Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Honda takes aim at novice market with new CTX motorcycles


Honda has introduced the first two motorcycles of its new CTX (Comfort, Technology and eXperience) series. The 2014 CTX700 and its siblings (CTX700N, CTX700D, and CTX700ND) are variations of the company's 2012 NC700 model which was designed mainly as reliable, inexpensive bikes for new riders.


First shown to the biking community at this year's International Motorcycle Show in Chicago, the CTX700 is designed to offer a comfortable ride for all comers, regardless of their experience and body size. The CTX700N is the "naked" version of the same bike while the D submodels are equipped with dual clutch automatic transmissions and anti-lock brakes to make them particularly accessible to new riders. Honda hopes that the combination of these features and the rather low entry cost (the CTX700N has a suggested retail price of US$6999, with the D submodels costing about $1000 more) will help entice a new group of riders into the world of motorcycling.



The CTX700 is outfitted with short tours and daily commuting in mind. The design seems a bit schizophrenic, combining as it does features of both cruisers and touring bikes. The engine is a 670cc parallel two-cylinder engine with throttle-body fuel injection and four valves per cylinder. The engine delivers only 48 hp (36 kW) of power at 6100 rpm, which seems a bit underpowered for a bike with a dry weight of about 500 lbs (227 kg). The relatively low power (1.17 hp/cu in or 54 kW/l) of the CTX700 engine directly derives from its origin as half of the Honda Fit (or Jazz, depending on your location) 1.3 l engine. For comparison, other motorcycle engines in this class run around 1.5 hp/cu in (70 kW/l). However, the CTX700 engine reaches its peak torque at 4680 rpm, which makes the bike feel a bit peppier than indicated by its performance numbers. The driving force is transferred to the wheels through a six-speed transmission and a chain drive.

The CTX700 models have slightly modified NC700 steel pipe frames. The wheelbase of the bike is 60.2 inches (1,530 mm), and it has a normal range rake of 27.7 degrees and a trail of 4.4 inches (112 mm). The front suspension is a 41 mm fork combined with a single shock giving 4.2 inches of travel, while the rear suspension is a Pro-Link single shock suspension with 4.3 inches of travel.

The main modification from the NC700 is a lower seat rail that provides a seat height of 28.3 inches (720 mm), making the bike easier to mount and maneuver. Seating is also more upright, with forward foot pegs positioned in front of the pulled-back handlebars. The engine is mounted at a forward slant to help lower the center of gravity of the bike, again providing a more benign feel of comfort and control. There is very little storage in the bike as equipped, but Honda has released saddlebags to up the carrying capacity. The fuel tank holds only a meager 3.17 gallons (11.7 l) of gasoline. Even at an expected 60 mpg, this considerably limits the touring range, limits that would be felt especially in the Western USA and in the open spaces of Australia.

The most user-friendly submodels of the CTX700 are the D submodels. They incorporate a DCT (dual clutch transmission) which allows lets you shift racing car-style with paddles on the handlebar, or automatically with a choice of shift points, as well as anti-lock brakes. These are only available as a package – ABS alone is not an option for the CTX700 or CTX700N. The two brake discs are cleverly made of a single sheet of material, but the use of a single disc in front seems unusual, and perhaps not particularly confidence-inspiring, for a 2014 model bike weighing 500 lbs.

 

Although test driving results are not yet available, the performance of the NC700, which shares the same engine, frame, and curb weight, provides an indication of what to expect. Its 0-60 time is a sluggish 5.4 seconds, while other bikes in this class yield times under four seconds. The quarter-mile time is 14.37 seconds with a speed of 90.77 mph. Comparable bikes negotiate the quarter-mile about two seconds faster while hitting speeds over 100 mph. One significant result of using the Honda engine is that the mileage tested at nearly 60 mpg (26 km/l), a property likely to be echoed in the largely identical CTX700 bikes.

Perhaps predictably, many in the motorcycle community are less than excited at what some term bland, unexciting bikes. Still, there seems near universal agreement that the CTX700s have a place in the market and it will be certainly be interesting to see if Honda heads into sportier territory with additional models in the CTX range.

Monday, March 25, 2013

2013 Hyosung GT250R Review


With Hyosung facing stiff competition in the form of Honda’s CBR250R and Kawasaki’s Ninja 300, the Korean company throws several updates at its GT250 platform for the 2013 model year. The upgrades go beyond a few new graphics options to focus on better performance in key areas such as electronics and suspension.

In the electronics department Hyosung traded its in-house ECU for one built by electronics giant Delphi – similar to the system used on the company’s ST7 cruiser since 2010 tested here. The bike’s fuel injection system remains a mixed bag but it is also (mostly) a Delphi product now as well. Hyosung’s Garrett Wong says the new ECU and fuel injection system offers a major improvement in high-altitude performance.

Our experience riding the GT250R around coastal California’s elevation was a positive one regarding the Hyosung’s ability to start, idle and accelerate, whether at sea level or up to 3,000 feet in elevation.

The other new development, the GT250R’s KYB suspension, doesn’t require a specific altitude to confirm its performance. The fork and single shock provide a smooth ride in normal street duties, but they become overwhelmed when riding the bike aggressively. The inverted front end may look impressive, but we weren’t impressed with the level of feedback it transmits, and larger riders complained that it squirms when in the canyons. The shock offers a preload adjuster but that’s the only adjustable element of either component.

ompared to other bikes in its class such as the Ninja 300 and CBR250R (a shootout is forthcoming), the Hyosung is built to full-size standards with a high 32.7-inch seat height, 56.5-inch wheelbase and heavy (for a quarter-liter bike) 416-pound curb weight. It’s a bike seemingly designed for beginner riders with larger physicalities, but no matter your size, the combination of the above coupled with the long reach to the below-the-triple-tree-mounted clip-ons is uncomfortable after only a short time spent in the bike’s saddle. In the canyons the aggressive seating position feels natural, asking you to go faster until the suspension warns you to slow down.

Adjustable footpegs – no longer covered with rubber inserts to provide improved feedback – help assuage its uncompromising seating position. However, we were unable to drag its pegs with them set in their lowest position, so there’s no real benefit to their adjustability. In addition to footpegs, the GTR boasts adjustable clutch and brake levers as well as a dimmer function for the gauges. Beware the speedo’s reading, however, as ours conveyed a velocity at least 10% higher than the true speed we were travelling. The plastics used for the gauges and cockpit appear to be lower quality than found on its Japanese competition.

he GT250 is let down by a clunky and imprecise transmission. While far from being considered a smooth shifter, it was the gearbox’s insistence of popping out of 2nd gear that really irked us. This happened so many times during our evaluation we lost count, but it mainly occurred when the engine was cold, although it also happened after being warmed up. Hopefully Hyosung will next put some R&D effort into this now long-in-the-tooth powertrain.

Other improvements for 2013 include new two-tone colors and a restyled upper cowling. And the best news of all is the lack of increase in the bike’s MSRP from last year to now. It starts at $4099 for solid colors and jumps an extra $200 for two-tones.

However, at $4100 the GT250R is only a hundred bucks less than the very capable Honda CBR250R. Honda builds the CBR in Thailand to keep its price low, yet it has a much greater attention to detail than the Korean-built Hyosung. We scratched our heads when we looked at its chrome muffler and its speedo cable haphazardly strewn around the left fork leg.

As more technology begins trickling down to motorcycles at the affordable end of the performance/price spectrum (the CBR250R is available with ABS and the Ninja 300 with ABS and a slipper clutch), Hyosung may begin struggling to stay relevant in the face of its Thai-built and Japanese-engineered rivals.

On the other hand, the simplicity of Hyosung’s air-cooled V-Twin and its full-size dimensions are facets neither the Honda nor the Kawasaki offer, and some riders may be attracted to the Hyosung for these reasons.
More will be revealed in our upcoming shootout, but for now the Hyosung GT250R stands on the merits of its past accomplishments as well as the upgrades to this year’s model. If a dealer’s willing to lower the GTR’s price to something below $4K, then you’d really have a bargain to consider, especially for a brand new bike with a two-year warranty.