First CTX1300 I've found in the US - in Oklahoma

Yeah, baby. I know someone in KC. Now I have two reasons to go out there.

In red it looks amazing, red or black = best CTX1300 colors.

SoCalRyder said:

In red it looks amazing, red or black = best CTX1300 colors.

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Or gray/blue.

gray/blue is the "fastest" color

Oh no, did I say that?

bob said:

gray/blue is the "fastest" color

Oh no, did I say that?

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Actually, I've got scientific proof that red is the fastest color. It has the longest wavelength and the lowest frequency, so it gets there quicker than all the other colors. But since I'm too old to give a crap any more, I just go with the color I like best.

Since my wife has a CTX700 red, I would have to get the grea/blue or black. I'm thinking grey/blue right now.

Thumper said:

Since my wife has a CTX700 red, I would have to get the grea/blue or black. I'm thinking grey/blue right now.

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Yes, you absolutely cannot get the same color bike as your wife's. That would be .... well, almost as bad as Stupid and I'm With Stupid t-shirts. You just can't do it.

sleepngbear said:

Actually, I've got scientific proof that red is the fastest color. It has the longest wavelength and the lowest frequency, so it gets there quicker than all the other colors. But since I'm too old to give a crap any more, I just go with the color I like best.

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me too, really.

But since gray/blue has a shorter wavelength and faster frequency and light travels at the same speed, the red one will still be waiting for it's tail to show up long after the gray/blue one has pasted by!

then again, I currently have a black bike and no one can see when they go past since they are stealth and invisible.

bob said:

me too, really.

But since gray/blue has a shorter wavelength and faster frequency and light travels at the same speed, the red one will still be waiting for it's tail to show up long after the gray/blue one has pasted by!

then again, I currently have a black bike and no one can see when they go past since they are stealth and invisible.

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Haha, that's just an optical illusion.

sleepngbear said:

Yes, you absolutely cannot get the same color bike as your wife's. That would be .... well, almost as bad as Stupid and I'm With Stupid t-shirts. You just can't do it.

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Absolutely no twinsies in my garage!

so who here is close enough to go check it out?

There ain't any around here yet TO CHECK OUT!! Dave!!!

Got my standard CTX 1300 on 3/20/14. The blue is metallic "royal" blue. Pretty dark blue. Not as noticeable as red, but nice looking. Just finished the 600 mi run and first service. My ave. mpg is 49.3. Not too bad for a bike that can move quickly from a stop and have roll on power to use 5th gear for passing. Riding position is very comfortable. Short windshield needs to be replaced. I don't ride with a full face helmet and the sand on the roads here in SW Florida gets kicked up and stings. Love riding the bike. I ride an ST 1300 up north. The CTX runs just like it.

tstickler said:

Got my standard CTX 1300 on 3/20/14. The blue is metallic "royal" blue. Pretty dark blue. Not as noticeable as red, but nice looking. Just finished the 600 mi run and first service. My ave. mpg is 49.3. Not too bad for a bike that can move quickly from a stop and have roll on power to use 5th gear for passing. Riding position is very comfortable. Short windshield needs to be replaced. I don't ride with a full face helmet and the sand on the roads here in SW Florida gets kicked up and stings. Love riding the bike. I ride an ST 1300 up north. The CTX runs just like it.

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Curious -- with everybody commenting on how well it rolls on in any gear, how does the engine feel when it's running on the highway? One of the big complaints about the old Valkyrie was that it's geared like a dump truck. You can run it down to 30 mph in 5th, but it's screaming for another gear or two on the highway. If the CTX is geared that low, I could be disappointed.

But then, I wonder if the final drive from the ST could be slapped in there....

sleepngbear said:

how does the engine feel when it's running on the highway?

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I have only had mine up to about 70 mph. I've not been on the interstate yet, but I've ridden some four lane roads in Tennessee and Kentucky

It is as smooth as a Gold Wing from about 50 to 65 in high gear. I did find myself trying to put it in sixth on a few occasions. I think Honda keeps the high gear a bit low because the magazines make such a big deal about top gear roll on. They want to be able to pass other vehicles without downshifting.

I think I'll get a much better feel for the vibration and sound of the bike after I get a proper windshield. Right now my senses are dominated by the wind on my head and shoulders.

The main thing I noticed on the highway is that the trucks don't seem to push the bike around at all. I hope that doesn't change when I mount a windshield.

Thanks, Ken. There isn't a bike I've owned that I haven't tried to up shift from top gear at least once, even the 6-speed Thunderbird. I agree, Honda does tend to gear their bikes a bit low (the Magna was unbelievably so). But I think you would have noticed if it's revving unusually high at 70 mph. I've ridden my friend's Valk, and it's geared like a hot rod, to pull your arms out of their sockets on a launch; but it's not very friendly for highway riding. And mileage obviously suffers for it, too.

I think we've all tried to up-shift from top gear at least a few times on any bike. Done it more than once on my ST1100. I take it as my tendency to run it at lower rpm.
I think many ST owners ride at highway speed at 1500 rpm higher than I usually do. Of course in some cases that means faster but other times that only means staying in a lower gear and shifting up later. I usually don't run over 4500 rpm and I know guys who run their ST, and even BMW owners too, at over 5000 rpm regularly. I would expect to enjoy keeping a CTX1300 below 4000 rpm, maybe even below 3500 rpm, all the time, even on the Interstates

Ken (or anyone else)- What rpm are you running at 70 mph on your CTX1300?

Two of my previously owned machines had factory high gear indicators on em,yet I STILL found myself tryin to upshift even though I was lookin right at em.DUH!! So no matter which model ya have, whether it's got a high gear indicator or not,you'll still find yourself trying to upshift.Double DUH!! lol Dave!!!

Last article I read got a little more specific about the gearing on the CTX -- said it's the same transmission gear ratios, but the final drive is lower to give it more off-the-line punch, in addition to the re-tuned motor. By all accounts, it seems like mission accomplished. I think this motor has enough legs to not be feeling like it's screaming at normal highway speeds. We'll find out. I think. I hope.





dammit where's my bike.