Menus
- From the road to the city by motor synthesis.
- Discovery
- In the saddle
- In the city
- Motorway and expressways
- Departmental
- Part-cycle
- Braking
- Comfort / Duo
- Consumption
- Conclusion
From the road to the city by motor synthesis.
The power of dreams, the credo of the Honda firm, inspires him for 2011, an atypical machine: the Crossrunner or VFR800X. This motorcycle must respond to a global vision of the needs and expectations of current bikers. According to the study by the Japanese firm, users would be sensitive to the appearance of the trails but would hardly appreciate long-travel suspensions, high saddles and mixed tires… The ambiguity is considerable. Nothing is more difficult than wanting to please everyone while seducing everyone. The winged brand will have to show a high level of mastery to succeed in its desire for universality.
Discovery
The Crossrunner adopts a particular design: a large fairing surrounds the engine. Tight, the lines meet in a duckbill under the front optic. This style is indeed reminiscent of a number of machines that have tried to get off the road … all the more so because of the handlebars and the high fuel tank. The rear looks comparatively very thin. Extremely worked, the sides benefit from a coating known as multi-layer. This complex surface is designed to minimize air flow and optimize machine stability at medium and high speeds.
To realize its concept of versatile motorcycle, Honda relies on the cycle and engine part of the VFR 800 ABS-CBS. The double aluminum beam frame encloses a new evolution of the V4 with VTEC technology. This technology uses the original variable valve timing system, optimizing valve opening and closing times. For this model, below 6,500 rpm, 2 valves per cylinder are used; beyond that, all 16 valves are activated.
Like the engine block, the suspensions are also borrowed from the 800cc GT-sport. The front is therefore a hydraulic cartridge fork 43 mm in diameter, adjustable in preload. The rear system is of the Pro-Link type with HMAS mono-shock absorber adjustable in preload (7 positions) and rebound. A fairly conventional equipment … unlike the always appreciable rear single-swingarm and Honda combined braking. Two 3-piston calipers at the front and a dual-piston caliper at the rear work in heart and without locking thanks to the ABS.
Note the lateral arrangement of the radiators, somewhat reminiscent of the XL 1000 Varadero. The exhaust is a 4 in 1 type extending into a single angular silencer.
The whole is rather elegant, follows very Japanese visual codes, but really appeals to several worlds: that of the road for the fairing, the trails for the front end and the feeling of height..
In the saddle
Because that’s just a visual effect. The seat rises to just 816 mm, close to the values of a roadster. A 1.75 m rider can easily put the soles of their feet on the ground. Barely elevating the passenger, the nearly flat seat is made from one piece. Under it, the storage space is small but gives easy access to the battery and the rear brake reservoir.
Particularly soft, without annoying edges, the comfortable seat is not easy to put up. The long and flexible legs running on the tank must be fixed on it. While at the same time placing the rest of the large saddle … a gesture to repeat.
The companion is provided with large but angular grab handles. Disagreeable for the hands in the long run in agglomeration. Leg flexion is measured despite retracted footrests leaving the torso in an upright position. The pilot seems to be in control of a trail. The hands fall naturally on a wide handlebars, made up of tubes covered with plastic. These run far into the fairing fork well, towards the steering column, revealing a few electrical wires … This unexpected depth is reminiscent of the sportivo-GT base used and the necessary height of the trim.
Advantage, the meter block is close to the eyes. Fortunately, because the narrow LCD display assembly is prone to glare. There are tachometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, engine temperature, clock and successively, double trip, totalizer, average consumption. We also find the classic witnesses around this window. A small windscreen protects everything.
The stems are reversed to the left: we start by honking the horn instead of activating the turn signals. We finally quickly get used to it. Interesting initiative for the most urban, the large warning control is very judiciously positioned above the starter. Clutch and brake control are hydraulic. The mirrors are free of vibrations and provide a wide field of rear vision. Equally pleasant, the side stand is easily deployed thanks to its lug. The motorcycle then remains in a fairly vertical position.
The passenger part of the seat, the design of its handles and that of its footrest plates allow easy stowage of parcels, bags, etc..
In the city
The Crossrunner comes to life quietly, with a muted, metallic sound in slow motion that is not very exciting. The V4 carries the crew swiftly and you immediately feel the balance of the chassis. The 240 kilos of the Honda concept are immediately forgotten. The precise and smooth gearbox perfectly supports the engine, torquey and available. Effectively optimized in this sense, the original VFR unit sees its injection and modified intake ducts.
Watching over the other vehicles, the pilot manages the vagaries of urban traffic as well as possible. The wide and high handlebars give great liveliness to the slightest support. The Cross ’can also count on a very good turning radius, allowing U-turns without maneuvering.
In order to benefit from the best engine approval, we will rather move on the 4th gear in town, thus maintaining dynamic reminders. The four-cylinder V is rather flexible but 5th and 6th gear are long, causing the block to hiccup under 2,000 rpm..
Retaining the fork of its VFR cousin, the new Honda dives little under braking. It’s amazing to see the column placed so low under the long handlebars. Combined braking still makes it possible to brake only from the rear and at the same time activate the front calipers. Very pleasant in town, this CBS ABS system slows down the machine very effectively.
Motorway and expressways
The V4 mechanics are particularly alert, devoid of inertia. Turning is quick and the VTEC effect efficient but completely transparent. His detractors will find it difficult to denigrate him. Abandoning its gloomy soundtrack, the Crossrunner then plays the real melody of its mechanics. Between the rumbling and whistling of a turbine, the tachometer rushes towards the red zone, at 12,000 revolutions per minute. At 130 km / h, the engine purrs at 5,500 revolutions in 6 °. The pickups are then very smooth as long as the VTEC triggering course, at 6,500 laps, is not reached, i.e. 145 km / h.
The work carried out on the development of the fairing (120 wind tunnel tests) is very sensitive. From the feet to the middle of the bust, you don’t feel a thing. The low flexion of the legs is appreciable in the long run. On the other hand, shoulders and head are subjected to the air flow. Motorway journeys will require the optional high bubble.
Departmental
As a versatile motorcycle, the Crossrunner is fun on the secondary network. In order to benefit from the VTEC effect, we will keep the mechanics above 6,000 rpm by avoiding 6th gear. Otherwise, you have to drop one or two gears to double effectively. Maintained at a good pace, the V4 enchants with its availability and its lyrical flights. The regrettable absence of a gear indicator light, as well as an average reading of the instrument panel, means that you can drive by ear. An evil for a good, so much the metallic whirring regales the ear.
Supported by a very rigid, almost sporty cycle part, this atypical Honda allows frank attacks. Effective on good surface, the set will give you back your hand on more degraded roads. The cushioning is certainly good but not in the excellence. The spring hydraulics are not closed enough at the factory. The machine then pumps gently, without excess. A bit of a shame, as the passage from one angle to the other is lively, the high ground clearance encouraging to play and to increase the pace. Just like the unexpected fit of Pirelli Scorpion Trail tires which offer flawless grip.
The CBS then offers fairly powerful but gradual decelerations, as well as decent endurance. However, we feel the perfectible work of the fork which lessens the feeling during sustained braking. The steering also tends to lock up slightly when the brakes engage on the angle..
Part-cycle
Efficient, agile, lively, the Crossrunner makes full use of its excellent chassis. Better suspensions would have further increased its agility in fast sequences and the pleasure of driving it. Less sporty riding and more in line with the machine’s vocation tempers these criticisms..
Braking
No complaints about the Honda CBS ABS system. A guarantee of safety and convenience, the brakes, both rear and front, are adjustable and efficient.
Comfort / Duo
Damping, which could be improved on damaged pavement tackled at high speed, is much better otherwise. Spring and fork filter out everyday road defects well. The major cuts being handled a little more curtly. This highlights the excellent comfort of the saddle foams. After more than 300 km, we appreciate this Pullman bench.
The small air flow deflector quickly shows its limits, even in peri-urban use. The upright riding position does not help matters. Acceptable on expressways, the motorway quickly tires the necks. The rest of the body is well protected from wind and possible bad weather by the astonishing, very stylish fairing.
Welcome to the passenger. Apart from its grab handles, it has a pleasant, horizontal seat and a natural leg position. On the other hand, its footrests are not sheathed in rubber like those of the pilot..
Consumption
The large 21.5-liter tank allows stages of nearly 300 km, excluding reserve, in mixed driving. Specifically, the computer indicates an average consumption of 6.4 liters. This very common result is undoubtedly linked to the heavy weight of the Crossrunner..
Conclusion
The Crossrunner is a machine both atypical but ultimately less surprising than expected. If the style is bold, its handling is more common. Used to consensual products, the VFR800X is no exception to the house philosophy; better, it is a culmination of it.
Combining both vigorous mechanics and reasoned use, this novelty proves to be a good mount for daily trips. This concept is aimed at "commuter" bikers. This anglicism designating users passing, for work, from the city to the peri-urban area every day. But the novelty of the winged firm may also appeal to those disappointed with trails, with an overly distinctive identity. Likewise, it could attract roadster pilots, tired of fighting the wind. Much more fun than a classic and gloomy Deauville, the Crossrunner will be an appreciable motorcycle in everyday life as well as on longer trips..
There are still several unknowns as to the sales volumes to be respected (800 Crossrunner planned for France). First of all, the choice of a motorcycle, often passionate, does not fit well with conceptual diplomacy. The design of the Crossrunner could appeal but its measured versatility a little less. Another point, competition. Yamaha has long offered a comparable machine. Tall, agile, a mix of trail and road, the TDM 900 ABS fetched € 9,999. If the faired roadsters do not really offer the same approval, on the other hand, the Triumph Tiger 800 ABS (9,590 €) and BMW F 800 GS (10,965 € with ABS), offer at least comparable performance. Not to mention their ability to leave asphalt.
The Honda, displayed at € 10,999, is surely counting on the originality of its V4 engine, its single-sided arm, its proven chassis and its elegant and efficient line to cope with this higher price. 50% innovative, 50% conservative…. 100% atypical.
Strong points
- motor character and flexibility
- cycle part performance
- combined braking
- strong aesthetic
- finishes
Weak points
- Perfectible suspensions
- Sluggish recovery on the last report at legal pace
available in black, red, white
The Crossrunner technical sheet
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