Honda XL1000 Valadero

[Easy_Rider]

So i have a 2013 Valadero 1000, It is a great bike with a brilliant engine and its very comfortable.
BUT it is so tucking top heavy. It has a steel frame and large steel fuel tank and high level exhausts.
So i'm looking at changing it for a lighter or LCOG bike.
But before i do, do any of you brain boxes have any thoughts on getting rid of some top heavy weight.
I also have a 1250RT which is the same weight as the Valadero, but it feels so much lighter because of the LCOG.
Painners are not always on the bike and i dont use a top box because of the top heavy weight.....

 

[Davey B]

The only stuff you could get rid of wouldn't really make any difference to its top heavy feel...crashbars, lights, rear rack/backrest etc. As you've already got an RT, how about trading it for something like a Hornet 750...purely for day rides and way way lighter than this

 

[rovert57]

Is that a standard colour scheme, that does look better than the other colours

 

[MarkShelley]

Not much you could do I reckon. They are also very thirsty I believe. Try a CB500X. Might be a good stablemate for solo riding alongside your BMW.

 

[JJH]

Not much you could do I reckon. They are also very thirsty I believe. Try a CB500X. Might be a good stablemate for solo riding alongside your BMW.

I thought the later bikes were less thirsty. JJH

 

[leadfarmer]

I thought the later bikes were less thirsty. JJH

In theory only I’d say

I had the first model with carbs and 5 speed gearbox and I also had the last model with fuel injection and a 6 speed box, both of them drank like Keith Moon on a bender

Apart from that they are fantastic bikes, super punchy motor and very comfortable for rider and passenger, handle surprisingly well too as long as you keep the tyre pressures correct

 

[Easy_Rider]

Thank you for the replys.
This is my winter hack, and is used with my wife as pillion.
The MPG is good at around 47mpg 2up.
So it does look like she will be going on to a new owner this year.
And yes the colour is stock. the last ones were white or black.

 

[alan29]

Loved mine. Went all over Europe 2-up. Clocked 96 on the autobahns - steady as a rock. But weighed a ton, especially when fully loaded. Fantastic engine. Photo on a French autoroute loo stop.
I still miss it = that motor!. Electrics went. Needed a new ECU and loom according to the dealers, too uneconomical to repair. And I already decided it was just too top heavy as I entered my 70s.
Now on an NT1100 DCT. Lighter and much lower COG. Really loving it.

 

[richie]

Not much you could do I reckon. They are also very thirsty I believe. Try a CB500X. Might be a good stablemate for solo riding alongside your BMW.

I went from a Varadero to a CB500X and they are both great bikes.The CB is possibly the best bike I have ever owned, my criteria are maybe not the same as others.
Varadero great bike, the weight never really bothered me as I only rode on the road and I was young enough. The CB power sometimes bothers me, but on the West Coast of Ireland and in Morroco , perfect.

 

[clutchspring]

That's exactly why I sold my 2008 varadero after 9 years of trouble free ownership, as I got older I had trouble keeping it up right & the time came to get something easier to handle.
Ian

 

[tonytobo]

One of the best bikes I’ve owned and ridden

 

[Easy_Rider]

I now have it all cleaned up ready to be sold on.
Will place an ad on here before anywhere else once i've taken some photos today.

 

[Monsieur]

A most splendid motorcycle and very comfortable.

 

[street_moto]

Yes, like sitting on a sofa

 

[Easy_Rider]

Ok, I have put a for sale add on the forum for my Valadero.

But i had some time spare today, so i thought i would remove some of the parts that others have said to remove.
So when i removed the parts i got the weight of each item removed.

Crash Bars 5.26Kgs or 11.6 lbs
Pannier Rack 3.26Kgs or 7.2 lbs
Exhausts 7.1Kgs or 15.8 lbs Each

So thats a total of 22.7Kgs or 50.1 lbs.

Now i've looked at a pair of Delkevic exhausts. Which comes to a total of 7Kgs or 15.5 lbs the pair with mid pipes.

So if i buy the Delkevic exhausts, the total weight i can save off the high up weight is 15.7Kgs or 34.6 lbs.

And yes you can feel the weight loss even with out the exhaust being removed.
And with the exhausts removed it feels very light to how it was.
I am thinking i might be keeping it now at it does feel lighter to move about.

 

[Easy_Rider]

Another thought i have had, is to lower the bike.
Thinking of fitting Hyperpro Progressive Front & Rear Springs and the Hyperpro Lowering kit and dropping the forks though the yokes.
For a older bike its a bit pricey at just under £282 for the lot.

 

[Easy_Rider]

So i tried my Varadero for another winter. The bike is great,but i do need something lighter in weight.
I am thinking of getting a Kawasaki Versys 1000. My budget is £5000 max as its only a winter hack.
Are there any other adventure style bikes that are lightweight that i could look at.

 

[leadfarmer]

So i tried my Varadero for another winter. The bike is great,but i do need something lighter in weight.
I am thinking of getting a Kawasaki Versys 1000. My budget is £5000 max as its only a winter hack.
Are there any other adventure style bikes that are lightweight that i could look at.

If you want to go lighter look at something in the next section down, Transalp, Vstrom, Versys 650, T7 ?

 

[Mzokk]

Vstrom 650. Much nicer engine than the Versys 650 and more pep than the Transalp 700 and a decent pilion perch. £5000 would buy you a fresh low mileage bike also easy on juice. Versys 1000 is a big old bus and at least as heavy as the Varadero. Lovely engine though.

 

[Easy_Rider]

Looking at the 2018 V-Strom 1000, they look to be nearly 50kgs lighter than the Varadero.
Will see it there is one at a dealer near me so i can try is for size and weight.