• 8 months ago
Join us as we dive into the heart of Honda's engineering excellence and explore the exhilarating world of motorcycling!

From the sleek and powerful sportbikes to the rugged and dependable off-road models, experience the ultimate journey through the world of Honda motorcycles with our exclusive compilation video featuring in-depth reviews from the experts at Men & Motors.

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Transcript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:12 Now, those European types love these great big Enduro-style
00:15 bikes like the Africa Twin.
00:17 It is actually a known fact that nine out of 10 Germans
00:20 have at some point or another leapt on one of these, bolted
00:23 on those narrow metal panniers to the back, and buggered off
00:26 around the world.
00:27 So there must be something right about them.
00:30 But I've avoided trying one until now for
00:32 one very good reason.
00:34 It's this bit of a problem.
00:36 But it's not that bad.
00:37 If you are like me, built more for compactness than
00:40 anything else, once you're on board, those long, soft,
00:43 off-road springs compress and bring the ground
00:46 almost within reach.
00:47 And once you're rolling, well, it's really not a problem.
00:50 The Honda Africa Twin 750 has been around for a few years
00:54 now, so you could say it's getting a bit
00:56 long in the tooth.
00:57 Or you could say it's a classic.
00:59 Either way, it's certainly not changed much over the years.
01:03 What you're not buying with an Africa Twin is a
01:05 sophisticated machine loaded with cutting-edge technology.
01:08 They're built and designed to look rugged.
01:10 And in fact, they are rugged.
01:12 So that's exactly what you get, a simple, solid machine,
01:14 that long travel, off-road-ish suspension front and back, the
01:18 wheels with those tires that look off-road.
01:20 But those are road tires.
01:22 They're not fooling anybody.
01:23 So you get a simple frame, cradling a simple V-Twin 750
01:27 CC engine that shares components with a dozen other
01:29 750s in the Honda range.
01:31 On board, well, obviously, you've got these huge, broad
01:34 handlebars.
01:34 You're sitting almost bolt upright.
01:36 And in front of you is a dash layout that--
01:38 I don't know if it's a layout.
01:39 It's a throwout, really.
01:40 Certainly nothing like a sports tourer, bits and pieces
01:43 clustered about all over the place.
01:45 But it's got everything you need.
01:46 You're not riding a tourer.
01:47 You're riding a roughy-toughy Enduro.
01:50 But what's really amazing is what a good tourer it makes.
01:53 That riding position is so comfortable for long journeys.
01:57 Bolt upright, arms out wide, legs straight down below.
02:00 Believe me, it's comfy.
02:03 Now, of course, you'd have to be mad to attempt the Paris
02:05 Dakar on something like this.
02:07 It is very much more a styling exercise after off-road,
02:10 rather than romping across hill and dale.
02:12 But that long travel suspension means it irons out
02:15 even the roughest of potholes.
02:16 It's silky smooth.
02:19 Anybody who's ever spent any time on this, or even many
02:22 other bikes in the same category, will tell you what's
02:25 also amazing is how well it goes around corners.
02:27 The suspension compresses.
02:29 It soaks up the bumps.
02:30 And it'll grip and grip and grip.
02:32 You can get some serious lean on, if you so choose.
02:35 Mind you, it's quite a long way down.
02:38 Some things I really don't get.
02:40 Most computer games, those stupid little mini scooters,
02:44 bikes with CD players, I don't get any of those.
02:46 This, I actually do get.
02:49 It might seem a really odd idea to go touring and use
02:51 every day a bike that's styled to look like something you'd
02:53 cross the desert on.
02:55 But it actually makes a surprising amount of sense.
02:57 That riding position, upright, with your arms widely spaced,
03:00 is hugely comfortable.
03:01 Those great dollops of torque from that simple V-twin mean
03:04 it is actually a delight to ride without feeling you've
03:06 got to go breakneck speed everywhere.
03:08 And they're cheap, best of all.
03:11 This R-plated example with about 17,000 miles on the
03:14 clock, you'd pick up for 4, 4 and 1/2 thousand pounds.
03:16 And you could get one for less.
03:17 Remember, there's no need to buy desperately new with
03:19 something like this.
03:20 They're very long-lived.
03:22 So cheap, practical, and durable.
03:24 Maybe the chairman's had it right after all.
03:28 You know, if you open a motorcycle magazine, go and buy
03:32 any motorcycle mag, and have a look down the bike listings,
03:35 the names of the bikes, the makers and the models, in
03:37 particular, the models, every month we seem to be getting
03:40 new models, new names.
03:41 And you think, oh, how on earth am I going to remember all
03:44 this lot?
03:45 They're coming out all the time.
03:46 But also, if you look closely, you'll see names that seem to
03:48 have been there for years, for donkey's years.
03:51 This is one such name, this name here, Honda TransElp.
03:55 Yeah, been around for ages.
03:57 Actually been around since 1987, can you
04:00 believe, all that time.
04:01 So they must have been doing something right.
04:03 But it's grown up a little bit since then.
04:05 Back in '87, the TransElp was a 600cc V-twin motor.
04:10 Well, it's still a V-twin, but it's grown up now to a 650cc,
04:13 well, actually 649cc, I think it is.
04:16 But there it is, still a V-twin.
04:17 And it's the same engine as Honda used in the Deauville.
04:21 And that's got a good reputation.
04:22 That's become a bit of a favorite with
04:23 motorcycle couriers.
04:25 And they like machines, or they like engines, that are
04:27 good for many tens of thousands of miles, up and
04:29 down the country, all day long, seven days a week, some
04:31 of them.
04:32 So they won't be very much wrong with the motor.
04:34 But it's not just grown up engine-wise.
04:36 It's grown up, I think, in its looks, because it's still,
04:39 essentially, an off-road looking machine, off-road
04:42 style of bike.
04:43 But I think it's becoming a little bit more road bike in
04:46 its looks, in its body work.
04:47 It's a bit more streamlined now, shall we say, the way
04:50 these indicators are all flushed into the front.
04:53 Oh, very, very smart.
04:54 Perhaps lost that little bit of a rugged look that it had
04:57 in its early days.
04:59 And one other thing that you need to be careful of, I'll
05:01 just show you this.
05:02 Watch this.
05:03 People with short legs should beware, because this is a
05:06 very, very tall machine.
05:10 But that can be a good thing, because sitting this high
05:13 gives you a great view of the road ahead.
05:16 The Transel isn't fast.
05:18 It's not meant to be.
05:20 It's got a nice, friendly sort of power delivery, just about
05:23 right for this style of bike.
05:25 It really is an easy bike to ride.
05:27 There's no nasty twitches.
05:29 Everything's just very predictable and
05:31 very sure-footed.
05:33 It's more at home on the tarmac, but it won't complain
05:36 too much on the odd muddy track.
05:39 The suspension set up as standard is a bit too soft for
05:43 any serious terrain, but you certainly wouldn't get away
05:46 with this on your race replica.
05:48 So while we're on the off-road theme, let's have a look at
06:02 the off-road bits and pieces on the Transel.
06:04 Well, the most obvious one is down there,
06:07 bottom of the engine.
06:07 Have a look at that.
06:08 How's that for a sump guard, eh?
06:10 Massive, huge, big bash plate on the bottom there.
06:12 So that'll protect the bottom of the engine should you
06:14 choose to do any off-roading over rocks and boulders and
06:17 things like that.
06:18 And also, it'll protect the downpipe for the exhaust as
06:21 well, because the front cylinder comes right down
06:23 there, right behind that.
06:25 So that's all protected nicely.
06:26 Then the exhaust along up here.
06:29 Any off-road bike, any decent off-road bike, has the exhaust
06:32 up there, tucked up high, out of the way, out of harm's way
06:36 where it can't get bashed and wrecked.
06:38 Well, we're on the back end here.
06:39 Nice big rack there.
06:40 Look at that.
06:42 Big, solid thing there.
06:43 You could stick a top box on there, fill it up.
06:45 You could strap luggage to it.
06:46 You could do anything you like, really.
06:47 And somewhere nice and easy for your pillion to hang onto.
06:50 And I've been riding this two up.
06:51 Had a pillion on the back quite a bit, quite a few times.
06:54 And it's nice with a pillion on the back.
06:55 It's quite easy to ride.
06:57 It doesn't upset the handling of it.
06:58 And it's quite comfy for the pillion, because the seat is
07:01 pretty good.
07:02 But if you don't like the seat, you can take it off.
07:05 Wouldn't be much use if you took it off, would it?
07:06 But there you go.
07:07 It comes off like that.
07:08 And there's not much to see under there.
07:10 Big hole there.
07:11 You could probably get a packet of crisps and a
07:12 toothbrush in it.
07:13 But little else.
07:16 So let's put that back on out of the way.
07:18 Up here on the dashboard, come and have a look up here.
07:20 There's nothing too fancy about it.
07:22 But it just looks nice.
07:24 Full of rain at the moment, of course.
07:25 But it's nice and classy.
07:27 It's well finished.
07:27 It's well done.
07:28 It's nicely put together.
07:30 And over here, the left-hand side, my favorite.
07:32 I'm always moaning about it.
07:34 Fuel gauge.
07:34 We've got a fuel gauge.
07:35 We like bikes with fuel gauges.
07:38 But going on the off-road thing, still on the off-road
07:40 theme, we've got these over here on the top of the bars.
07:43 Or on each side, of course, these knuckle guards, hand
07:45 guards, stop you bashing your fingers as you're going down
07:48 the dirt tracks.
07:49 Stop all the branches bashing your fingers.
07:51 But I suspect that most people who own a Transalp won't go on
07:54 the dirt tracks because, let's face it, the off-road ability
07:57 of this is, shall we say, somewhat limited.
08:00 But these are actually great for keeping your hands warm.
08:02 Because when you get cold fingers when you're riding a
08:04 bike, the things that make your hand cold is the wind.
08:07 It's the wind chill that makes your knuckles freeze and makes
08:09 your fingers freeze up.
08:10 Well, then, help to sort of stop the wind
08:12 blowing on your hands.
08:13 So they do keep your hands quite warm.
08:15 So very useful, even on a road bike.
08:17 Doesn't have to be an off-road bike.
08:19 Which, I'll tell you what it hasn't got.
08:20 And I hate it.
08:21 I hate for saying this.
08:23 It hasn't got a center stand.
08:24 And you know what really annoys me about it is that
08:27 underneath there are the holes for the spindle for the center
08:30 stand.
08:31 So it's all there.
08:32 It just needs the stand put in on it.
08:33 But they don't do it.
08:34 You don't get it.
08:35 But you can have it.
08:36 But you'll have to pay extra for it.
08:38 I don't know.
08:38 That's just one of my pet hates.
08:40 But I'll tell you the best thing about this bike.
08:42 The very, very best thing.
08:44 And that's its comfort.
08:45 The riding position.
08:46 Because it's so, so comfy.
08:48 And if you've got a bad back, perfect.
08:51 If you've got a bad back, this is the style of machine that
08:53 you need.
08:54 Because really, you could sit here all day long.
08:56 You know, I can't begin to tell you just how comfy this
09:02 bike is.
09:03 Cutting through busy rush hour traffic is easy.
09:06 The bike's nice and light.
09:07 And it's all very maneuverable.
09:10 Now, it may have been around for some time.
09:12 But this new Transalp, or the XL650V to give it the full
09:16 title, certainly doesn't feel or look dated.
09:20 And on the road, it'll cost you 5,400 pounds.
09:30 And here it is, was it?
09:31 Honda's CB1300.
09:33 Do you know very much about these?
09:34 Well, Honda have been trying to get in on the muscle bike
09:37 market for a long time, haven't they?
09:38 We go back a few years, the CB1.
09:41 Yeah, CBX, the big, massive six cylinder.
09:43 That worked, didn't it?
09:43 Yeah, well, that was great.
09:44 Yeah.
09:44 And trying to build on that heritage, CB1 came first.
09:47 Then they got the Blackbird motor, went off on a tangent,
09:49 gave us the X11.
09:50 That's right.
09:50 Neither really down favor.
09:53 Well, they reckon this might just do the trick for them.
09:55 It looks right, doesn't it?
09:56 Sort of semi-retro, nice red and white color scheme.
09:59 It's a Honda, so it's going to be OK, we think.
10:01 Just hope it's got a bit of aggression.
10:03 Well, 30 points to beat, eh?
10:04 Let's give it a go.
10:05 [MUSIC PLAYING]
10:12 The CB1300 is Honda's newest old bike,
10:15 if you get to see what I mean, with a heavy growling engine
10:18 and 107 brake horsepower encased in a heavy '80s style bike.
10:22 [MUSIC PLAYING]
10:30 Honda seems to have developed an uncanny knack over the years
10:33 for producing bikes that do their job with so little fuss
10:35 that we almost take them for granted now.
10:38 Well, guess what?
10:39 They've gone and done it again with the new CB1300.
10:43 Lots of four cylinder machines need
10:45 to hit somewhere around 6,000 RPM
10:47 before anything exciting starts to happen.
10:50 This CB1300 develops its peak power at a lowly 5,800 RPM,
10:56 and it will pull cleanly in just about any gear
10:58 from as little as 1,500 RPM.
11:02 Make no mistake, this bike is big and it's heavy,
11:05 but it's not intimidating in any way.
11:08 In fact, it's easy to ride and it handles really well.
11:10 And since riding it, I've been avoiding motorways and fast A
11:14 roads in favor of more challenging B roads.
11:16 And it's not very often you'd say that about something
11:19 which weighs 240 kilos and has 1,300 CCs.
11:24 The gearbox is typical Honda, super slick
11:27 with no hints of any false neutrals.
11:29 The steering is more than sharp enough
11:31 to have some real fun on the twisties,
11:33 although the suspension could be a touch on the soft side
11:36 for any serious boy racer types.
11:38 Looks wise, this is not quite as retro
11:43 as some of the other bikes in this class,
11:45 but it has a kind of pleasant mix of new and old styling.
11:49 As I said before, this is no sports bike,
11:51 but I'm sure that in the right hands,
11:53 this could certainly teach the boy racers a thing or two.
11:56 And it's not slow either, with a top speed
11:58 close to 140 miles an hour.
12:03 So it's over to the scoreboard on Honda's CB1300.
12:06 Styling, 7 out of 10.
12:08 That engine just doesn't look retro enough.
12:12 Performance, 8 out of 10.
12:13 A fantastic motor that pulls cleanly from very low revs.
12:17 Practicality, 8 out of 10.
12:19 Very, very comfortable, and you could ride
12:21 this every day of the week.
12:23 Value, 7 out of 10.
12:24 It's not quite the cheapest in this class.
12:27 So how does it compare to the GSX?
12:30 Well, I would say it's probably a better bike to throw around.
12:33 You could probably have a bit more fun on this.
12:35 Surprising, given how big it looks, isn't it?
12:37 Yeah, but as I said before, it's not intimidating.
12:39 It handles really well.
12:40 Very, very smooth.
12:41 Loads of power down at the bottom end, which is great.
12:43 Very low revving, like most of them are.
12:45 But there's just a problem with the style of it with me.
12:48 Now, you're saying it's not looking old enough, don't you?
12:51 That's what I'm saying, yeah.
12:52 And why is that?
12:53 Well, what I'm saying is these bikes are retro.
12:55 Make no mistake, they're made to look like '70s muscle bikes.
12:58 But that engine--
12:59 Oh, oh, I hadn't noticed that.
13:00 I mean, it's just a great big brand new lump of metal.
13:03 I mean, put some cooling fins on it.
13:04 Put some dummy spark plugs on it if you want.
13:06 If you're going to make a retro bike, go the whole hog.
13:09 Give us a finned engine as well, even if it's not air-cooled.
13:11 Even if it's not air-cooled, make it look it.
13:13 So that's 30 points.
13:13 It's neck and neck with the GSX.
13:15 Yeah, but not all is lost, because there's two more bikes
13:17 still to play with, isn't there?
13:18 Indeed, there are.
13:19 There are two more bikes left to come.
13:20 As Paul has said, that's going to be in part two,
13:22 because this is the end of part one.
13:24 Join us after the break when we'll
13:26 be meeting Kawasaki's ZRX and Yamaha's XJR.
13:29 We'll see you in a minute.
13:31 Right, bad gag time.
13:32 You're going to need some matches.
13:34 Checkers yours.
13:36 Thank you.
13:37 You need two of them.
13:38 Sit down.
13:40 So two matches, one between your knees like that.
13:43 Put the one on the top like that, and go like that.
13:46 Now you know what it feels like to be an elephant riding
13:49 a scooter, or a fully grown adult riding a Sports 400.
13:54 Such as this.
13:57 It's actually the VFR 400R, the NC30 from Honda.
14:00 It was the first of the proper Sports 400s to hit these
14:03 shores back in the very beginning of the '90s, maybe
14:06 the very last year or so of the '80s.
14:08 It was really pretty exclusive and expensive then, since
14:11 which there's been loads of 400s launched.
14:13 They actually brought this one in officially.
14:15 Then they went gray.
14:16 Then there's a whole load of gray imports.
14:17 This, though, is probably still the only one that has a V4
14:20 engine.
14:21 It's huge fun.
14:22 And we're going to play on it.
14:23 I feel huge.
14:28 Makes you feel like Monster Man.
14:29 I feel like John Wayne climbing onto a little tiny
14:31 pony.
14:33 And just like a proper little sports bike, you need to give
14:46 it a really big handful of revs to move off from the start.
14:49 Mind you, first gear is pretty tall.
14:51 And once you've cleared that, the rest is easy.
14:55 There's no doubt in that it's small.
14:56 But it's only when you ride it do you realize how short it is.
14:59 The front of the bike kind of disappears from below your
15:02 field of view.
15:03 You really are sat right over the front wheel.
15:06 Now, it may have been small, but they packed a lot into the
15:09 VFR 400R.
15:10 For a start, there is that V4 engine, a little 400 baby VFR
15:14 engine, obviously, which gives it that lovely note and that
15:16 huge amount of torque in the bottom range for
15:18 what is a small engine.
15:20 Then we had little radical tricks, like the single sided
15:23 swinging arm, which on any bike was pretty rare then.
15:25 And on something this tiny, it was incredible.
15:27 There's a really lovely alley frame, which is definitely
15:29 worth a quick look.
15:31 And then, of course, that proper race bike geometry, so
15:33 you're right over the front wheel.
15:35 All in all, it was pretty advanced.
15:36 There was nothing else like it, certainly on the UK roads
15:39 at the time.
15:41 But above all else, it was and is about attitude.
15:44 Because when you climb on board, you've got to assume
15:46 the position, buster.
15:48 With those rear sets, your head down, those low, low clip-on
15:51 bars here at the front.
15:52 Incredible braking.
15:54 The size of the brakes on this thing would stop something
15:56 three times its weight, no problem.
15:58 The stripped out, almost naked cockpit up here, a real racer
16:01 feel to it.
16:03 And that's really what the whole 400 thing is all about.
16:05 And that's why I like the idea of them, because there's
16:07 something slightly naughty about it.
16:09 A bit like having your first fag when you're perhaps a bit
16:11 under 16.
16:13 This bike clearly has no purpose other than going fast.
16:17 There's nothing sensible or compromised about it.
16:19 You can't tour.
16:20 God knows you wouldn't want to sit on the back of the thing
16:22 and there's nowhere to put luggage.
16:23 Even to the point of, if you've gone to the trouble of
16:25 fitting a single-sided swinging arm at the back, why
16:28 root the exhaust in front of it?
16:29 Put it at the other side.
16:30 Let the world see.
16:31 This is a racing bike for racers.
16:34 Small racers, obviously.
16:35 This particular bike hadn't yet been prepared for sale,
16:42 and so it had a rather wobbly headstock due, I suspect, to
16:44 a dodgy bearing and a very squared-off rear tire, which
16:48 made cornering a bit of an adventure.
16:50 Nevertheless, the VFR's handling does shine through.
16:52 There's no doubt that it is extremely flickable.
16:55 It'll change direction quicker than you can plan it.
16:58 The 400 sports bike class only exists at all, because in
17:01 Japan, you have to take another test to
17:02 ride a bigger bike.
17:04 Therefore, they've squeezed every last iota of power from
17:07 the 400 engine.
17:09 Dealers over here soon realized that there was a bit
17:11 of a market, and so the grey imports caught up.
17:14 And eventually, Honda stopped bringing the VFR in as an
17:16 official import at all.
17:18 Now, of course, there's a whole raft of 400s available.
17:22 It might be a pocket rocket, but don't expect it to be that
17:24 light on your wallet.
17:26 This example on a J-plate, once all its little niggles
17:28 are being put right, will set you back at a deal of the best
17:31 pot of three grand.
17:31 You'll get it for less if you're really brutal with your
17:33 dealer.
17:35 And what could be better on the right day than getting out
17:37 on a 400?
17:38 OK, any sport 600 is probably going to beat it.
17:41 But not in the hands of most of us.
17:43 And with the VFR 400, you're also getting that rare thing
17:46 in such a fast and frantic class.
17:48 That's a bike with not only that extra torque from the V4,
17:51 but also a little bit of heritage and pedigree.
17:53 Permit me to explain.
17:55 No, I haven't taken up rodeo riding.
17:57 And no, it's not the chalfonts flaring up again either.
18:00 It all happened in the line of duty.
18:02 I was sent to test ride the Honda Valkyrie.
18:05 And, well, see for yourself.
18:08 Wow!
18:09 It is huge!
18:10 I mean, massive!
18:12 Not just a big bike, it is enormous.
18:14 It's actually the Honda Valkyrie, or F6C, standing to
18:18 flat six custom, to give it its proper name.
18:20 And it is massive.
18:22 And it's got real visual impact, in the same way that
18:25 a docking ship grabs your attention at the quayside.
18:29 And it's not just the length of the thing either.
18:31 It's the guff.
18:32 Six horizontally opposed cylinders do not make for a
18:35 lean and narrow steed.
18:36 In fact, the only bike I can remember being close to this
18:39 wide was the old CBX with six transversely mounted pots.
18:43 But even that looks like a moped next to this.
18:46 It really is born to be wide.
18:49 It shares that 1,500cc engine with the equally gigantic
18:53 Goldwing, where it can at least be justified on the
18:55 grounds of providing effortless,
18:57 long-distance cruising.
18:58 Here, though, there's absolutely no
19:00 excuse for it whatsoever.
19:02 And that is the point, I think.
19:05 Oh, and incidentally, it costs 10,500 pounds and weighs as
19:07 much as a fire blade with two scooters strapped to it.
19:12 It's like riding a Highland cow.
19:14 Mind you, it actually feels perfectly manageable once it's
19:17 rolling, despite the immense size.
19:19 It's unbelievably smooth without being soggy and
19:22 wallowy, which many customs half its size could learn a
19:25 lot about handling here.
19:27 Of course, it's probably not the suspension soaking up the
19:30 funds, so much as the weight steamrolling them flat.
19:33 The Cheyenne retiring had better think twice before
19:36 throwing a leg over the Valkyrie, because
19:38 subtle it ain't.
19:39 On the motorway, people get out of your way as you come
19:41 thundering up behind them, either to take a good look, or
19:44 probably because they're worried you might not be able
19:46 to stop.
19:48 In town, well, either get a tinted visor or wear a gorilla
19:51 mask if you don't want to be recognized.
19:53 I did both, obviously.
19:54 So let's put it to the test and see what happens.
20:05 I'll have a lolly, please, mate.
20:06 I'll pay you in a minute.
20:08 -Yeah.
20:11 -One potential problem, though, is that even if you're
20:13 just a big show-off and love to be noticed, it attracts
20:16 attention from all the wrong people.
20:18 It's a bit too, well, granny friendly.
20:21 Know what I mean?
20:22 Ooh, isn't it lovely?
20:23 Isn't it gorgeous?
20:24 Just watch.
20:26 Go on, look at the bike.
20:27 Go on, go on.
20:27 Look, it's all shiny.
20:29 Look at the bike!
20:30 Have you got no hearth?
20:31 Look, big, shiny bike!
20:33 Ooh, people.
20:36 See what I mean?
20:37 Yeah, well, not everything works, but there are some
20:39 gorgeous details on the bike.
20:40 For a start, there's the engine itself, and not just
20:42 the finishing on it, the sheer size and presence of it.
20:45 Looks as though the whole bike has been lowered down onto
20:48 that and this beautiful twisty exhaust system.
20:50 Then we've got the tank, huge, and the seat.
20:53 How many buttocks do they think I'm going to get on there?
20:55 They've really gone for that American flavor there,
20:57 obviously.
20:57 We've got a beautiful comfrey pillion setup, which is most
21:00 welcome, and then gorgeous details like the clocks,
21:03 superbly finished, and the headlamp with that little
21:06 hooded bit over the top with enormous mudguards and--
21:08 oh, I could go on, but I won't.
21:11 Just have a look.
21:12 The other thing the F6C does very well, indeed, is dispel
21:15 one of the usual problems associated with big, shiny
21:18 customs, and that's when you get, oh, mate, doesn't that
21:21 look great?
21:21 Oh, but it's really fast, isn't it?
21:23 When actually, despite having twice the capacity of their
21:25 Nissan Micra, it'll only go half as fast.
21:28 Well, not this time, Grandma, because this goes like stink.
21:31 Mind you, it does get a bit breezy, particularly at high
21:44 speeds, and it can hit very high speeds.
21:47 Up to about 100 miles an hour, it threatens to leave you
21:50 behind.
21:51 Over that, you know, 100 and down, and something rather odd
21:54 happens with the aerodynamics, so that it's actually easier
21:57 to hang on.
21:58 I'd say that a screen might be a good add-on, even if it is a
22:01 bit wimpy and gives it all the aerodynamics of a barn door.
22:04 And while you're at it, you might as well stick some
22:05 luggage on the back, and you'd have a very capable, and let's
22:08 face it, good-looking, long-distance cruiser.
22:12 Now, look at it this way.
22:15 If I have to explain why the Valkyrie, then you'll never
22:18 understand.
22:19 Of course it's ridiculous if you look at it with your
22:21 accountant's head on, but then it's precisely accountants,
22:24 doctors, lawyers, frustrated middle management, who'll be
22:27 buying these things because they're ridiculous, because
22:30 they make no sense.
22:31 Let's face it, unless you're a dispatch rider, it seldom
22:34 makes much sense to own a bike in this country anyway.
22:36 They're expensive, and it never stops raining.
22:38 And I'll tell you something else.
22:40 I want one.
22:42 I, uh, I want--
22:44 all right, I want one.
22:45 I love it.
22:48 Think of performance twins, and you'll
22:50 instantly think of Ducati.
22:52 In fact, it's true to say that it's only in the last few
22:55 years that the Japanese have started to get a decent
22:58 foothold in this particular market.
23:00 Honda, of course, are now enjoying some racing success
23:03 with their SP1.
23:05 But more common on the road is their VTR Firestorm.
23:09 And for 2001, they've made a few changes to the big twin.
23:12 And here it is.
23:17 This is the new 2001 model Honda VTR, the Firestorm.
23:22 A few subtle changes, a few slight cosmetic changes, but
23:25 not really very much.
23:26 But quite a few engineering changes on this 2001 model.
23:29 Still very, very distinctive.
23:31 Still got this frame that we're all used to seeing now
23:32 on a Firestorm.
23:34 What would you call it?
23:34 It's kind of a bit trellis, sort of a bit beam type frame.
23:38 It's a bit of a mixture of styles, really, but still very,
23:41 very distinctive, still very, very Honda Firestorm.
23:44 V-twin motor in there, of course, 90 degree V-twin.
23:47 Still got the side mounted radiators here,
23:49 one either side.
23:50 Normally, you'd look up the front of the bike there behind
23:52 the wheel, you'd see a radiator.
23:53 You don't on this one.
23:54 You just see a whacking big cylinder sticking out
23:57 forwards there.
23:58 But the engine really just hangs from this frame.
24:01 If you look at the bike and think, well, how's this been
24:03 put together?
24:04 The engine just hangs from the frame.
24:05 It's mounted here, here, here, and a couple of other
24:07 places as well.
24:08 And it just literally just hangs off
24:09 the bottom of the frame.
24:11 Swinging arm is bolted to the back of the engine, straight
24:13 onto the engine.
24:14 So I think if you took the engine out of this, the whole
24:17 thing would just fall to pieces.
24:18 They'd just fall apart, because really, that's holding
24:21 everything in place.
24:22 One of the changes they've made on this is at the rear
24:24 shock there.
24:25 They've not actually changed the shock, but they've now
24:26 added rebound damping.
24:28 It's been added to the array of adjustments on the rear end
24:31 there, so a little bit of a modification there.
24:33 Also, the ignition and the carburation settings have been
24:36 modified slightly to give, so they say, a
24:38 smoother power delivery.
24:40 Still got carburetors on this.
24:41 Look, manual choke there on the side there, which is a bit
24:44 awkward to find with a glove hand until you actually get
24:47 used to where it is.
24:48 But there it is.
24:49 We've not gone fuel injected yet.
24:50 You'd have thought they might have done that on the latest
24:52 model, but no carburetors we've got.
24:54 Up here, the handlebars, believe it or not, are
24:57 different.
24:57 Well, they're not different.
24:58 They're just higher, slightly higher up.
25:00 So they say it gives a more comfortable riding position
25:03 now on this new version of it.
25:05 And it is quite comfy, actually.
25:06 The seat's not bad.
25:07 Couple of hours, two or three hours in the saddle, no
25:09 problem at all.
25:10 Also, the fuel tank has grown up.
25:12 This is now a 19-liter fuel tank on this version.
25:16 And I know Firestorms have never been famous for their
25:19 touring range, you might say.
25:20 They've never been famous for their economy.
25:23 And let me tell you that I filled this up a few days ago
25:26 right to the top.
25:27 And then I did fairly sustained high-speed traveling on a
25:31 motorway, quite high speeds.
25:33 And I got 120 miles before the low fuel
25:36 light started to flash.
25:38 Well, that's not good, if you ask me.
25:39 I don't think that's great.
25:40 OK, I didn't run out of fuel, but the light was flashing.
25:43 So after 120 miles, I was starting to
25:45 look around for fuel.
25:45 So probably not quite addressed that problem just
25:50 yet, but it is a comfy bike.
25:51 As I say, you can sit on it a long time and enjoy the big
25:54 throbbing V-Twin motor.
25:55 Because it does throb, because that's what V-Twins do.
25:58 They have character.
26:00 People say twins have character.
26:01 Well, character to me is just another word for vibration.
26:04 They do vibrate by their very nature.
26:06 They shake a lot.
26:08 And I have to say that when I first climbed aboard this, for
26:10 the first 40 or 50 miles or so, I hated
26:13 every minute of it.
26:16 Perhaps I was judging things a little bit too quickly.
26:20 Yes, I did hate it at first.
26:21 But after, what, 300 or 400 miles or so, I started to slip
26:25 into the groove, as they say.
26:28 I really think it's a case of what you've been used to.
26:30 If you've served your time on four-cylinder machines, then
26:32 you'll probably hate the twins.
26:34 There again, if you've been brought up with twins, you'll
26:36 probably love the new Firestorm.
26:39 It is slightly lumpy at low revs.
26:41 And it's a bit of a pain in the butt to get it going.
26:44 But it's a great bike to have on the road.
26:45 It's a great bike to have on the road.
26:47 It's a great bike to have on the road.
26:48 It's a great bike to have on the road.
26:50 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
26:52 It's a great bike to have on the road.
26:53 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
26:55 It's a great bike to have on the road.
26:57 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
26:59 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:00 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:02 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:04 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:06 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:07 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:09 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:11 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:13 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:15 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:17 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:18 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:20 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:22 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:24 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:26 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:27 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:29 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:31 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:33 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:35 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:36 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:38 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:40 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:42 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:44 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:45 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:47 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:49 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:51 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:53 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:54 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:56 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
27:58 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:00 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:02 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:03 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:05 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:07 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:09 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:11 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:13 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:14 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:16 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:18 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:20 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:22 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:23 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:25 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:27 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:29 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:31 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:32 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:34 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:36 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:38 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:40 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:42 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:43 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:45 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:47 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:49 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:51 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:52 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:54 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:56 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
28:58 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
29:00 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
29:02 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
29:03 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
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29:07 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
29:09 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
29:11 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
29:12 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
29:14 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
29:16 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
29:18 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
29:20 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
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29:23 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
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29:27 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
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37:28 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
37:30 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
37:32 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
37:34 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
37:36 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
37:38 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
37:40 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
37:42 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
37:44 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
37:46 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
37:48 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
37:50 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
37:52 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
37:54 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
37:56 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
37:58 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:00 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:02 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:04 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:06 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:08 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:10 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:12 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:14 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:16 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:18 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:20 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:22 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:24 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:26 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:28 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:30 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:32 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:34 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:36 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:38 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:40 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:42 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:44 And it's a great bike to have on the road.
38:46 And the feedback was for more power, less weight, an adjustable screen and an adjustable seat.
38:53 The style of this new machine is not massively different, but it is without doubt a much prettier bike,
39:00 with its smooth flowing lines and typically high level of finish.
39:04 As you'd expect on any new machine, the 1261cc V4 motor is fuel injected.
39:12 Because it's brand new, as is every other component on this new bike.
39:17 This launch is really the first time that the world's motorcycle press has had a chance to climb all over the bike and to actually touch and feel it.
39:33 And it's always good to hear the first impressions of some of the other journalists.
39:37 And to eavesdrop on one of the men involved with its development.
39:41 What you've got here is a mammoth jump forward in regards to technology.
39:45 It's got like 20 brake hose by ammonia, it's got fuel injection. It just feels like it actually.
39:50 And I was saying to Adam, the best thing that would be to do when you get back and you get one,
39:57 is to have a run on the current one and then jump on this.
40:00 So is it a subtle difference rather than a dramatic one?
40:04 Yeah, it is.
40:05 I think the controls are falling easily.
40:07 Tell me Paul, what's your view of this new and improved version of the Pan European?
40:13 It just looks dead big.
40:15 It does actually.
40:16 It just looks big.
40:17 More modern but certainly more sizable.
40:19 We saw it at the NEC last year and the manual was up on a plinth so it looked very grand.
40:22 And we all went, wow that's a big thing.
40:24 Where's the button do?
40:26 It's got to be on the bar somewhere.
40:29 Well that control doesn't fall easily to hand.
40:31 It doesn't. It's probably under the seat man.
40:33 It should be a punch, shouldn't it?
40:35 It should, yeah.
40:37 Unless this is just a show model or something and it hasn't got the switch.
40:41 It's hardly a show model if it doesn't show you where the bloody button to adjust the screen is, is it?
40:45 Have you ridden it yet Mark?
40:47 No.
40:48 Have you ridden the existing one?
40:49 No.
40:50 Do you ride bikes? Do you ride bikes at all?
40:51 I do quite enough, yeah.
40:53 Well that was interesting stuff.
40:54 I think you'll agree from Dave Hancock.
40:56 And he probably knows more about this bike than anybody else here today.
40:59 That other guy by the way, the lad with the funny accent, that's Chris Moss.
41:02 He's a motorcycle journalist and yes, before you ask, he is on a completely different planet to everybody else, believe me.
41:08 But here it is. This is the new Pan European.
41:10 Beautiful looking thing, as you can see.
41:12 It is a brand new bike.
41:14 Now if the old one was so good that it stayed around for 12 years unchanged, why then suddenly change everything?
41:19 Well, a kind of natural progression really because of course we've got a new engine.
41:23 We've wanted more power and all the rest of it.
41:25 So we've got a new motor that has to sit in a new frame.
41:27 So the frame has to be redesigned.
41:29 And of course now it's aluminium instead of the old steel frame.
41:32 So we've saved a bit of weight and we've upped the power as well.
41:34 We wanted a seat that was adjustable.
41:36 Well this is a three position seat now.
41:38 It's low, middle and high positions.
41:40 So that has to sit on a new subframe.
41:42 So you can see where I'm going, can't you?
41:44 One thing leads to another.
41:45 And not to dismiss the old bike in any way, but when you start redeveloping something and changing things and putting new things into it,
41:51 you finish up with a completely new bike.
41:53 And it is a brand new bike.
41:55 It's a gorgeous looking thing and there's lots and lots of technological advancements in this bike.
41:59 It's quite a high tech thing, very sophisticated piece of kit.
42:02 But more of all that blurb later on.
42:04 I think the most important thing for now is to get on it and ride it.
42:24 OK, well it's first impressions time.
42:26 And a quick glance down the spec sheet shows that it's got more power and it's lighter.
42:30 And yes, you can really tell.
42:31 There's bags and bags of nice, smooth, torquey power from anywhere you choose in the rev range.
42:36 As for the weight, well it certainly feels sportier than the old ST1100.
42:40 Not that that matters a great deal when you're blatting along at 100 miles an hour or so.
42:45 But certainly through busy villages and small towns, it's a very fun, intimidating bike.
42:50 It doesn't feel heavy and it's very, very manageable.
42:52 It inspires great confidence.
42:54 Well you're impressed aren't you?
43:02 And so you should be impressed.
43:03 This is a nice piece of kit, believe me.
43:06 I can tell you that it comes in two versions.
43:08 This one here sat in front of us is the standard version.
43:10 It's the standard version because there's no ABS on it and there's no electric screen.
43:15 Well ABS, OK, personally I can live without ABS. I'm not bothered about that.
43:18 But I will say that having ridden one with an electrically adjustable screen, I would definitely go for that option.
43:24 A thousand pounds is the difference in price.
43:27 This on the road is going to be about £10,300.
43:29 If you want ABS, the deluxe model if you like, with ABS and electric screen, then it's going to cost you about £11,300.
43:36 So a thousand quid difference for that.
43:37 Also, not available now in the pan-European is TCS.
43:40 That was available on the old ST1100's traction control system.
43:43 That isn't on it now and you can't have it.
43:45 The reason being Honda have asked owners, "Do you want TCS? What do you think of it?"
43:49 And they said, "No, we're not bothered. Not interested in that. Forget that. Leave it off."
43:52 So it isn't available.
43:54 As I've already said, completely new frame, aluminium frame there,
43:57 which means the engine is actually mounted slightly differently, but it's mounted further forward now.
44:02 The engine is further forward, so there's more weight further forward,
44:05 which means the seat can be mounted further forward, so the rider is further forward,
44:09 which means the whole bike can be shorter.
44:11 It's actually 50mm, which is only a couple of inches.
44:13 50mm shorter wheelbase now on the whole thing.
44:17 That engine, as I said, is brand new.
44:19 That is a work of art.
44:20 If you could see that engine, you can't.
44:22 Obviously, it's covered in plastic bodywork.
44:23 If you could see that, it is a work of art.
44:25 Not only is it shorter that way, sort of front to back, but it's more compact that way.
44:30 One of the things they've used, or one of the ideas that they've used to do that,
44:33 is they've put the alternator in between the Vs.
44:35 If you imagine there's a V engine, the alternator is sat there in the middle,
44:39 and that's an idea that they have actually patented.
44:41 Of course, it's helped them to keep it very short, very compact, the engine.
44:46 The fuel tank is new as well.
44:47 That on the ST1100 was not a fuel tank.
44:50 The fuel tank went down below, and at the top, it just covered up the air box.
44:53 Now, the fuel sits in all of that.
44:55 It is actually a proper metal fuel tank, so you can put a metallic tank bag on it as well.
44:58 Slightly bigger than before, only by a litre, 29 litres, which will give it a good touring range,
45:03 more than equal to all of its competitors, better than, I think, most of them.
45:06 But it doesn't all sit up at the top.
45:08 21 litres sits at the top, and then 8 litres sits down below.
45:12 It's kind of split in two, because you don't want 29 litres of fuel up there,
45:15 because it's about the weight of two jerry cans, and that would not be a nice bike to ride.
45:19 But it's the look of the bike that's going to appeal initially to buyers.
45:22 Nobody's going to buy anything if they don't actually like the look of it.
45:25 They think it's ugly, they won't buy it, no matter how good it's supposed to be.
45:27 And I think this looks really, really smart.
45:29 Nice lines, nice clean lines, very futuristic looking, very modern looking.
45:33 The front of it, with all these Vs in it, they've sort of got this V theme going.
45:37 The fairing there, down into a V, carried through on the sides, there's Vs there.
45:41 And at the back as well, the taillight also is a V shape.
45:44 Now you'll remember at the old Fireblades, with the Fox Eye headlamps,
45:48 they said, "Oh yeah, Fox Eye headlamps."
45:49 Well, I don't know who thought of that, but I've thought of a name for the taillight.
45:51 I'm going to christen this, and I'm not going to let anyone say this,
45:53 I'm going to christen that the Butterfly-shaped taillight,
45:56 because it just looks like a butterfly, and I think it looks really smart.
45:59 I'm sure you're all very impressed with my wealth of knowledge about the new Honda Pan European,
46:04 but of course, I've read it all in a press pack.
46:07 I hadn't really got my hands on the thing before today,
46:10 and I've really, really only scratched the surface.
46:12 There's loads of technology aboard, and it gets very, very complicated,
46:16 but I wouldn't even attempt to try and tell you all about that.
46:19 But earlier, I was fortunate enough to meet a man who's been involved with this bike
46:22 for the last five years as a development rider.
46:25 He is, of course, Dave Hancock.
46:27 Yeah, well, the original Pan European was introduced in 1991.
46:32 It took us, again, three years to develop that from the word go from about 1989 onwards.
46:37 Really, since that day, we've never actually changed it at all, apart from colours.
46:43 It's remained the same through the ten years it's been in the market.
46:46 Well, we started development work on the new one around about five years ago.
46:51 What we do initially is we do a lot of survey work with the customers
46:55 and just find out what they want, what they like, what they don't like about the current bike,
46:58 and then we just go into making a new one.
47:00 And pulling out the four main things that they wanted is just lighter weight,
47:04 more power, an adjustable screen, and an adjustable seat.
47:08 So then we start development work from there and go on, and it just progresses through.
47:13 Really, what it does is it starts again on another ten-year cycle of the ST.
47:18 And the way we develop bikes is that we actually, within the machine,
47:23 there is developments that we can do further on through the years.
47:26 So actually, I'm sure it's going to last another ten years and beyond that, really.
47:30 It's a totally new bike. The whole thing is brand new.
47:33 The chassis, there isn't one part, really, of the new ST that's taken from the old one.
47:38 So it's a brand new machine.
47:39 Well, there you have it, spoken from a man who knows.
47:43 Now, apart from a high degree of comfort,
47:46 Honda reckon they've built in a fairly high level of performance to this new machine.
47:50 They say it's not dissimilar to the VFR.
47:53 Well, after the break, we'll take the new Pan onto some very challenging mountain roads
47:57 and we'll be talking to some of the top UK bike journalists
48:00 to see what they think of the new machine.
48:03 There are some people that say size isn't everything.
48:08 And there are others that say, if you're going to have one, have a big one.
48:12 Well, how about this for a big one?
48:14 Honda's giant trail bike, the Varadero.
48:18 The Varadero is powered by a 1,000cc V-twin motor lifted straight from Honda's VTR Firestorm.
48:26 So you can rightly expect it to be pretty exciting.
48:29 There are, however, some engineering modifications.
48:33 The Varadero uses a larger flywheel, which helps to smooth out some of the lumpiness,
48:38 which all V-twins suffer from at low revs.
48:41 It also slows the acceleration slightly.
48:44 You wouldn't want to be sat this high up in the air on something which accelerates with the same force as a Honda Firestorm.
48:51 Another significant change is the use of 42mm carburettors in place of the 48mm used on the VTR.
48:59 But don't be fooled into thinking that the power of this motor has been completely killed off.
49:05 It definitely hasn't. It's still a very, very capable machine.
49:08 It'll still produce 94bhp, which is about a dozen or so less than a Firestorm,
49:14 but it's still better than anything else in this giant trailer class.
49:18 Another modification on the engine is down at the bottom.
49:21 So the sump is smaller on the Varadero, got less capacity.
49:25 And that's to provide more ground clearance, because this thing is supposed to look like an off-road bike.
49:31 Well, it does look like an off-road bike.
49:34 The fact that it's completely hopeless off-road is besides the point.
49:38 The problem is it's simply too big, and it's far too heavy to cope with any serious terrain, any serious rough terrain.
49:45 A few potholes and cobbled streets, not a problem.
49:48 But if the going gets tough, don't bother trying it on one of these.
49:51 There's no point having an off-road bike that you can't even pick up.
49:55 So it must be good at something.
49:57 Well, yes, it's excellent at sustained long-distance travel, hour after hour, if you like.
50:03 And really, apart from your dedicated tourers like your Pan-Europeans and your Goldwings,
50:08 there's very little to touch it in the comfort stakes.
50:11 The seat is superb.
50:13 As good as any touring machine, you're not going to get a sore bottom sat on that for many, many hours.
50:17 And the whole riding position, really, is first class.
50:21 The footpegs aren't too high. They're not too far back.
50:24 You're not going to get sore, aching knees.
50:27 The position of the bars is just about spot-on.
50:30 Absolutely no strain on your arms or your wrists.
50:33 You can sit there all day long. It's really good.
50:35 Windscreen's fairly efficient. Not bad.
50:38 It tends to just catch the top of my helmet a little bit, so I have to just squat down slightly.
50:42 But if I squat down slightly, straight over my head.
50:45 Don't get a headache. No wind noise in my helmet. Really is excellent.
50:49 Big Bulbous fairing, which does a reasonable sort of a job
50:52 at throwing most of the wind and rain away from your body and the upper part of your legs.
50:57 Also, very important, when you're sat this high up, visibility is excellent.
51:02 So when you're touring across the continent through all your nice countries and your sightseeing holidays,
51:07 you can see over all the hedges on the country lanes, and you can see everything. It's superb.
51:12 Also superb in the busy city traffic, because you're in a jam.
51:16 You can see across the top of the cars, through the traffic lights, across the junctions.
51:20 It really is very, very useful.
51:22 So far, so good, but there is one thing that really, really does bug me,
51:27 and that's this thing down here. A side stand.
51:30 And that's it. A side stand. We haven't got a main stand.
51:33 And I've said it before, and I'll say it again.
51:36 On a bike that's capable of going for hundreds and thousands of miles,
51:40 and well capable of carrying some luggage, you need a main stand.
51:44 You need to get it straight, upright. It's as simple as that.
51:48 Talking about luggage, no panniers as standard on this.
51:51 I suppose you could fit some panniers on there.
51:53 Well, you could certainly fit a top box on there.
51:56 But you do get this rack as standard.
51:58 Nice, big, chunky grab rails there for your pillion to hang on to.
52:01 Not going to get aching fingers. Nothing to dig into the back of your fingers there.
52:04 Very, very comfy.
52:06 You could strap a few bits and pieces on there.
52:08 Under the seat, there's a tiny, and I mean tiny, amount of storage space.
52:12 I won't even bother showing it to you.
52:14 You get very little under there.
52:15 You might just squeeze a disc lock in if you're lucky, but not much else.
52:19 And I'll tell you something else that bugs me.
52:22 I'm really having a good morn today, aren't we? But just look at this.
52:25 Now, I mean, I'm sorry, but I don't see the point of this.
52:27 Petal cap there.
52:29 Key in there. Quite normal. Nothing unusual there.
52:31 Then watch this. Look at that. It comes off.
52:34 Why does it come off? Why does it not flip back?
52:37 Or hinge or something? I don't know.
52:39 There's no reason for it to come off. It's just a nuisance.
52:42 And not just that, but when you put it back on, you've got to push it down.
52:46 And then, you know, when you've got gloves on at a petrol station
52:50 and you're freezing cold in the middle of winter, it's just not necessary.
52:54 You just don't need problems like that.
52:57 But long-distance travel is where the Varadero really does excel.
53:01 When the sports bike riders are stopping every couple of hours
53:04 to realign their elbow and knee joints
53:06 and maybe get some semblance of feeling back into their wrists,
53:10 the Varadero rider can plod relentlessly on and on,
53:14 hour after hour, country after country, if you like.
53:17 It's that comfortable. It's that effortless to ride.
53:20 Fuel stops, too, don't have to be too frequent.
53:23 A tank capacity of 25 litres will take you somewhere close to 180 miles
53:29 before the warning lamp starts to flash.
53:31 The Varadero really is an excellent long-distance tourer.
53:35 So how does it compare with the others in this class?
53:38 On price, it beats the lot at £7,300.
53:42 It's cheaper than Triumph's Tiger by a couple of hundred pounds.
53:46 And it beats BMW's 1100GS and their new 1150GS by well over £1,000.
53:53 I make that 1-0 to the Honda.
53:56 Now, the motor on this Varadero is, as we've said,
53:59 it's more or less the same as a VTR Firestorm.
54:02 So, really, need I say any more? You know how good that is.
54:06 Unless, of course, you don't like V-twins.
54:08 Not everybody likes a V-twin.
54:10 You might prefer a Triumph Tiger.
54:12 It's a 900cc triple-cylinder motor, even if it is, I think,
54:16 a little bit mechanical and noisy.
54:18 It's a Triumph. You might like that.
54:20 You might prefer BMW's flat-boxer twin in their GS,
54:24 even if it does have a rather strange wobble when you're sat at the traffic lights.
54:27 And if you've never noticed that, get on one, sit at the lights,
54:31 and just blip the throttle just a tiny bit, and you'll feel the bike go like that.
54:35 It just rocks to the side. Not like that. Like that.
54:37 Nothing wrong with it. It's just a bit weird and a bit strange
54:40 the first time you experience it.
54:42 Now, Giant Trailies aren't the prettiest of bikes. I'll agree.
54:45 They're not meant to be. They're built to do a purpose.
54:47 They're very, very functional.
54:49 No streamlined, sleek fairings, and no racy paint jobs.
54:53 If that's what you want, then you buy a sports bike.
54:55 But they're all much of a muchness, really, the Giant Trailies.
54:59 None of them are really much better equipped than the others.
55:01 They're all pretty similar.
55:03 The dashboard on this one isn't any better, isn't really any worse than anything else.
55:07 We've no fuel gauge on this. We've got a fuel warning lamp down there.
55:11 But we have got a nice little clock in the middle, which I think is great.
55:14 Always very useful, especially if you're going touring for hour after hour.
55:18 This one has got dual CBS, Honda's combined braking system, which is very, very good.
55:24 BMW's has got ABS.
55:27 Triumph's Tiger, well, that's just got reasonably good brakes.
55:31 But really, you pay your money and it takes your choice.
55:34 I don't think anyone is significantly better than the other.
55:37 But if you want a bike that can take you to work and back every day of the week,
55:41 commute through the busy city traffic with no problem at all,
55:44 give you great comfort, use it at the weekends, good performance,
55:48 and could even take you on holiday, then you could do a lot worse than buying one of these.
55:53 And I think I know which one I'll be taking on my holidays.
56:00 The VFR 750 was a legendary super capable all-rounder,
56:05 which has now become this here VFR 800,
56:08 which is a faster, more comfortable, better equipped version of the original bike.
56:13 My heart sank when I found out we were testing sports tourers for this week's show,
56:22 because no sports tourer's test is complete without one of these, Honda's evergreen VFR.
56:29 And sadly, very few sports tourer's tests are also complete without said VFR
56:34 naffing off into the sunset with the top honours.
56:38 In eight years as a bike journalist, I have lost count of the number of sports tourer's tests I've done.
56:44 And I've also lost count of the number of times the VFR has been the winner.
56:49 It's just so predictable.
56:54 I've ummed, I've aahed, I've lain awake at night desperately trying to find reasons for something else,
57:00 anything else, to wrest the VFR's crown from its iron grasp.
57:04 But whatever I do, it never works out.
57:07 First up, the VTEC in that motor.
57:12 It may give you two valves per cylinder low down for better torque,
57:15 and it may give you four valves per cylinder higher up for better performance.
57:19 It may also give the bike a power band that makes it feel faster than the previous model.
57:24 But VTEC is old technology that Honda have pilfered from their car range,
57:28 and there's still only 107 horsepower in there.
57:32 The motor may only have 107 horsepower, but it's plenty fast enough on the road.
57:40 The chassis makes this the sharpest VFR yet,
57:43 and the same is true of the brakes, which bite beautifully when asked.
57:47 It's easily all day comfortable, one or two up.
57:51 There's a clock, naturally.
57:53 The mirrors are excellent.
57:55 The headlight turns night into day, and there's even a centre stand.
57:59 Short of the fact that this motorcycle doesn't actually ride itself,
58:03 it is still one of the best bikes ever made, and it's probably the winner here.
58:08 There you go, I said it.
58:10 Again.
58:12 Styling, 7 out of 10. Best looking VFR ever.
58:16 Performance, 8 out of 10. Doesn't excel anywhere, but is good everywhere.
58:22 Practicality, 9 out of 10. It's well made, it's built to last,
58:26 and as well as that, it'll handle just about anything you want to do.
58:30 Value, 8 out of 10.
58:32 Just a shade under 8 grand, it's not a cheap motorcycle,
58:35 but you do get a good deal of value out of it.
58:38 Just a shade under 8 grand, it's not a cheap motorcycle,
58:41 but you do get a lot of bike for your money.
58:45 (music)
58:49 (music)
58:52 (music fades)
58:55 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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