[TennesseeSmith]

I rode the CTX up to Madison, Indiana today. The round trip was about 370 miles. The Milton-Madison Bridge reopened on Thursday, so I was able to take the direct route. I only rode 2 miles on the interstate. The rest of it was on US25 and US421.

The best parts of the ride were in Kentucky. The section of US25 between London and Mt. Vernon is very sweet with some great sweeping curves. The section of US421 just north of Frankfort is twisty with lots of elevation changes.

If you have to drive through a city, Lexington is hard to beat. I don't know who's in charge, but they seem to manage the traffic flow better than any other city I've ridden through.

My helmet shield is almost completely covered in bug carcasses. Near the end of the ride I had to flip the shield up to see. So now my glasses are covered in bugs too. I'll be glad when that windshield shows up.

The bike was spectacular. It seems to be getting smoother as it breaks in. I really think it's as smooth as my Gold Wing was at 55 mph.

 

[MarkH]

I got out for a short inaugural ride today of about 100 miles. This bike feels like it was made for sweeping curves. I also had the bugs-on-shield experience which I'm not used to and had me chuckling. Think I need to keep some faceshield cleaning supplies in a saddlebag.

 

[sleepngbear]

I haven't had a bug-covered ride like that in awhile! I've always kept a small spray can of cleaner and a microfiber cloth on hand as long as I've had saddlebags to keep 'em in.

 

[ShadowRider]

Yesterday I also did my longest ride yet, about 170 miles in all. Since I don't yet have the taller windshield I avoided the freeway completely. While that meant doubling my travel time each way, it was great to actually see some scenery instead of just concrete rushing by.

It hit 81 degrees here, so the temperature was perfect for riding. I hit a wide range of environments, from the usual city driving, to suburban sprawl (yuck), to open country. Farm country, obviously, from the smell of manure in some places.

The bike handled great, even when I got hit by some pretty hefty crosswinds. Absolutely no vibration. At one point I pulled up next to a Harley rider, and I could see his handlebars shaking up and down. It looked like he was riding a paint mixer.

I left for home later than I had planned, about 30 minutes before sunset. That was a bit of a scary experience--riding on VERY dark country roads that I was unfamiliar with, at fairly high speeds so that I didn't hold up the traffic behind me. Being just after winter, I was worried about potholes, but luckily the rural areas seem to do a much better job at patching their roads and I only had a few jarring bumps now and then. (Yes, the front end IS a bit too "springy"; it definitely does not absorb the bumps as well as the Gold Wing did.)

The seat was amazing--I had no pain the whole time, at least not in the usual places. I've been having some lower back pain lately, and riding didn't help, but at least the upright position was much better for me than if I had been on another kind of bike.

All in all a good ride.

 

[tstickler]

I took an 180 mi ride this afternoon. It was good to get out of the city. The short windshield has to go. Too much sand on the roads here in SW Florida stinging my face. The bike is really smooth with lots of roll-on power. A short interstate stretch was great. In a couple of weeks, I'll go to Ohio where I'll have to ride my old ST 1300.
Rider mag is supposed to have an evaluation in the June issue. I expect the speed specs for the CTX 1300 to be pretty close to those of the ST 1300.

 

[sleepngbear]

Well, the CTX is geared a little shorter and has a lower red line than the ST. I also recall reading somewhere that the CTX is electronically limited to 120 mph. I'd be more interested in seeing 0-60 times anyway. I'll keep an eye out for that Rider review.

 

[bob]

Actually I thought the CTX was geared longer (taller) per the spec sheets. (?)

I would expect the CTX would definitely compare well to the ST1300, especially at the lower rpms. I almost never go over 4800 rpm just accelerating on my ST1100 and don't usually ride much higher than 3500-4000 rpm at steady speed on county and state highways. I do get to around 4200-4500 rpm on the super slab at most. I know the CTX has stronger torque than my ST1100 at all rpm levels, and likely higher HP at those rpm levels. I only have my ST1100 for a direct compare and my few short test rides proved to me the CTX was a much stronger ride. I "can" get my ST to accelerate faster but only when I get into high rpm levels. I don't usually (as in almost never) ride like that so the CTX would be perfect for my riding style.

Man, I'd love to get some more seat time on one

 

[sleepngbear]

Actually I thought the CTX was geared longer (taller) per the spec sheets. (?)

I knew I read this somewhere ... from 2014 Honda CTX1300 First Ride - Cycle News:

"This is delivered via the same internal ratios for the five-speed shaft-drive transmission, but with shorter overall gearing for improved thrust."

I'd like to see where the gearing was changed (primary drive, final drive, or both) and the actual ratios compared.

 

[bob]

I knew I read this somewhere ... from 2014 Honda CTX1300 First Ride - Cycle News:

"This is delivered via the same internal ratios for the five-speed shaft-drive transmission, but with shorter overall gearing for improved thrust."

I'd like to see where the gearing was changed (primary drive, final drive, or both) and the actual ratios compared.

I guess I was remember some of the other reviews that stated the opposite.

 

[sleepngbear]

I guess I was remember some of the other reviews that stated the opposite.

I actually remember seeing that, too -- but it was back when the thing was first introduced, before anybody had actually ridden it. Of course it's all speculation until somebody comes up with the real numbers anyway.

 

[bob]

Long or short doesn't really matter. Only that it performs!