I'll start by saying that there's no way you'll get two bigger pistons between your legs. No other production Cruiser on the market will give you 97 cubic inches, 89 ponies and 100 pounds of torque. With an MSRP under $13,000 and all the stuff mentioned in the first two sentences, Honda's new 1800 cc VTX kicks some serious butt in the big Cruiser department.

The VTX literally kicks the crap out of every production big-bore Cruiser I've ridden in the recent past. Just compare the VTX's 89 horsepower and 100 four pounds of torque with the its current contemporaries - Harley's 88 gets about 63 horses and 76 pounds, Kawasaki's Vulcan 1500 comes in around 55 and 74 and Yamaha's Road Star registers about 58 and 87 respectively. Numbers don't lie. The VTX puts two pistons between your legs, each a little larger than the combined size of both Sportster 883 pistons, doing a 4.4 inch stroke. WOW!

It was the end of April 2001 when one of our local Honda dealers, Perry Motorsports, gave us the call to announce that Honda's new beast had just been delivered. Not much to think about when they asked if we wanted to take it for a cruise and provide our opinion. Grab the helmet and leathers and turn on the office answering machine early. Off we went.

Our test ride took us out of the Salt Lake Valley on I-80 to Park City then around to Henefer for a return to the Valley by way of the twisty and windy East Canyon. A little over 100 miles and an opportunity to sample all types of roads with significant elevation changes and a test of the VTX's handling and braking capabilities through the Canyons.

As I pulled the VTX off the kick-stand and prepared to roll out of the dealer's lot I was acutely aware of the bikes 730 pounds. Once the bike was upright, the low seat height, the fat radial tires and Honda's engineering proved to make for a very well balanced machine.

The on-ramp gave me the first opportunity to run the bike up through the rpm range (limited at 5750 rpm) and experience the power of those two giant pistons and the sophisticated electronic injection system. I was totally impressed! The ease with which this big twin reached the rev-limit was amazing and prior to reaching the end of the on-ramp, I was flying along much faster than the traffic I was about to merge with.

Once on the Interstate it was difficult to keep the VTX under 80 where the bike seemed to want to run. It was here that I first noticed how smooth and vibration free the VTX really is. As I kept checking the mirrors for the Highway Patrol I realized that even the mirrors had no vibration. Partially due to the 45 pound crankshaft and a balance shaft that runs behind the crank, the usually vibration generated by an offset-pin crank just does not exist. The fact that the motor is mounted on four, 60mm-diameter rubber mounts and the rear wheel is driven by a shaft also helps eliminate the vibes I've been accustomed to with today's Cruisers. At 80 mph there is just a little vibration at the pegs, but none at all at the grips or in the seat. A 500 mile day would be easy.

The VTX did generate a fair amount of head turning as I rode through Park City to my favorite brew pub for a sandwich and a chance to analyze the VTX's styling from the brew pub's ground-level deck. All in all, the VTX looks great. It's clearly obvious that This is a Big Bike. But, the chopped fenders, pull-back risers and overall smooth design makes the VTX look more like a hot-rod than the big Cruiser that it is. The 4.5 gallon tank is broad and long, curves over the V-Twin and flows nicely into the solo seat which flows smoothly into the rear fender. My opinion regarding the design area is that Honda should have eliminated the seam that is so visible at the base of the tank, the components could be a little higher quality, and the gigantic muffler is just simply obnoxious looking and too quiet for what this bike is all about. And finally, there is the hooded headlight. It's a love/hate thing with this headlight design, but a weird type of love/hate. At certain angles I loved the look, but at other angles I really disliked the look. Aside from those minor complaints, the VTX looks fabulous. Regarding the lower quality components, it seems that Honda has taken a que from Harley and I'm certain the company's after-market accessories will provide for a fair amount of component replacement during a VTX owner's first few months.

?Back into the saddle and onto I-80 and confirmation that there is just no vibration. The fat radials provide a smooth and secure ride and the balance is great. Exit at Henefer and head up to East Canyon where the road really begins to get twisty with tons of switchbacks and tight turns. The VTX is big and long but the wide tires and balance make for a decent ride through the turns - remember, this is a Cruiser. What I found as I played with the canyon road is how well the brakes worked through the tight section. Here's a brief technical explanation why the braks work so well. The braking system has twelve pistons in the front two calipers and four in the rear caliper. The front brake lever modulates eight of the 12 front wheel brake caliper pistons and two of the rear four caliper pistons. The foot pedal kicks in all four rear brake caliper pistons and four of the twelve front caliper pistons. As a result you're continually getting braking of both wheels but the modulation of the system allows for fantastic overall braking control. H-D could learn a couple of things from this system but then there would be no need for PM and all the other H-D after-market brake suppliers.

?Coming out of East Canyon I declined the temptation to turn onto Emigration Canyon and returned to I-80 for the last 20 miles back to the Honda dealer. The turns were fun, but that's not what the VTX is about - it's a Cruiser - a very comfortable and vibration free Cruiser with the biggest V-Twin packed into a production bike.

To conclude I would have to say that the VTX has everything going for it to succeed in the Cruiser market segment: It looks good, runs away from all the other Cruisers and is priced at less than $13,000 (some dealers are currently taking a little premium). With a new exhaust system for both looks and tone, the VTX should be one of the most sought after big twins in today's market.

I know it's a hard thing for some of us Cruiser riders to do, but this might be the right time and the right reason to make that stop at the Honda Shop…..

Our thanks to Ron Perry and his staff at Perry Motorsports on Highland Drive in Salt Lake City, Utah for letting take this test ride the VTX.

Enjoy and Ride Safe!

Pete