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Test: Honda VT 1300 CX
Honda’s custom bike: the Honda VT 1300 CX
What is this now? While Honda’s new and only custom bike bears the nickname Fury in its American cradle, the one in Europe was deleted without replacement. But that is only one of the many mysteries…
The mysteries of the new VT 1300 CX have many facets: Allegedly, Honda was not allowed to use the name Fury in Europe for trademark reasons. Wait a minute, Fury? That’s probably where the doorbell rings for many. There was once a US television series called: 114 episodes, produced from 1955 to 1960. The main actor was a horse. And maybe you also know the Hanoverian rock band "Fury in the slaughterhouse". Anyway … Honda is not allowed to call its custom bike what the Americans have called it: Fury. Let’s stay in America. And in English. Fury means anger, anger. You’re welcome?
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Test: Honda VT 1300 CX
Honda’s custom bike: the Honda VT 1300 CX
Water-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke 52 degree V engine with two balance shafts. Rated power: 58 hp at 4250 rpm. Max torque: 107 Nm at 2250 rpm.
The 1300 should produce just 58 hp at 4250 rpm. What’s that
to do with anger? This means that the liter output of the CX is even below that of the Harley bumper motors. MOTORRAD researched and found answers. It is a mouse-gray morning in November. The water-cooled 52-degree V-engine starts working immediately after the starter starts to twist. And he does it in an emphatically inconspicuous manner. While the air-cooled heart of a Harley, for example, thunders and soothingly dances unrhythmically in the frame structure, the 1312 cubic meter Honda Vau whispers and plays dead in terms of vibration. Well wonderful, maybe some short-legged readers are now looking forward to it. However, there is a catch: short legs are usually associated with short arms. On the VT 1300 CX you not only sit very close to the earth, but also far away from the handlebars. This is hardly noticeable when driving. When turning, however, when you have to maneuver the 309 kilogram iron pile with wide steering angles out of the parking space or garage. But what does iron pile mean? Most of the add-on parts are made of chrome-plated plastic: speedometer, headlights, indicators, engine side covers, valve covers, front and rear mudguards, radiator cover, license plate holder… Not possible, says the real custom freak. It works, says Honda. Because it doesn’t rust. Well, at least it works. Nevertheless, the question remains open, another mystery, as it were, how to achieve such a fighting weight with so much plastic…
Once in motion, it becomes the term used by the manufacturer "big cinema" understandable. Because the Fury, sorry: VT 1300 CX, stands out. Always. And everywhere. It is not uncommon for people to be stopped and held in place to pay medical bills for dislocated necks. And the motorcycle is not quite as unwieldy as the key data suggests: wheelbase 1805 millimeters, 58 degrees steering head angle, 90 millimeters caster – data for an electric locomotive. Steering commands are implemented relatively directly. The large wheelbase is less of a problem here than the wide 200 mm slipper, which leads to unrest in the chassis on undulating ground. The handlebars lie very well in the hand, the knee angle is exactly between you-can-me-stretching and squatting in the toilet, and the spine is not stretched straight, sensitive to impact, but rather pulled forward slightly. To get to the point: It has never been cooler on a Honda.
The beautifully drawn, teardrop-shaped tank and the stylishly drawn headlights in the field of vision, weeeeiiit the front wheel on the horizon – that’s exactly how Hopper and Fonda must once have felt. It’s great how this Japanese woman conveys that feeling. There is also no anger about a lack of acceleration. In 6.8 seconds the load drags itself to 100 km / h, up to 140 km / h on the speedometer, 14.5 seconds pass. You can’t expect more from 54 measured horsepower at 4300 tours. The Vau already produces 100 Newton meters of torque at 2000 rpm and sends this power to the rear wheel at up to 3500 rpm.
For those who don’t know what to do with numbers: you can practically always leave fifth gear in there. The 1300s are always relaxed and confident.
ABS with three-piston floating caliper at the front: effective enough, but the brakes are blunt.
And elastic. At 130 km / h constant speed, the Vau is by no means stressed despite its modest performance and 145 km / h top speed. The manual force for the clutch could be less, but stirring in the gear box is always successful, the gears lock pleasantly exactly and without excessive effort. However, anyone who wants to theatrically knock in the first person at the traffic lights will experience a bitter disappointment. While with Harley-Davidson, Victory or Triumph it does a big blow when you mesh the gears of the first, with the Fury, sorry: VT 1300 CX, this happens almost uneventfully. Small cinema, so to speak. This is followed by the sound: some machines with a smaller displacement sound duller, more bassy, stronger ex works. Anyway, at least you can leave early in the morning without the neighbors complaining. As the saying goes at Honda: First the person, then the machine. And the motto is correct. The 1300 enchants with an incredibly relaxing driving experience. It is almost as if it sucks in time, compresses and burns time rather than air and thus forcing it to a standstill. In addition, it takes on the chassis with third-order country roads. The term comfortable is wrong here, but the meager 95 millimeters of rear suspension travel is much more puncture-proof and has better damping properties than some other long forks. That the competition, with a few exceptions, relies on timing belts leaves Honda indifferent. The power of the VT is sent to the 200 slipper via a low-reaction cardan. This happens with comparatively greater load change reactions than with the tooth-belted competition, but is still within the limits of the bearable. A perfectly functioning, partially integral ABS rounds off the package.
The only drawback: the front brake is blunt. But you can live with that. In the end the question remains: where is the horse without a name? For 14,590 euros (including ABS) you get a lot of bulk, a lot of chrome, but also a lot of plastic. And an uncompromisingly styled chopper that doesn’t look at all like Japan’s uniformity.
Data of the Honda VT 1300 CX
fact
Visually successful and acoustically discreet: the double exhaust system. Also beautifully made: the cast spoked wheels contribute to the unmistakability.
Engine:
Water-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke 52-degree V-engine, two balance shafts, one overhead, chain-driven camshaft each, three valves per cylinder, rocker arm, dry sump lubrication, injection, ø 38 mm, regulated catalytic converter, alternator 381 W, battery 12 V / 11 Ah, mechanically operated multi-disc oil bath clutch, five-speed gearbox, cardan shaft, secondary ratio 2.66.
Bore x stroke: 89.5 x 104.3 mm
Displacement: 1312 cm³
Compression ratio: 9.2: 1
Rated capacity: 42.5 kW (58 hp) at 4250 rpm
Max. Torque: 107 Nm at 2250 rpm
Landing gear:
Double loop frame made of steel, telescopic fork, ø 45 mm, two-arm swing arm made of aluminum, two spring struts, adjustable spring base and rebound damping, front disc brake, ø 336 mm, three-piston floating caliper, rear disc brake, ø 296 mm, two-piston fixed caliper, partially integral brake system with ABS.
Cast aluminum wheels: 2.15 x 21; 5.25 x 18
Tires: 90/90 R 21; 200 / 50-18
Dimensions + weights:
Wheelbase 1805 mm, steering head angle 58.0 degrees, caster 90 mm, suspension travel f / h 130/95 mm, seat height 678 mm, weight with a full tank 311 kg, load 158 kg, tank capacity 12.8 liters.
Guarantee: two years
Colors: blue, black
Price *: 14,590 euros
Additional costs: 170 euros
Readings:
Driving performance:
Top speed: 165 km / h
0-100 km / h: 6.8 sec
0–140 km / h: 14.5 seconds
Draft:
60–100 km / h: 6.6 sec
100–140 km / h: 8.8 seconds
Speedometer deviation:
Effective (display 50/100): 45/93 km / h
Consumption:
Country road: 5.1 liters / 100 km
Fuel type: normal
Theoretical range (country road): 251 km
Conclusion
Function follows form: although the cockpit is illuminated in orange, it is very difficult to read in the dark.
CONCLUSION
Japan’s first custom series-production bike is an eye-catcher that can be ridden on the road with almost no frills. Nevertheless, a little driving experience is required to be able to move this chopper safely. Anyone who can be satisfied with the modest performance will receive a technically sophisticated motorcycle with great show potential. But the show has its price, the Honda is by no means cheap.
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