Varadero - Thoughts

[Navy Boy]

Last week I managed to get a ride on one of the latest Varaderos.

Having ridden one of the original 5 speedsers a few years back, and having had a 12GS a few years back too I was curious to see how it felt after having had my RT for a year or two now.

In a word, Lovely! I really enjoyed it. Has anyone else ridden one and what do they think? I see Honda were doing a special too with the boxes and heated grips thrown in for the price. That makes it something of a bargain in my eyes.

Now just need to think how I can afford it...

 

[MarkN]

It's a Honda, so you know that nothing will rot, fall off, break or go wrong. Personally, I've heard nothing but good things about the Varadero as a road bike, I've never seen one being used off road mind but judging by all the stuff in the Touratech catalogue they must be up for it!

The free stuff offered is a two edge sword,
1) it makes it a great bike to buy
2) why are Honda giving stuff away on the bike, is it not selling? Saying that KTM are doing a similar offer on the 990 Adv at the moment too.

On the KTM front, did you know Sideways have their open day on Saturday, it's a good opportunity to ride the 990 Adv as a comparison.

Cheers

Mark

 

[patzx12]

Honda reliability. Well sorted.
Why don't they update it and take on the R1200GS ?

 

[Navy Boy]

Oh no!

Not another open day to attend and be tempted by...

Had a think about the 2nd hand K12GT in CWs. I think I'll wait a little longer, perhaps once the summer's finished.

I am tempted by the Honda though.

Incidentally I rode a CBF 1000 on the same day. Very nice bike with torque from anywhere. Just a bit too Honda-like for me though I can see why people like them.

 

[MarkN]

I was in CW's a while ago and someone was getting their F650GS prepped for a long trip when they asked one of the technicians if they would need anything else for the trip, the reply came back, "yes, get a Honda"!!

 

[patzx12]

Give us Spitfires

I was in CW's a while ago and someone was getting their F650GS prepped for a long trip when they asked one of the technicians if they would need anything else for the trip, the reply came back, "yes, get a Honda"!!

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[Riktus]

Varadero - Fantastic bike but getting a bit dated now, i would say that Honda cannot keep ignoring this market area and will pull a rabbit out of a hat shortly.

Only problem I ever had with my Vara was rear shock was not so good but it was the older model and the newer ones have a better shock. I did replace mine with a Hagon shock and it transformed the bike.

Vara was the most comfortable bike 2 up I have ever owned also the one that depreciated the most hence why i decided to buy a BMW in the end. And Honda Dealer service was dreadful, I purposely will not buy another Honda because of it.

Rik

 

[GS TRV]

paging Marcus

 

[chapsworth]

Just bought one 3 weeks ago and loving every minute. Got all the freebies as well. Handles well, I bottle out long before it does.

It's a Honda and should be reliable. My dealer is less than 10 miles away and did me a good deal. I fancied a GS having had a couple some years ago but was disappointed by the reliability and my dealer was over an hour away. To have a GS kitted out with panniers and stuff would have been almost £4K more.

Yes, it's a bit dated but look at the ST1100 and how that is still held in high esteem. (I've still kept mine, didn't want to let it go).

Have fun!

 

[SilverFish]

I've had two Varadero's; one of the 5 gear carb models, and then a six gear injection about a year ago.

They were both great bikes, the newer model more so with improvements in handling and fuel consumption.

They do depreciate heavily, but then that makes 2nd hand bargains, with all the extras plentiful!

I kinda regret trading in my last 'dero for a KTM, v nearly changed my mind as I was riding away from the dealer. If there was a reason which ruled out the 12GSA, then a 2nd hand 'dero would definetely be top of the list.

I agree too that Honda must be doing something to bring it up to date, more than just the slight styling and colour changes they've done so far! The last significant update was 5 years ago now so hurry up Honda!

Mike

 

[John Armstrong]

It's a nice place: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varadero

When you fly over Cuba at night, heading in the area, the place really stands out as it's about 2 miles of straight lights, and you don't see much lighting over there.


As for the bike, like others have had a Firestorm in the past, but haven't been tempted. Boringly efficient mile eater, that likes to drink the fuel seems to be the considered opinion of most testers.

 

[Twotter]

I recently part-ex'd my '02 1150GS for an ex-demo 57 plate Varadero. I was looking for a bike that could commute all year round and take me on trips abroad. I wasn't interested in going off-road or taking a pillion. The bike had to be reliable and comfortable with better weather protection than my GS.

After looking at a number of options the Varadero came out ahead. The test ride was good and I was able to do a good deal with the Honda dealer. The bike has full luggage, heated grips, aux power socket and is just waiting on a main stand to arrive so they can fit that. It also has a scottoiler to deal with the chain thingy

Sitting on the bike it feels more top heavy than my old GS, but this disappears as soon as it's moving. The bars are narrower so it doesn't feel as flickable as the GS though as I've got used to it I'm throwing it around with a lot more confidence. The engine is great and revs nicely. It doesn't have as much low down torque as the 1150 but it feels much faster and cruises more easily at speed due to the increased weather protection. The mpg is on a par with my GS. The seat/screen/footpegs suit me far more than the standard GS items and I don't feel the need to 'Touratech' the bike like I did with the GS. The heated grips are much more effective than the ones on the GS.

To be honest the only thing that I find odd is the weird indicators