A Year With a Crosstourer

BBB61

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It’s just over a year since I picked up my Crosstourer (CT) and its time to give you my views on the experience of owning one and the pros and cons that have become apparent during my ownership.

I have clocked up 7100 miles and in that time it has slurped fuel at an average of 45mpg. The original brake pads are still fitted although the front pads are wearing unevenly. The rear pads hardly look worn. It came fitted with Pirelli Scorpions which looking at some of the comments on the CT forum suggested they wouldn’t last long, but both were replaced at 5600 miles with the surprise being the front was down to the wear bars at the same time as the rear.

Reliability has been 100% with no breakdowns or component failures, but the finish has been a concern, with corrosion appearing on a number of fasteners, the paint rubbing off the handlebar end caps and the centre stand looking like it has been sand blasted and being in far worse condition than the centre stand on my wife’s 7 year old CBF 250, which looks new by comparison . It goes in for its service next week so I will see how Honda view this and what they will do.

So, how has the bike suited me? The riding position needed some changes, thanks mainly to the appalling seat. It is uncomfortable to say the least and the curvature doesn’t allow a rider to sit higher because you end up sliding down to the lowest part of the seat. The footpegs were also too high and exacerbated achy knees. The seat was replaced with a Touratech high seat which improved things immensely. It is better shaped and it elimanated the sliding down problem of the OEM seat. I also fitted SW Motech footrests which sit 15mm lower than the stock footrests. The combination of the two mean I can ride the bike all day now with no discomfort from my knees.

The standard screen is little more than a flyscreen so I fitted a Give Airflow which was a big improvement and made day long riding much more comfortable.

The other farkles fitted have been Givi crashbars and Kappa K33 panniers (same as the Givi V35) which have been mated to the Givi quick release pannier frames. Although the pannier shape doesn’t allow storing a helmet in them they do have a good capacity and they also fit quite close to the rear of the bike and don’t seem any wider than the handlebars.

Has the CT proved to be a worthy successor to my 2005 R1200GS and 2012 R1200GSA? No it hasn’t. My overall impression is of being distinctly underwhelmed by it. It hasn’t wowed me and as time has gone on its flaws have become more noticeable. The only area where it beats my old GS’s is the engine. The V4 pulls from tickover and is very grunty. It is a real road engine and is very well suited to the bike. It was one of the things that shone out from the test ride, especially compared to the KTM 1190 and Multistrada. Although the top end rush of those bikes was exciting they were no better in normal riding and in fact thanks to the lumpy nature of their power delivery at lower speeds they were not as nice to ride at lower speeds.

The quality of the front and rear suspension is poor. Honda charge a premium price for this bike (list price is currenty only £400 less than the list price of a GSA) but spoil it by fitting cheap and inadequate suspension which gives a poor ride quality. The front transmits every bump and ripple, and the rear is not up to the job with any adjustment having minimal effect. The rear was cured by fitting a Nitron Adventure shock but the front is not as easy to sort out. It looks like a complete strip down and re-valve would be the only solution.

Coming back to the price you have to ask why a centre stand is an optional extra when most of the opposition fit one as standard.
Honda have unilaterally chosen to swap the position of the indicator and horn buttons, which would be fine if I had no plans to buy any other make of bike in the future, but it has taken a lot of time to get used to this arrangement, especially as I ride other bikes with the conventional set up. It is a stupid decision, especially as no other manufacturer has decided to do the same.
The fuel consumption for this class of bike is poor. 45mpg is not acceptable (my GSA averaged 51mpg over a similar mileage) for an adventure bike and Honda really need to sort this out.

The weight of the bike (275kgs) makes itself felt and it could do with a reduction of at least 25kg to put it amongst the weights of the competition. When pressing on it does become noticeable and it doesn’t inspire anywhere near the confidence levels I got from my GSA and GS.

The brakes are not up to par either and the caliper design (sliding calipers) is the problem. The brakes need a good firm pull on the lever to get them working.

In short, as much as I really wanted to like and love this bike it just hasn’t happened. The bond hasn’t formed and it is mainly down to the deficiencies listed above. I have seen some posts where GS’ers have spoken to CT owners who have described the bike as “awesome”. Sadly it is not awesome or anywhere near and it is average at best. If Honda really want to pit it against the best bikes in the class they need to go back to the drawing board.
 
Interesting read, my riding buddy has just got a VFR 1200 on an 07 plate with 5k on the clock, maybe I'll get him to do a write up when he's done a few trips on it..
 
I'm surprised you have kept it so long if you were that unhappy with the CT.
Personally, I'm very pleased with mine and as an example I have spent some long days on mine (I'm currently in the far South of Greece) and have had no issues with the seat. The only criticism I can deadly agree with, is that it is a heavy beast when stationary, but have managed, so far without crash bars, though having said that, I'll probably drop it tomorrow!
 
I've been looking at a VFR 1200 and had also thought about a CT. As it is either to replace or at least compliment my R1150GSA which only has its weight going against it I'm surprised to read its a lot heavier. I'd have thought the big H would have done their homework and made sure that it was at least comparable with the competition.
 
I've been looking at a VFR 1200 and had also thought about a CT. As it is either to replace or at least compliment my R1150GSA which only has its weight going against it I'm surprised to read its a lot heavier. I'd have thought the big H would have done their homework and made sure that it was at least comparable with the competition.

Your 1150GS is 17kg lighter than the Crosstourer. I would have thought Honda would have made a better fist of it too.
 
@ BBB1

Tks for putting the time to stick that up re the CT. I did look at one of these a couple of yrs ago but Im glad i didnt buy one now. Its not that its a bad bike, its just not as good as it should be imo. Honda billed this as an all round big bike for the masses. Its lacked in certain areas, like suspension and finish.

I had also ridden thew GS1200 triple black at the time i was buying a triallie, but the price and certain issues re some bmw reliability left me on another path. I chose the 1200 Tenere and havent looked back.


I dont know what is going on with Honda the last few yrs, they should be better, but they aint...we will see what this new Africa Twin is like when its released in Nov later this yr..

Re the crosstourer, i do like certain aspoects of it, wheels, swingarm, but the bike should be a lot better than some of the dripes ppl have had with it.
 
Cheers Bob

A very comprehensive, competent and objective review of the bike

One that was maybe on my list, for the future

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to review your ownership:thumby:
 
@ BBB1

Tks for putting the time to stick that up re the CT. I did look at one of these a couple of yrs ago but Im glad i didnt buy one now. Its not that its a bad bike, its just not as good as it should be imo. Honda billed this as an all round big bike for the masses. Its lacked in certain areas, like suspension and finish.

Certainly the suspension out of the box is not as good as the GS without ESA or others on the market. The finish is also a disappointment, especially after reading the forums and seeing people saying how good the finish on Hondas is. It's not bad but it is not a cut above BMW's or others in the market and I think Honda have also fallen victim to the environmental demands to use water based paint finishes and finishes on nuts and bolts which are environmentally friendly but a lot less durable.

Banzai600 said:
I had also ridden thew GS1200 triple black at the time i was buying a triallie, but the price and certain issues re some bmw reliability left me on another path. I chose the 1200 Tenere and havent looked back.

I rode the Super Ten as well as the Tiger Explorer, KTM 1190, Multistrada and the CT. I had ridden the wasser boxer earlier in the year but I didn't want the standard one knowing the GSA version would be along at some time. The S10 was a nice bike and I enjoyed the test ride but it didn't stand out.


Banzai600 said:
I dont know what is going on with Honda the last few yrs, they should be better, but they aint...we will see what this new Africa Twin is like when its released in Nov later this yr..

BMW lost their way back in the 90's and there was a time when the only decent bike in their range was the GS, but they turned it around. Perhaps Honda can do the same, as competition is healthy for us all.

Banzai600 said:
Re the crosstourer, i do like certain aspoects of it, wheels, swingarm, but the bike should be a lot better than some of the dripes ppl have had with it.

Agreed, I had great expectations of the CT but ultimately it fell short. It does need a lot of work as it has now been left well behind by the others who have all raised the bar in different ways.
 
I'm surprised you have kept it so long if you were that unhappy with the CT.

I had little niggles but what finally nailed it was the two trips I did to Europe in July and August.

GADGET said:
Personally, I'm very pleased with mine and as an example I have spent some long days on mine (I'm currently in the far South of Greece) and have had no issues with the seat. The only criticism I can deadly agree with, is that it is a heavy beast when stationary, but have managed, so far without crash bars, though having said that, I'll probably drop it tomorrow!

If you are happy with it Gadget that is all that matters.
 
Cheers Bob

A very comprehensive, competent and objective review of the bike

One that was maybe on my list, for the future

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to review your ownership:thumby:

With your GSA being Ohlins equipped you would find the suspension a different ball game on the CT. Honda's pricing structure is also putting the bike into areas where it won't compete as the bike stands now, unless there are some major improvements. The Super 10 now comes with cruise control and ESA for not much more than the list price of the CT, the vanilla GS is also several hundred pounds cheaper. The only advantages that the Honda has are the Happiness service package, which buys all the services up to 24000 miles/3 years for £575, the three year warranty and the 8000 mile service intervals.

It was good to try something different and to try out most of the alternatives but one thing I will do from now on is take a second test ride (which I did on the KTM to see if I could live with the heat issue). Perhaps if I had done this on the CT, or had had more than the one hour I was allowed some of the issues might have surfaced. Never mind, I'm not beating myself up about it. :)
 
With your GSA being Ohlins equipped you would find the suspension a different ball game on the CT. Honda's pricing structure is also putting the bike into areas where it won't compete as the bike stands now, unless there are some major improvements. The Super 10 now comes with cruise control and ESA for not much more than the list price of the CT, the vanilla GS is also several hundred pounds cheaper. The only advantages that the Honda has are the Happiness service package, which buys all the services up to 24000 miles/3 years for £575, the three year warranty and the 8000 mile service intervals.

It was good to try something different and to try out most of the alternatives but one thing I will do from now on is take a second test ride (which I did on the KTM to see if I could live with the heat issue). Perhaps if I had done this on the CT, or had had more than the one hour I was allowed some of the issues might have surfaced. Never mind, I'm not beating myself up about it. :)

Cheers for your thoughts, helps us all out

The S10 seems to the one to check out, perhaps

Well written and versed, thanks:thumby:
 
Go's to show it's worth test riding a bike properly before parting with your pension.
 
Go's to show it's worth test riding a bike properly before parting with your pension.

So , BMW owners don't change the screen, seat, footpegs or suspension.
BMW owners don't complain about quality of finish.
BMW also list a c/stand as an accessory.
Corrosion - how do you know if/when it will corrode or not on a proper test ride?

The horn/indicator switch would have been picked up on the test ride, but perhaps the OP thought it wasn't a big issue at the time and not a concern worth rejecting the bike over.

Brakes, the only item on the list that, arguably, should have raised questions at the time of testing.

The OP has owned this bike a year and states " ...and as time has gone on its flaws have become more noticeable."

How long was the OPs' pre-purchase test ride , I didn't notice, did you?
 
How long was the OPs' pre-purchase test ride , I didn't notice, did you?

Ah, one dig and you 'Do a Bob':comfort

In answer to your question, I have no idea as I didn't read any of it:D
 
Ah, one dig and you 'Do a Bob':comfort

In answer to your question, I have no idea as I didn't read any of it:D

Everything I wrote was factual , but in disagreement with your statement , you don't like that? Persecution complex, maybe? :thumb
 
Ah, one dig and you 'Do a Bob':comfort

In answer to your question, I have no idea as I didn't read any of it:D

This was a nice thread until you lowered the tone with one of your usual obnoxious interventions. :mad: As you haven't read most of the thread by your own admission it is clear you have only contributed (I use the term loosely) just to be antagonistic and nasty.
 
Everything I wrote was factual , but in disagreement with your statement , you don't like that? Persecution complex, maybe? :thumb

No, he's just an obnoxious moron who decided to try and derail a decent and informative thread. The tone up until he stuck his nose in had been nice.
 
Thanks for your write up, I was lucky enough to test ride a CT for about 100 miles 2-up. I agree with some of your comments, the engine is the best feature! I really wanted to like the CT as I wanted to get away from BMW and always thought Honda was the best when it came to quality, unfortunately all manufacturers have cut back IMO and some things like poor paintwork are unforgivable!

My GS LC is a much better bike to ride than the CT and gives good mpg for spirited ridding as well so I am happy I made the right choice!
 


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