[bruceb]

MCN has published a review of the CTX. Less than stellar.

+s

• easy to ride
• very comfortable
• Deluxe adds useful features
• excellent brakes

-s

• Harsh suspension - front and rear
• "strangled engine" with abrupt throttle and rev limiter
• high price
• mirror position
• driveline lash - ???
• limited cornering clearance
• hard to adjust preload

Other

• poor mileage in the "low thirties." Where were they riding?
• too short shift lever - agreed
• odd to compare the engine unfavorably to a Road Glide, then show it besting the same machine in the quarter mile.

 

[bob]

Most of that is typical of mag reviewers of a certain bias. Driveline lash is typical of almost all, if not all, shaft drive bikes. Limited cornering clearance??? they obviously forgot about their review of the GL series. Pegs on this bike are higher than on a GL1800 and it can lean over about the same if not a bit more. Preload really not so hard once you actually know how. They evidently don't. Poor mpg? I agree... where were they riding, or more correctly HOW were they riding it. Throttle or engine complaints are also typical of this engine in the ST1300 for many riders of that bike (except for the rev limiter part, and who needs that much rev in a lower gear? Just shift up to fifth. It's not a S-T bike) and I've read the same for a few other sport touring models. How can they possibly come out with a negative review comparing to a Road Glide? Yeah, typical "not my kind of ride" reviewer bashing something they know nothing about. Like a Ford truck reviewer bashing an Audi sport car.

BTW- I've been getting low to mid 40s mpg lately as temps are sometimes warmer these days. Very cool mornings still hold it down but warm afternoons keeps it respectable. Much better than my ST1100 was. Getting a little closer to what my Burgman was!

 

[bruceb]

The issue also contans a letter from a CTX owner complaining about "suspension woes.". Stuff Olman, the tech editor appears to have read discussions on this forum, as he mentions Traxxion Dynamics and fork oil changes and spacers.

I remain satisfied with my machine, as I don't have these suspension problems. And I don't worry about "value," as I don't plan to trade it.

 

[Hoosierman]

Ditto! :smiley-happy0034:

The issue also contans a letter from a CTX owner complaining about "suspension woes.". Stuff Olman, the tech editor appears to have read discussions on this forum, as he mentions Traxxion Dynamics and fork oil changes and spacers.

I remain satisfied with my machine, as I don't have these suspension problems. And I don't worry about "value," as I don't plan to trade it.

 

[Danny Boy]

I'm less disappointed in the MCN review of our bike than I am of the mag's failure to realize that there are mature riders out there who don't care to scrape parts, wrestle a 1/2 ton of iron, or shake, rattle and roll down the road. Some in the motorcycle community are past all that. Even with all it's flaws the CTX1300 is what I need now to stay in the game for years to come.

 

[psullam]

I think Honda is on the right path in producing this new line of models which are modern and practical. Even MCN admits the CTX1300 is an "easy to ride" and "comfortable" bike which are qualities that make people to take bikes out of the garage and ride. The MCN's negatives are disagreeable minor points compared with the positives. I rode 600 miles so far (in 3 weeks) mostly canyon/mountain rides and I never felt I needed more clearance, I never reach the red line or the electronic limiter (which was an "issue" for me with CTX700). I never felt a problem with the suspensions and the mirrors are fine.

Here some pros MCN did not mention:
- great engine: no need to change gears often, no need for 6th / overdrive gear (which probably is a "con" for MCN!)
- low seat and low center of gravity
- unique look compared with the competitors

 

[jeffz]

I really don't get it when people complain about the rev limiter. I've never hit it even once. What are they trying to do, ride in 1st gear down the highway? That usually seems to come from reviewers with a sportbike bias. Having not read the article, I'm then left more confused if this reviewer then went on to make unfavorable comparisons with a Road Glide.

Jeff

 

[sleepngbear]

I have just one thing to say: "Meh." I typically can't stand when people respond with that expression, but in this case I feel it's completely warranted.

The only review I care about at this point is my own.

 

[gtmn]

you know why is it we keep reading articles about performance
if you wanted a fast bike you can go get a bussa used for like 7-10 grand
this is a 750lb bike that revs to 6000 rpms
just riding today I was thinking about that
im on the highway and the thing overtakes anything I want it to
seems plenty fast to me
that's all I got on that one

 

[Barrettmusicman1]

Like my grandpa used to say..."you're entitled to your own opinion, even if you are wrong". Same goes for the reviewer!

 

[wimpyhonda]

The only complant I had with my CTX1300 was the rough ride I have now fixed that. See the rear sup post.

 

[strawhat1]

I agree that most of these writers are biased towards the younger riders. What kept me away from even considering it at the beginning was the "H" look with the cut off windshield. I've watched most all the manufactors try to capture that one look. If I had wanted one of those, I would have switched years ago. I tried one out, strictly because I wanted to continue riding. Phisicial limitations took me off my beloved ST 1300. I was surprised when I took the CTX out for a test ride. Bought that same bike the same day. On the way home, (some 200 miles) I found the CTX to be a tale of two different bikes. Very able on
smooth roads and I cursed it on the rough Wisconsin secondary highways. After finding this site and joining, I made the changes to the suspension, Vola! a totally different machine. So........:smileygarden_de_ban

 

[Lazelod]

My two cents:


+s

• easy to ride
• very comfortable
• Deluxe adds useful features
• excellent brakes

-s

• Harsh suspension - front and rear - This is a very relative statement. Harsh as opposed to what? A dirt bike with a full travel suspension? Granit, it is somewhat stiff IMO, but that's what test rides are for. This is not something that's a hidden truth that shows itself after 6 months of ownership.
• "strangled engine" with abrupt throttle and rev limiter - Let's look at the bike for what it is. This is a low RPM bike that is happier lumbering down the road at 40 mph in 5th gear than it is screaming in 2nd gear. Rough roads make slight throttle movements more noticeable at higher rpms. Also, with a tested 0-60mph in 4 seconds, I've never had the occasion or the need to reach the rev limiter. I can out perform most cages at 5k rpm
• high price - Sticker price with no incentives, yes. Since this is a recent article, they need to take into account the incentives Honda is offering which do make it an attractive deal
• mirror position - I agree to some extent. I had to rotate them down from the factory position to make them usable. Even then, I have about 75% usability
• driveline lash - Not sure what they mean here. This is shaft drive. Obviously, there isn't any give like one would see on a belt drive unit.
• limited cornering clearance - What roads were they driving on, and how fast?
• hard to adjust preload - Not hard, but inconvenient because the saddle bags have to be removed.

Other

• poor mileage in the "low thirties." I call Baloney on this. My 6 mile commute to work takes 20-25 minutes. Why? Because I spend most of that time idling at stop lights. Add about 5 miles to go to lunch in light traffic, and I still get 31 mpg during the work week. Based on the "strangled engine" & "limited cornering" reviews, it sounds to me that the CTX was being ridden as if it were a sport bike
• too short shift lever - Preference I guess. I don't have a problem with it
• odd to compare the engine unfavorably to a Road Glide, then show it besting the same machine in the quarter mile. - The CTX is an orphan. bike. It's in a class all it's own with nothing to directly compare it to. It's not a cruiser, it's not a touring bike, and it's not a bagger. It's a combination of the 3

I think it all goes down to what one is looking for in a bike. These testers tend to write reviews based upon their expectations; what they want to see in a bike. Albeit the CTX is not without it's flaws, it does have the majority of what I'm looking for in a bike, and I'm willing to compromise some of the smaller nuances in order to have the overall riding experience that I'm after.
When all is said and done, go with what you like, and not what a magazine writes about. A test ride will reveal most kudos & complaints in the first 5 minutes. If you like it, buy it. If you don't, then don't. It's all about individual tastes. Ride on..

• http://www.ctx1300forum.com/forum/h...orcycle-consumer-news-review-may-2015-a.html#

 

[csdexter]

(...)

• driveline lash - Not sure what they mean here. This is shaft drive. Obviously, there isn't any give like one would see on a belt drive unit.

(...)

Actually, they complain about too much slack followed by too abrupt a response.

I've had two shaft-driven bikes before this one and none of them had as much slack and/or were so harsh when that slack is taken up.

Having said that, both my final drive and gearbox (and shaft) are still intact, so I'm guessing the Honda engineers took everything into account. We'll see if anybody complains about stripped final drives in some 10-20k miles