Tom B. looking for a new to me ride...

Tom B. · Jul 25, 2014

Great to be here today!

So, after having to sell my ST last year for financial reasons, I'm finally getting to where I can think about a new ride. After having spent the summer borrowing my father-in-law's 2009 Ultra Classic and discovering what a wonderful machine and style of motorcycle to ride, I find myself wondering if the ST style bike is not quite my cup of tea. That said and nothing against the ST, would love another, I find myself looking at the Honda CTX1300. Has anyone ridden one of these yet? I haven't had the opportunity to throw a leg over one yet, they are a bit hard to find on the local showroom floors. I'd love some constructive feed back that compares it to both the ST1100 and the ST1300 as I might very well end up back on one of those anyway...LOL!

Thanks in advanced for your input!

TourNut · Jul 25, 2014

I can't believe Honda de-powered the ST's engine so much for the CTX , it's still got to be a smooth engine though , provided they didn't take out those 2 counterbalancers also.

Blrfl · Jul 25, 2014

TourNut said:
I can't believe Honda de-powered the ST's engine so much for the CTX , it's still got to be a smooth engine though , provided they didn't take out those 2 counterbalancers also.

The math and physics say you can't retune it for low-end torque and retain the horsepower at the top end. Right now the only way to do that is an electric motor.

Other than the changes at the top end, it's the same drivetrain all the way back to the rear wheel.

--Mark

Tom B. · Jul 25, 2014

Thanks for the input so far.
From what I understand, they are re-cammed, less HP but the torque in 41+ for a broader range but down low. They are trying to tune the CTX1300 more for around town scoots than open road touring...bagger style riding. Don't shoot me for saying that, I'm just comparing to my father-in-laws Ultra that has tons of around town grunt but leave you wanting at the touring end of the spectrum. My wife's Magna walks all over the HD in any situation though the HD is still a great joy to ride! (nothing like that Harley sound when it's not too loud!! LOL!)

caldercay · Jul 25, 2014

[QUOTE;1776071]I have ridden one twice now and yes they de-tuned the engine so it runs on lower grade fuel and has much more bottom end torque. But riding it is so smooth i would say even better than the ST. the bike is longer so very stable overall a nice ride. The screen is low and not adjustable but there are already aftermarket ones. i liked the ride but its not what I want just yet. i think you will like it.[/QUOTE]

There is a Honda-stamped "accessory" to replace the stock screen with a larger one:
TALL WINDSCREEN 08R70-MJN-A00 $125.95

Denba · Jul 25, 2014

Nice to hear from you Tom, have fun deciding what to buy.

:welcome1:

Back

Dennis

Denba · Jul 25, 2014

rjs987 just bought one,https://www.st-owners.com/forums/member.php?u=20709, he probably could tell you a lot.

I see Jim already said that :doh1:

Tom B. · Jul 27, 2014

Thanks again all for any input! Dennis! Great to be back and to hear from you! I'm very thankful that though I had to give up my ST last year, Cindy and I managed to meet our financial burdens. Also, I was questioning the ST for my pre retirement life style and overall comfort. I can't wait to try the CTX1300 or even the 700. Money is still an issue so I'll be waiting a couple of years for either. I am having serious riding withdrawals though. Been too long and borrowing bikes has inherent pros and cons and is getting long in the tooth.

If anyone else has ridden one o these, please chime in.

rjs987 · Jul 28, 2014

Yes, I do have one and really like it. Turns out I prefer this kind of ride to the s-t style.
More like my old GW than anything else... yet just a little different... better I think. Lighter and more nimble. Very low CG, even compared with the GW.
The engine was RE-tuned. As mentioned it does mean the MAX HP is lower. But if you look at dyno charts on both the CTX has more HP and Torque than the ST below 5000 rpm. At 5000 rpm they are the same. Over 5000 rpm the ST is better. The CTX is designed to run best below that rpm. In fact, unless you prefer to stay over 90 mph all the time you'll likely never even get to 5000 rpm since it runs 75 mph at near 4000 rpm. I usually get to 5th gear right away and go from 40 mph (2200 rpm) on up in that gear. MPG is a bit better too, at about 45 mpg for combined city/highway with some stop/go traffic and definitely over 50-52 mpg for all highway up to 75 mph. In spite of a smaller tank than the ST has, I usually go around 180-210 miles between fill-ups and usually only put in barely over 4 gals. I rode it to LOCSTOC last month and it was able to ride tank to tank very comfortably. While my old ST1100 would allow me to do 200-300 miles without resting the bum, I can see doing 600+ mile days on this one. Best factory seat I've ever sat on, better than many after market seats. The Honda tall shield provides a smooth airflow at the top of my helmet with no buffeting. I think that's a first for a factory shield. I don't mind it being non-adjustable since I generally set things the way I like them and leave them that way always. Much less heat off the engine than even my ST1100 since there is no lower fairing covering the engine to hold the heat, it gets blown away. My first take when I saw this bike was that I wasn't sure about it. But after riding there is no question for me. This is the one. I've always wanted a ligher, less bulky GW and this fits that perfectly.

As mentioned see my thread in the Honda section as well as the earlier thread on the CTX1300 in that same section. You can also see many ride reviews from other owners at www.ctx1300forum.com.

Tom B. · Jul 28, 2014

Great information!! I'm working on finding a way to ride one of these soon. I'm very excited! Won't be buying one very soon but then at least I'll kmow what I'm looking for!! Thank you to all that have pitched in!

rjs987 said:
Yes, I do have one and really like it. Turns out I prefer this kind of ride to the s-t style.
More like my old GW than anything else... yet just a little different... better I think. Lighter and more nimble. Very low CG, even compared with the GW.
The engine was RE-tuned. As mentioned it does mean the MAX HP is lower. But if you look at dyno charts on both the CTX has more HP and Torque than the ST below 5000 rpm. At 5000 rpm they are the same. Over 5000 rpm the ST is better. The CTX is designed to run best below that rpm. In fact, unless you prefer to stay over 90 mph all the time you'll likely never even get to 5000 rpm since it runs 75 mph at near 4000 rpm. I usually get to 5th gear right away and go from 40 mph (2200 rpm) on up in that gear. MPG is a bit better too, at about 45 mpg for combined city/highway with some stop/go traffic and definitely over 50-52 mpg for all highway up to 75 mph. In spite of a smaller tank than the ST has, I usually go around 180-210 miles between fill-ups and usually only put in barely over 4 gals. I rode it to LOCSTOC last month and it was able to ride tank to tank very comfortably. While my old ST1100 would allow me to do 200-300 miles without resting the bum, I can see doing 600+ mile days on this one. Best factory seat I've ever sat on, better than many after market seats. The Honda tall shield provides a smooth airflow at the top of my helmet with no buffeting. I think that's a first for a factory shield. I don't mind it being non-adjustable since I generally set things the way I like them and leave them that way always. Much less heat off the engine than even my ST1100 since there is no lower fairing covering the engine to hold the heat, it gets blown away. My first take when I saw this bike was that I wasn't sure about it. But after riding there is no question for me. This is the one. I've always wanted a ligher, less bulky GW and this fits that perfectly.

As mentioned see my thread in the Honda section as well as the earlier thread on the CTX1300 in that same section. You can also see many ride reviews from other owners at www.ctx1300forum.com.

Tom B. · Jul 30, 2014

So...today it was somewhat slow at work. I'm so excited! I found a local dealer that has a CTX1300 and an F6B demonstrator! Hope I can get there soon!

rjs987 · Jul 30, 2014

When test riding the CTX try to shift between 3000-3500 rpm for the first 3 gears and just below that for the rest. It's low, I know, but that's the intended riding style for this bike. I see 2500 rpm at 45 mph and know it's in 5th gear and I can just sit back and ride at any speed from there up without thinking about shifting... even when needing to blip the throttle to pass, and it will get up and go without downshifting if you like, since the very flat torque curve (more like a line at any highway speed) kicks in about 2000 rpm up to just under 5000 rpm (that would be about 95 mph I think, based on what I've seen so far).

Don't know about the F6B. GW owners would be able to answer about that one.

Tom B. looking for a new to me ride...

Tom B.

TourNut

Blrfl

Natural Rider Enhancement

Tom B.

caldercay

Denba

Denba

Tom B.

rjs987

Robert

Tom B.

Tom B.

rjs987

Robert