Honda Vtx 1800

CYCLE WORLD TEST

HONDA VTX 1800

In the economy of power, this thing's booming

MARK HOYER

SO, WHAT'S YOUR TASTE IN BURNOUTS? YOU LIKE THE FRANTIC, pitched screech that comes from full-throttle, dump-the-clutch-start-grabbing-upshifts burnies? Or do you prefer the lazier part-throttle churn that makes the rear tire groan as the bike lunges forward? How about the spare, almost plaintive nature of the surprise chirp on an aggressive shift to second gear? Not really a connoisseur of wheelspin, you say?

Well, it’s obvious you haven’t tried the 2002 Honda VTX1800, the megaist V-Twin mega-cruiser ever to scare the bejeezus out of American asphalt.

So ditch the conchos and fringe, and find yourself a nice, black-leather g-suit. Tire smoke will become your laughing gas.

It’s not that we haven’t seen bikes that fill the hot-rod V-Twin role before-lots of aftermarket big-inch Harley engine kits exist, and so-called clone makers such as Big Dog, Titan, Ultra and Confederate have created machines with huge low-end torque numbers capable of melting down the widest rubber at the flick of the wrist.

But nobody’s done it quite like this. For despite all the naked brutality the 1795cc Twin’s 99 foot-pounds of torque and 89 horsepower represent -both delivered to the rear wheel at ridiculously low rpm-it comes in a polished, rideable, even civil, form. Still, these two 898cc cylinders don’t just deliver power, they pound it into the ground. What else would you expect from a 110-cubic-inch slice of big-block?

Of course, after enough new-bike press introductions, one tends to dismiss phrases such as "will redefine your concept of roll-on acceleration from a stock motorcycle," as so much PR mouth-boogie. Yet here we are, concept redefined, at least in some ways. True the VTX will be trounced by your Hayabusas and ZX-l2Rs in the topgear roll-on tests, as those are both nearly a second quicker in the 40-60 and 60-80 mph runs. But the VTX will run close tc many hot sportbikes and easily better every mass-produced V-Twin cruiser we’ve tested (as well as Honda’s own Valkyrie) with its times of 3.7 and 3.8 seconds in the respective mph brackets.

But the beauty here is in the lower gears and at the bottom of the rev range: 90 ft.-lbs. of torque arrives at just 2000 rpm and it peaks 800 later, never dropping below 90 again until 5200 rpm. Snap the throttle open at virtually any rpm in first or second gear and the beast positively lunges forward. Or spins the tire. What fun!

Out of the hole, the VTX is equal to the ZX-12R, at least to 30 mph, which should spell victory in stoplight-to-stoplight squirts. This 1.2-second performance certainly is owed in part to the mondo bottom-end torque available, but speaks more to the ease of launching this long-n-low motorcycle: It’s got a 67.6-inch wheelbase, a 27.3-inch seat height and a stout clutch, not that you need to slip it much. If it weren’t so entertainingly quick off the line, launching it would almost be boring.

What hurts the VTX’s overall acceleration numbers is that it’s equipped with fairly tall gearing and the fact that it simply carries a lot of weight. Our ChromaFlair (changes color depending on light angle) Illusion Blue bomber burdened the scales with 727 pounds on an empty fuel tank. The spiritually similar Confederate America GT (OF, May, 2000) weighs 187 pounds less.

So, yes, depending on engine options, there may be biginch, big-buck Harley clones capable of bettering the VTX’s roll-on times or its impressive 12.12-second quarter-mile show. But let’s talk first when writing the check-the VTX starts at $12,499-and again after 40,000 hard miles. How do other Japanese V-Twin cruisers compare? While many are similar in price, most quarter-mile in the mid-14-second range. Stock Harleys don’t come close to the VTX-even the impressive Twin Cam 88 versions ring-in with 25 less horsepower.

So what’s left once you get over (if you actually can get over) the pounding of Howitzer-size 4-inch pistons through 4.4 inch strokes and the attendant megaton combustion explosions?

A rather nice cruiser, actually. For despite all this glorious and surprisingly loud accelerative fury, the VTX is really a nicely refined, almost docile-feeling kicked-back boulevardier. While there is always a sense of profound depth each time a cylinder lights, engine response is virtually flawless. Throttle response is fine in the elegant sense of the word. Thank the Denso fuel-injection system. Each injector features a 12-point nozzle (with the holes measuring about .004 of an inch in diameter) that practically strip the fuel down to its atoms for better, urn, atomization. At the same time, the comparative abundance of these tiny holes means there’s enough volume available to feed the fuel need of nearly 2000cc of hydrocarbon hunger. The faster 95 percent of throttle opening gets its basic fuel-delivery-requirement information from a throttle-position sensor, while the more sensitive lowspeed delivery-idle to 5 percent throttle-is calculated using information from intake-tract vacuum. The critical word here is “calculate” said a Honda engineer.

“Vacuum is a precise indicator of engine running condition, but the engine-control module must calculate how much fuel. At low engine speeds, there is time for this.

That’s why the vacuum sensor is only used to 5 percent throttle,” he explained. The rest, governed by the TPS, works straight off the fuel map, no math required, so response is as quick as the accuracy of the mapping allows, which in this case is mighty quick, as the EFI works flawlessly. Makes the brutish, barely contained horsepower of the average over-built Harley clone seem sort of dumb, or at least uneducated, by comparison.

Even with all this grand engine performance, the VTX has exceptionally clean emissions, both in California and 49-state versions. The Cali model’s remapped injection and catalytic converter are said to cost only 1 hp and .75 ft.-lb. of torque, while allowing it to better by 50 percent the 2008 Tier II

California emissions requirements. (Make these things any cleaner and we’re not going to be able to use them for suicide anymore.)

The immense power pulses generated such a large pair of cylinders did pose some interesting new problems for Honda. The headlight, for instance, was getting the life shook out of it on prototypes, so more stable bracketry had to be designed. Ditto the giant exhaust system, the mounts for which were also beefed up-and it still wags around when you whack the throttle at low rpm!

This is, however, a remarkably vibrationfree motorcycle for being what it is, which is essentially a pair of cylinders with some ancillary equipment attached. These pounding power pulses are attenuated with several vibration and damping schemes. The 52degree Vee and 72-degree dual offset crank pins work with each other to take care of the primary vibes.

However, this offset-pin crank introduces a rocking couple-a sort of paddling motion-so this is cancelled by use of a gear-driven balance shaft rear of the crank, which in turn drives the primary gear. Further, the clutch assembly helps reduce the pounding that might otherwise reach the gearbox by having damping springs between it and the driven gear. Finally, there is a cush-drive-like setup in the shaft final drive, and positively huge rubber engine mounts. All of this damping was carefully manipulated to allow the engine character through, while killing unwanted buzz, shakes and tingles. It works, if at the expense of a small amount of slop in the driveline.

So, stoplight-to-stoplight you can bum mbber with the best of them, but also you can reasonably expect to make it through a 300-mile day in fair comfort. There is some windsail effect at 80-mph-plus that will cause minor arm fatigue and the feet-forward footpegs aren’t the best for long days (a quick-mount accessory windscreen can cure the former), but the riding position suites the bike’s role in life without being extreme. The 45mm inverted fork is like the one used on the Valkyrie, and as such has a single cartridge damping unit that is nicely tuned. The preload adjustable twin rear shocks, though, are harsh enough to kick you out of the saddle over larger bumps. Cornering clearance is predictably limited, although Honda says the bike will let you lean over a few more degrees than other similar machines while also making the first touch a “soft” one, as in footpeg feelers instead of chassis or exhaust pieces. With a 32-degree rake and substantial 5.8 inches of trail, turning isn’t an expected forte. But the center of the VTX’s abundant gravity is low enough that parkinglot-speed handling and rolling the bike into comers is comparatively low effort. It has a balanced, reasonably easy-to-manage feel. And if your inseam’s got you down (literally) the seat is reassuringly close to the ground. The VTX rides lighter and smaller than it actually is, although it’s so large and heavy you never really forget you’re on Something Big.

Perhaps the most confidence-inspiring thing about the VTX is the brakes. While featuring a linked setup, these aren’t considered Honda’s trademark LBS stoppers as used on the CBR1100XX or GL1800 Gold Wing. Rather, the brakes are linked only rear to front, so that nailing the pedal for the two-piston rear caliper distributes braking force, through a proportioning control valve, to the center pistons of the three-piston front calipers. A cmiser is the right application for this technology, and the bike stops in an impressive 45.6 feet from 30 mph, and 173.8 from 60 using the rear pedal alone, all while resisting premature lockup. Add the lever at the handlebar, and your eyeballs will about pop out of their sockets: This things stops! Full front and rear clampdown yields 28and 113.6-foot stopping distances from 30 and 60 mph, fabulous braking performance by any standard. Nice feel, too.

All of which leads us to this conclusion: The Honda VTX 1800 is wicked without being evil, a monumental engine carried in a stylish, reasonably good-handling package that is both easy and thrilling to ride. It is a fairly one-dimensional machine, but that dimension is so large it’s impossible not to come away impressed. Considering this is the first application of a clean-sheet engine design, and that the sohc powerplant

spins a conservative maximum of 5800 rpm, we ponder with great interest what kind of bikes using this engine or its derivatives might come next from the company whose new mantra is Performance First.

So, if you’re wondering whether the VTX 1800 is a great leap forward in the huge-bore performance cruiser realm, just twist the throttle and you’ll know. Immediately. U

EDITORS' NOTES

IN THE REALM OF HOT-RODS-BIKES OR cars-the American version of perform ance has always been pretty simple: Stuff in a Big Block. It's a castle of cubic inches defended by an army of immediate, pavement-wrinkling bot tom-end torque marching to the staccato beat of V-Twins and V-Eights. Whether the vehicle carrying it was particularly heavy or large, well, it didn't really matter~-you just put in bigger pistons. Problem solved.

In that regard, the VTX1 800 is an unqualified success, and it's entirely appropriate that the first Japanese V-Twin cruiser to really get it right is assembled in Marysville, Ohio. U.S. of A. But for my taste, while the VTX is fast, it's just too long and too heavy, just like my old `59 Ford Ranchero with the 428 Cobra Jet. At least the Honda has brakes!

So what I think we need now is a modern motorcycle ver sion of Carroll Shelby to get his hands on this motor and stuff it in something that turns, ala the `60s AC Cobra. I wonder if Erik Buell is looking for a new challenge?

-Mark Hoyer, Sports Editor

HOYER STEPPED INTO MY OFFICE AND IN a charged tone spoke of effortless wheelspin and elbow-popping acceleration. He went on about how the rear tire had lit in fourth gear and continued to bum, initiated only by a wet paint line on the road and a handful of throttle.

“You might want to drop rear tire pressure to about 20 psi when you test the VTX at the drag strip,” he advised. Hard VTX at the drag strip,” he advised. Hard to imagine a stretched, 700-plus pound machine would be that difficult to hook up off the line. Even harder to imagine Mark was talking about a Japanese V-Twin cmiser, no less. Honda’s big-inch Twin pounds out the sort of performance we’ve come to expect of hot-rod Harley clones, but delivers it in a highly refined package. There are no raw edges, just loads of raw power. More than enough, in fact, to cook that fat rear meat to your liking. -Don Canet, Road Test Editor

HEY, I LIKE THE VTX JUST FINE. NICE three-gear lunge up to 80 mph, back off, do it all over again. That’s the kind of power I can access every day, unlike a sportbike, say, that needs triple-digit velocities and a set of esses to really feel like it’s working. And after years of complaining about anemic mega-cruiser V-Twins, I’m heartened to see somebody produce one that actually makes more than 65 rear-wheel horsepower-I was beginning to think this was an engineering impossibility, like the perpetual-motion machine.

But I’d like to take time to remember a forgotten friend, the original power cmiser, Yamaha’s V-Max. For reasons Yamaha isn’t making clear, you won’t see any ads for the bike and there’s been next to squat in the way of R&D since its 1985 debut, but Max’s V-Four chums out 20 more bhp than the VTX 1800, gets it down the dragstrip 1 second quicker and pushes it to a 20-mph higher top speed. Not to mention the Yamaha is a good 120 pounds lighter than the Honda and $2000 cheaper. The VTX may be hot stuff, but Mr. Max is still the king.-David Edwards, Editor-in-Chief

HONDA VTX1800

$12,799