[TennesseeSmith]

A year ago today I rode my CTX700D down to Franklin, Tennessee and traded him for a blue CTX1300 Deluxe.

In the first year we only rode 9600 miles together, but we visited thirteen states and got some really nice photos.

I've worked a lot of hours in the past year and never got more than a few days off at a time. But the CTX and I made good use of the time when it was available.

The bike has been very reliable. It runs smoothly and predictably. This is a very relaxing bike. I tend to spend a lot more time looking at the scenery and less time worried about getting the perfect line in the next corner.

After much experimentation I settled on the Honda tall shield with the Laminar Lip. I've added seat beads, a GPS unit, a Honda top box, a pair of Triumph mirrors, and a center stand.

This is the best highway bike I've ever owned. It's better on the highway than any of my Gold Wings, ST1100s, or the Trophy. This bike handles cross winds and truck turbulence better than anything else I've ever ridden.

The only issue I have with the bike is the short fuel range. I decided not to add an aux fuel tank this Winter and I'm already second guessing that choice. I've had no issue with the rough front end a lot of riders experience. The abrupt throttle response can be an issue when rapidly descending a twisty mountain road, but that's beyond the design specs of the bike anyway. It does just fine on the way up the mountain.

Overall I'm very pleased with the bike.

 

[ShadowRider]

In the first year we only rode 9600 miles together, but we visited thirteen states and got some really nice photos.

I've worked a lot of hours in the past year and never got more than a few days off at a time. But the CTX and I made good use of the time when it was available.

"Only" 9600 miles, he says! LOL I think that's pretty amazing. I rode mine every possible chance I got, and by the time I put the bike into storage last November, it had just passed 4000 miles. Perfect timing, so they could do the 4000-mile maintenance and the spring tune-up all at once.

I picked up mine just a couple of days before you did, on March 29th. I was nervous about riding away from the dealer on a bike I had barely sat on, much less test-driven. Those first few minutes were a bit scary as I adjusted to the feel of the bike. But it is so well-balanced and easy to ride that it didn't take long to start enjoying it.

Yes, I griped about the shorty windshield. I hated that I couldn't take it on the freeway as a result, so I was limited to in-city rides and local roads (which probably caused my low mileage). I got the tall windshield as soon as possible, and it made all the difference in the world.

Since then I have added the Kuryakyn mini-floorboards, a RAM X-Grip phone mount, Skene P3 and Photon Blaster lights, a Scorpio RIDE GPS/theft alert system, a garage door opener, a mechanical cruise control, heated grips and a center stand. I'm in the process of installing the Lunasee Active Side Lighting system on the wheels for better side visibility. The bike came with pretty much everything else I could want, so I think I'll stop messing with it for awhile and just ride it!

It is the smoothest, most comfortable bike I have ever owned. I have reached that point where the bike feels like an extension of my body, so riding feels like gliding...or even like flying, sometimes. I love the looks it gets from other people. I'm looking forward to doing some longer trips on it this summer, but it has become my preferred everyday transportation mode.

No, the CTX 1300 is not the perfect bike for everyone. But for me, it comes damned close!

 

[Kookopelli]

I rode out on mine on Mar 25th and now have a few miles over 11,000. I have taken several trips of 5-6 days and over 2,000 miles each and the bike has been very nice to ride. It has been thru the Dragon and all the roads in that area as well as a bunch in W. Va and it handles them all without any complaints no matter how hard I flailed it. It is a fun play bike as well as a very nice cruiser.

I have added a bunch of stuff, the major things being a Power Commander and a trailer hitch. I have pulled a small trailer with about 150 lbs of camping gear in it and can't even tell it is back there.

 

[bruceb]

Voices of the Pioneers.
:smiley-party0005:

 

[TennesseeSmith]

One year ago today I got a day of vacation and rode my Piece of Crap Trophy 90 miles up to Lexington with the engine light on. I decided to cut my losses on the crappy Triumph and traded him for a bright red 2014 Honda CTX1300 Deluxe.

Folks said I was crazy for getting the second CTX1300, but these are my favorite bikes I've ever owned.

I only put 7900 miles on this one in the first year. And we only visited six states together. But we got some great photos and enjoyed some awesome back roads.

I ended up with the tallest Cee Bailey windshield and the Laminar Lip on this one. The only other addition I made to it was the seat beads.

When I got this one I did not have any of the jerky throttle issues I had the first day on the blue bike. It's not that the bike was better, it's just that I had learned how to ride a CTX1300 already.

For a long time I liked this one better than the blue one. That changed in May when I got new tires for the blue bike. It seems my favorite of the two will always be the one with the best rubber.

I have the extended warranty on the blue one, but the warranty expires today on the red one. I don't think it will be an issue. The Hondas are very reliable.

CTX1300D - TennesseeSmith

 

[jeffz]

Happy anniversary! I'm resisting the urge to include some dancing banana images in my response, 'cause we know how much you love them.

Jeff

 

[TennesseeSmith]

I was thinking about making up some of those dancing bananas for the shooting range.