Crosstourer 2012 |
Honda enters the big adventure bike market in 2012 with the Crosstourer. Actually dominated by the BMW 1200GS, this bike category is getting crowded with the Yamaha's Super Tenere, Ducati's MultiStrada, Triumph's Explorer, KTM's Adventure and others.
Aesthetically speaking, the Crosstourer is in general, a success. However, the front fender that recalls BMW GS style gives a bizarre allure when seen from a certain angle (Ducati's Multistrada suffers the same annoying aesthetic detail.) The following picture gives an example of that.
Crosstourer 2012 with accessories |
I am a little disappointed that there is no skid plate on this second picture. Moreover, it seems the Crosstourer has skipped some weightwatcher sessions: I don't know how its 605 lbs (275 kg) could negatively affect some adventure rides I made this year. It seems in most cases this bike could pass without an issue, but in some other cases (some sections of the 6th Concession or Beaches Lake rides) the weight surplus would have been difficult to manage. In my opinion, more technical trails will need to be avoided, making me think Honda's offroad pretentions are not very high for the Crosstourer.
The new Crosstourer is an interesting attempt from Honda to enter the big adventure bike market. Unfortunately, this bike misses offroad potential so it will be less attractive to dual sport adventure riders. It will be interesting to watch Youtube next year (2012) to see which road types Crosstourer owners will be willing to try.
Some aspects to verify:
- weight, probably too heavy for certain road types (level 2);
- accessories, is there a skid plate available? (yes, see update below);
- valve adjustment cycle (ideally around 16000 miles or 25000 km);
- autonomy, at least 180 miles (300 km);
- oil filter positioning;
- comfort.
Update February 6, 2012
I made some research and found a picture with a skid plate.
ciao
dsaventurequebec