. Previously set in the high position by the Japanese – switching to the low position requires a screwdriver – the screen protects very well.

A V4 full of goodwill

The bust, shoulders and chin of 1m80 drivers are sheltered from the wind. The air flow reaching the top of the helmet is continuous and straight, so that the head does not wobble unpleasantly. When needed – loud headphones, for example – it is nevertheless easy to lodge behind the windshield.

The legs also benefit from good protection while the feet are only tickled by discreet vibrations at around 4500 rpm, a speed from which the engine delivers acceleration and recovery worthy of a sporty GT..

Because if the pace maintained by the Honda opener on the highway is slightly above the legal limits, it is not under the pressure of journalists thirsty for maximum speed (more than 220 km / h!), But because the Crosstourer himself asks only that !

The revised and corrected V4 of the VFR1200F actually seems fuller in the first half of the tachometer and makes the maxi trail take off very effectively. Past 5000 rpm, the engine is undoubtedly less expressive than that of the VFR, but it still has a significant second wind !

On the motorway, you will have understood it, the Crosstourer has convinced Site: stable, fast and comfortable, the maxi trail should be "the weight" against the competition. When stationary, on the other hand, the mass of the machine penalizes the small riders too much who cannot install a low saddle on their mount….

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