2014 Honda CTX1300
- Thread starter Bones
- Start date
Let me go out on a limb here, and suggest that this ad is Honda's apology to the ST13 community.
In other words, "Sorry guys, but we had no choice."
Fixed it for you...
Some of the cruiser riders who ride wearing shorts & flip flops would probably need that...
I don't know.. Honda does an excellent job w/chrome and if they are double-walled (I think they did that w/Valkyrie pipes) then they won't be near as hot as what we have on the ST.. also, with them out in the open they get the airflow that the ST lacks so they may cool off faster - or feel that way without the fairing directing/concentrating the hot air. Sometimes, I feel more heat from the VStrom than I ever felt from the ST.
I talked to the salesman about this bike today when I was looking at the FJR. He says he cannot imagine being able to sell it. He says that so far none of them have figured out who their target customer is supposed to be. His disgust with Honda was depressing.
Once he got started, he rolled right into the F6B. That is a bike he says they cannot sell. He was unsure of nationwide sales #s but said they were not selling any of them here in Baton Rouge. The #1 complaint was lack of cruise control, followed by no reverse. I mentioned Honda losing GoldWing sales to the F6B if it had cruise. He said no. He says that no GoldWing owners are willing to "downgrade" to a bike with no cruise. Those customers are all keeping whatever bike they already have and are not buying anything.
Once he got started, he rolled right into the F6B. That is a bike he says they cannot sell. He was unsure of nationwide sales #s but said they were not selling any of them here in Baton Rouge. The #1 complaint was lack of cruise control, followed by no reverse. I mentioned Honda losing GoldWing sales to the F6B if it had cruise. He said no. He says that no GoldWing owners are willing to "downgrade" to a bike with no cruise. Those customers are all keeping whatever bike they already have and are not buying anything.
The most important question about the CTX13 is this: Is it fun to ride? Suitability for a given purpose is actually secondary, given people's willingness to adapt and to customize. Just look at the v-strom community, who have made the wee into everything from a stripped-down dirt bike, to a full-fledged touring bike, to a sport bike.
If the CTX13 is fun to ride, I would consider owning one.
If the CTX13 is fun to ride, I would consider owning one.
I seldom even use the cruise control on my car, let alone wanting one on a motorcycle. It's too easy to lose focus and slows your reaction time to an unexpected event. Lack of cruise is not a deal breaker for me.
Same here concerning a motorcycle. It wouldn't even be on my radar if I were looking to purchase another bike.
Pretty much sums it up right there... the F6B is more for cruiser riders looking for that bagger look.
I think the CTX1300 is more for those CTX700 or NC700 riders looking for something with more power and storage and built in audio... it would be an upgrade in that situation but a downgrade for and ST owner.
I believe 11/20 will bring us some nice surprises.
Lots o' times. Sometimes when I'm on that stretch from San Antonio to El Paso, I get to wishing I could just "beam" myself to my destination but it still doesn't make me want a cruise control. If my right hand needs a short break, I just use my throttlemeister.
My friend I hope you are correct here. I have no need to change bikes but I have a pretty strong want right now. Which is a foolish situation for a man with no money...
I can't wrap my head around the lack of a cruise control singularly being a deal breaker. "I would totally buy that bike if only it had a cruise control." Seriously? My car's CC gets used once in a while. On an earlier bike I used a Vista Cruise to rest my hand or adjust my jacket etc. I just bought a GoCruise and that will work just fine for me.
I guess somebody could have a medical problem with their wrist that could be a concern on longer rides. But if a "missing" cruise control was the only fly in the 10-30 I would improvise, adapt, and overcome quite easily.
I guess somebody could have a medical problem with their wrist that could be a concern on longer rides. But if a "missing" cruise control was the only fly in the 10-30 I would improvise, adapt, and overcome quite easily.
I had one on my wings but only ever used it like a throttle lock.. .lock it and shake my hand a little then unlock it.. so the vista cruise is good enough for me and I have been putting them on any bike I have.
For many years I saw no need for a CC on a motorcycle. My "style" of riding did not include the need for a CC. Who wants to just ride in a straight line for hours on end anyway? Isn't that just for Harley riders?
But then...
I moved out of my comfort zone. I rode an SS1K. I started riding my bike from Swampy Flatlandistan to the Far Blue Mountains. I found a need to maintain a more steady speed to make it easier on the 3 bikes that follow me on my adventures. They don't appreciate the fact that as my attention wanders so does my speed.
There is a place for a CC on a motorcycle. We may not all need or want it but it is here just as surely as Fuel Injection, ABS, and Radial Tires. I bet that some of you asked this question several years ago, "What do you need an electric windshield on a motorcycle for?" I bet you wouldn't want a bike without one now though.
But then...
I moved out of my comfort zone. I rode an SS1K. I started riding my bike from Swampy Flatlandistan to the Far Blue Mountains. I found a need to maintain a more steady speed to make it easier on the 3 bikes that follow me on my adventures. They don't appreciate the fact that as my attention wanders so does my speed.
There is a place for a CC on a motorcycle. We may not all need or want it but it is here just as surely as Fuel Injection, ABS, and Radial Tires. I bet that some of you asked this question several years ago, "What do you need an electric windshield on a motorcycle for?" I bet you wouldn't want a bike without one now though.
Re Cruise control:
I ride to rallies that are 300-600 miles away and don't have the time luxury of backroads to get there, so I spend time on the Interstates. My right arm starts to HURT after several hours of being stretched out and keeping the wick turned up. I have a throttle lock which helps, but have to tweak it every time the wind changes or I go the least bit up or down hill. (In Ohio/midwest, that's constantly.) A cruise control is on my short list of desired new features, along with lighter weight and suspension adjustability. As far as Honda is concerned, I'm not seeing it or any sort of real improvement for that matter.
Norm Kern
I ride to rallies that are 300-600 miles away and don't have the time luxury of backroads to get there, so I spend time on the Interstates. My right arm starts to HURT after several hours of being stretched out and keeping the wick turned up. I have a throttle lock which helps, but have to tweak it every time the wind changes or I go the least bit up or down hill. (In Ohio/midwest, that's constantly.) A cruise control is on my short list of desired new features, along with lighter weight and suspension adjustability. As far as Honda is concerned, I'm not seeing it or any sort of real improvement for that matter.
Norm Kern
No argument here. It's just not a deal breaker for me. I wonder how many people who make it a deal breaker have arthritis CTS what have you. I like the electric windshield. I use it a lot. But if the next ST is worth my consideration but lacks that feature that wouldn't stop me. It's the some of the parts and seldom will just one part change the equation for me.
I'm not of the "Old Man sez One More Thing To Go Wrong" camp. I like conveniences. But I can rough it without a factory CC. Or ABS. Or TCS. Or Audio. I ride an ST.
I remember my dad and countless other H-D riders kicking and kicking... and kicking. With most bikes today an electric starter is a little more than just an convenience assuming there was an option. My first bike was kickstart only but started first kick every time and I didn't need to find the top of the compression stroke.
Unless there is in fact some medical situation that mandates a CC, I think most people are disingenuous when claiming the lack of a CC is the only thing stopping them from buying. There's probably more to it than that.
I think CC would be a deal breaker for me because of one word: UPGRADE
My ST1300 is a wonderful motorcycle. I love it. It works beautifully, takes me anywhere and everywhere I want to go and makes me happy while doing it. I will not be getting rid of my ST unless it is to UPGRADE. How does one upgrade an ST? Well, we have discussed that one ad nauseum already. For me an upgrade would have to include:
1. Cruise Control
2. Heated Grips
3. Faster
4. Better Looking
Do I NEED any of that? Of course not. But I refuse to "downgrade" from the wonderful bike I already have. That is not to say that I would not love to own a new FZ-09, a CB1100, or even a Triumph Bonneville. But none of those bikes would be a replacement for my ST1300. They would be stablemates.
My ST1300 is a wonderful motorcycle. I love it. It works beautifully, takes me anywhere and everywhere I want to go and makes me happy while doing it. I will not be getting rid of my ST unless it is to UPGRADE. How does one upgrade an ST? Well, we have discussed that one ad nauseum already. For me an upgrade would have to include:
1. Cruise Control
2. Heated Grips
3. Faster
4. Better Looking
Do I NEED any of that? Of course not. But I refuse to "downgrade" from the wonderful bike I already have. That is not to say that I would not love to own a new FZ-09, a CB1100, or even a Triumph Bonneville. But none of those bikes would be a replacement for my ST1300. They would be stablemates.
I've ridden i90 coast to coast in 5.5 days. A Throttle Rocker is all I needed.
I would not put ABS in the same category as CC. ABS can help get you out of trouble when you are not paying attention. CC does the exact opposite.
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Styles
2000 Non-ABS
Ownership is quite beyond me, but if a demonstration's free, I could perhaps feign consideration.
Styles
I would like to know who is responsible for Honda's marketing research. I can't for the life of me figure out where this company is heading. If they made this bike as an upgrade for CTX700 owners shouldn't there be a bunch of CTX700 owners in the first place? I don't think the 700 is flying out of the showrooms at my local dealer.
I think Ma Honda has lost her way.
I do like the evolutionary theme of the last video. They are probably more right about that than they know because there are more dead branches on an evolutionary tree than living ones. It seems Honda's evolution is going backwards to me. Goldwing to the F6B doesn't seem like a big evolutionary leap to me. I suppose it's better than the evolution of the ST over the last 12 years....at least it's something.
It seems that Honda has subscribed to the traditional Darwinian slow methodical grind of progress and not the Gouldian punctuated equilibrium that displays large leaps in progress. At any rate, if Honda's approach to evolution had been applied to Homo sapiens, we wouldn't be evolved enough to ride motorcycles!
Mike
I think Ma Honda has lost her way.
I do like the evolutionary theme of the last video. They are probably more right about that than they know because there are more dead branches on an evolutionary tree than living ones. It seems Honda's evolution is going backwards to me. Goldwing to the F6B doesn't seem like a big evolutionary leap to me. I suppose it's better than the evolution of the ST over the last 12 years....at least it's something.
It seems that Honda has subscribed to the traditional Darwinian slow methodical grind of progress and not the Gouldian punctuated equilibrium that displays large leaps in progress. At any rate, if Honda's approach to evolution had been applied to Homo sapiens, we wouldn't be evolved enough to ride motorcycles!
Mike