[simplerbydesign]

Hello, how is everyone here doing? As the title of this thread indicates I live in Horseheads, NY. Anyone from Horseheads in here? Anyway I am considering buying a CTX1300. I currently own a Buell XB9s and a 1980 Sportster. Neither one of them is really good for a long ride as I can't really put big bags on either one. Currently I take the Buell if I have long rides to take but I pretty much have to wear what I bring.

Anyway, I am basically looking for information about what you owners have seen/liked/disliked about the CTX. Things like how comfortable it is, and how manageable the weight of the bike is to move around being that it weighs 700 lbs. +. I will eventually take a test ride but I find that other people pointing out things helps me to be aware of certain things as you don't get much of a ride to determine if this $16,000 bike is right for you. specially since its main role is to be a long trip bike. Keep in mind that I am about 5'8" and about 195 lbs.

Any help you can give me would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[bob]

Welcome to the board simplerbydesign.
I'm sure you'll find answers to those questions as you browse the reviews and general forums and the threads posted by those of us who do now own one.

For me it is a VERY comfortable ride. I've said on other boards in other posts that the best ride and most comfortable to me in the past was the Goldwing. But that bike is a monster to wrestle in congested city streets and parking lots where I seem to do a lot of riding. Thus my quest began to find that bike that was as comfortable on the road and yet much easier to manage in town. This is it. I picked mine up Saturday at a dealer that is 145 miles from me. I rode it home from there... in a horrendous side wind and the bike was perfect through it all. You can see my story HERE with a few photos. The Deluxe model that I have is 739 lbs (per the manual), the same weight about as my ST1100, but due to such a low CG it feels like much much less... even when sitting still but especially when moving at any speed. You'll read around here that one of the worst features for many is the windshield, which is viewed as too short to provide much wind protection. I find, as it is, the air stream from the shorty shield/fairing is very smooth (even in the high winds) and hits me just at the shoulders above the arm pits. I'm 5'9" with 32" inseam. I did order the taller shield and expect to still look well over it per all the reviews or photos I've read/seen on it. I expect also the wind from that to be near the top of my helmet which is still good for me. I don't want the wind to be any higher than that or I'd be way too warm in hot weather. The other issue that owners are careful to adjust for is the view of the mirrors. Honda seemed to like to set the bars too high to see them well. Lowering the bars and maybe adjusting the reservoirs solves this to my satisfaction. Now my mirrors are about the same as I have on my ST1100. I have nothing else but good to say about the bike. I've ridden it to work twice now and love how it shows how strong it is on the highway and also how nimble it is in town/parking lots. Many of us, including myself, have realized this is the bike we've been waiting for Honda to make for us. Today at work a HD cruiser parked next to me in mc parking and I couldn't help but notice how much fatter that rear tire on the CTX is compared to the cruiser. It almost looked twice as wide. But that doesn't stop the CTX from impressing with better performance than any other bike in it's class... Oh, wait, there ARE NO OTHER bikes in it's class. I guess you could say the F6B comes close. Honda has really succeeded in creating a new class with this model. Somewhere between cruiser/bagger/tourer and even a little bit sport tourer!

 

[dubbsrider]

Welcome to the board simplerbydesign.
I'm sure you'll find answers to those questions as you browse the reviews and general forums and the threads posted by those of us who do now own one.

For me it is a VERY comfortable ride. I've said on other boards in other posts that the best ride and most comfortable to me in the past was the Goldwing. But that bike is a monster to wrestle in congested city streets and parking lots where I seem to do a lot of riding. Thus my quest began to find that bike that was as comfortable on the road and yet much easier to manage in town. This is it. I picked mine up Saturday at a dealer that is 145 miles from me. I rode it home from there... in a horrendous side wind and the bike was perfect through it all. You can see my story HERE with a few photos. The Deluxe model that I have is 739 lbs (per the manual), the same weight about as my ST1100, but due to such a low CG it feels like much much less... even when sitting still but especially when moving at any speed. You'll read around here that one of the worst features for many is the windshield, which is viewed as too short to provide much wind protection. I find, as it is, the air stream from the shorty shield/fairing is very smooth (even in the high winds) and hits me just at the shoulders above the arm pits. I'm 5'9" with 32" inseam. I did order the taller shield and expect to still look well over it per all the reviews or photos I've read/seen on it. I expect also the wind from that to be near the top of my helmet which is still good for me. I don't want the wind to be any higher than that or I'd be way too warm in hot weather. The other issue that owners are careful to adjust for is the view of the mirrors. Honda seemed to like to set the bars too high to see them well. Lowering the bars and maybe adjusting the reservoirs solves this to my satisfaction. Now my mirrors are about the same as I have on my ST1100. I have nothing else but good to say about the bike. I've ridden it to work twice now and love how it shows how strong it is on the highway and also how nimble it is in town/parking lots. Many of us, including myself, have realized this is the bike we've been waiting for Honda to make for us. Today at work a HD cruiser parked next to me in mc parking and I couldn't help but notice how much fatter that rear tire on the CTX is compared to the cruiser. It almost looked twice as wide. But that doesn't stop the CTX from impressing with better performance than any other bike in it's class... Oh, wait, there ARE NO OTHER bikes in it's class. I guess you could say the F6B comes close. Honda has really succeeded in creating a new class with this model. Somewhere between cruiser/bagger/tourer and even a little bit sport tourer!

+1 to the above review. The few shortcomings that I have found on it are minor in comparison to the positives this bike offers. The only other thing I would add to the above is the aftermarket is absent as well as many of the honda accessories at this point...so if your looking for the ability to mod it a ton it just is not there yet...hopefully if it catches on which from what I'm gathering from the initial ride reports I don't see how it wouldn't then the aftermarket will have to play catch up.

dubbs

 

[simplerbydesign]

Thank you guys very much! I appreciate it a lot!

 

[sleepngbear]

Welcome to the board!!

I don't have much to add beyond what's already been stated here -- I'm just loving the bike so far. The only thing I'm waiting for is the passenger backrest for my wife. I may look into a taller windshield when aftermarket wakes up, or I may not. The Honda tall shield is just a bit too high for my liking. Other than that, there isn't anything I'm in a hurry to change... besides this run of absolutely crappy weather we've been having!

There's been very brief mention of the motor -- but I think it can't be stressed enough what a fantastic job Honda did transforming it from sport touring duty to cruiser-tourer. It pulls hard and smooth down in the lower RPMs, where you notice and need it most. It doesn't have the instant snap of a big twin, but it pulls harder and longer. The loss of the top-end horsepower is not even noticeable, and basically a non-issue for this style of riding.

Take a look around the forums -- there are a few new owners here that do have other concerns. Check them out and make sure they won't be a concern to you. But most of all, get on one and take it for a test ride if it's at all possible. That will tell you right away if it's the right choice.

 

[TennesseeSmith]

I've had mine for a month. I've put a bit over 2100 miles on it in some good and some bad weather. I have not made any modifications to the bike yet. My dealer has good enough reading comprehension to have adjusted the handlebars properly before I picked up the bike.

The air hits me at the shoulders and above. It's smooth air. But I've ordered the taller shield to make touring a bit more peaceful. I don't like to stop very often when I'm touring and the low windshield means I have to clean the bugs off my helmet way too often.

I've never turned the audio system on, so I can't tell you anything about the sound.

The bike handles crosswinds and trucks way better than anything I've owned recently. I hope the taller windshield does not negatively affect that.

Parking lots are not as difficult as they were with my last Gold Wing. But the length of this bike means you can't turn as tightly at low speed as you can with a sport bike. I've parked it with the nose downhill once and it wasn't too terrible to back it up. Getting both feet flat on the ground helps a lot.

The seat is very comfortable. My longest stretch without stopping has only been about 4 hours. It was still OK at that point, but I can't yet say how it will do for Iron Butt type rides. The seat reminds me of the seat on my last Gold Wing. I'll add beads to keep my butt cooler on the hot days.

The bike is as smooth from 50 to 65 mph as any Gold Wing I ever owned. It has more than enough power to get out of the way of the other folks on the road. It's not great in the twisties, but it's OK. The only real negative is the abrupt off/on transition of the throttle when you descend a mountain road with tight curves. The ST1300 guys tell me they eventually got used to it.

I love the bike so far. I think it may become one of my all time favorites after I sort out the windshield and add a few other farkles.

 

[Jimmytootall]

Welcome to the forum...I have not bought a ctx1300 but plan to

 

[Kookopelli]

Welcome.
I have had mine (blue) for about three weeks and 1500 miles. I put the tall shield on it a week ago and have to say the it works great. In gusty weather you can feel it catching the wind a little every now and then, but it isn't anything that is unsettling. You can just feel the speed go up and down a little as if you were all of a sudden riding in thicker air. Sidewinds don't affect this bike much.
I use the audio system all the time now that I can hear it thanks to the addition of the tall shield.
The only negative thing I have to say is that the saddlebags are very flimsy and the latches rattle when you hit bumps or ride on rough roads. The only time they don't rattle is if you have them stuffed to the gills so the latches are bound tight.
The bike runs great and pulls hard right up to the redline, and most people will be happy with the power, but I am hoping someone soon comes up with a way to get a little more out of it. Honda knocked 35 HP off as compared to the ST1300 version by dropping the compression a little and changing up the valve timing and lift to get the torque at the bottom end instead of near the top end like on the ST1300. I would like a little more power because it would be more fun to me.
However, for normal riding and cruising around 70 to 75 it is very smooth and will squirt up to 85 or 90 real easily without having to downshift.

 

[bob]

Don't know anything about the bag latches since I've yet to hear that (I use earplugs on the highway). But I would say a big +1 to the power and performance. With my ST I can run 65 mph in 5th, 55 mph in 4th, and 45 mph in 3rd to keep from lugging. But on the CTX1300 I can do all those speeds in 5th with no lugging and plenty of power anytime I want it

 

[cheeken]

welcome to the forum!

 

[SoCalRyder]

Welcome!

 

[simplerbydesign]

Very good info! Thank you Ladies/Gentlemen very much!

 

[firstime911]

Welcome... to Ctx1300...