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VTX1300 Tease
Your apr. '08 cover story on honda's new vtx1300t is a little misleading, considering i have an '06 vtx1300t purchased from honda (canada) in may 2006. The only difference between the "new" 1300t and the one i have is that the mufflers and touring badges on the front fender are new for 2008. That, and the fact that my bike came with a studded backrest, bags and the deluxe windshield. The host of included options were no different two years ago.
So should it be said that the VTX/T model was first introduced in 2006 as a 1300 for distribution in Canada "only" as a test for the U.S. marketing demand? And/or did I get misled by my Honda dealer? And/or is the Honda Corp. misleading the consumer and all who may be interested?
Befuddled Canuck
Glenne Howie
Via e-mail
It ticked us off to think we'd been hoodwinked, so we took our angst right to the source. Jon Seidel at American Honda looked into the case of the missing model and informed us that Honda Canada did indeed designate a T model, but it was a dealer-prepped bike, not a production model. We're not entirely mollified, but we suppose that'll have to do, eh, Glenne? (For the record, Seidel also confessed that our neighbors to the north are rocking a 750T version, so keep your eyes open.) -Ed.
I'd think the biggest question for Honda would be, "Why so halfhearted?" Back in 1999 Honda took one of its great streetbikes and turned out a true touring bike, the VT1100 ACE Tourer, with 2-into-1-into-2 pipes that allowed for hard saddlebags right from the factory and a real touring windscreen that provided element protection down to your legs. By comparison, this bike is just for looks rather than go. Your comment was "better late than never," but this is really Honda's poor attempt at going back to the future, where its past was far superior to its present.
Oak Smith
Norwood, CO
Suzuki's Tourer?
In the Apr. '08 issue Art Friedman says, "Kawasaki and Suzuki have been unable to produce a full-dresser." I must disagree. Suzuki had a great tourer in its Cavalcade LX and LXE, bikes that had several features the Gold Wing didn't: handlebars that could be moved fore and aft; air-cushion bladders in the seat for both passenger and rider that could be adjusted at will; and a trunk that could be moved backward or forward to suit the passenger, to name a few.
I had two; the first had 45,000 miles and the second had 96,000 miles. If I could find one in good shape I would buy it.
Robert Warren
La Grande, OR
Gimme The Numbers
I'm wondering what happened to the performance test data you used to have. The Apr. '08 issue had nothing for the Ducati/Triumph pairing, the Aero and Guzzi, or even the "full-test" Victory Vision for acceleration results. For many of us, liking cruisers doesn't preclude us from being interested in a bike's performance abilities. Please do not abandon performance testing; I am a multi-interest enthusiast, and the lack of performance numbers was the main reason I never subscribed to Automobile magazine, for example, but rather Car and Driver.
Milan Case
Via e-mail
For the record, we're not keen on skipping the numbers, either. Unfortunately we recently suffered the closure of our local dragstrip (Los Angeles County Raceway), and we're scrambling to replace the way we gather acceleration info. The good news is that our CycleDyn dynamometer is back up, so you'll be seeing horsepower and torque numbers in future tests. We hope to have quarter-mile and roll-on acceleration stats back in the spec sheets in a month or so. Bear with us as we adjust. -Ed.