Honda VT750S 500 mile Review

It doesn't matter who Honda claims the VT750S is likely to buy the the bike - they suggest it'll appeal to experienced riders as much as newcomers - but I supect you'll either love it or hate it.

It's definitely one of those bikes that people come over and talk to you about. One fella told me he'd thought it was a restoration, another old chap in a filling station nodded admiringly and told me to look after it. That never happened with the B-King.

If Harley still made the Sportster XL883 (and I had one of those for five years), with the spoked wheels that it turned out in the nineties and early 2000s, then the VT750S would sell far fewer. Harley doesn't, so that's Honda's gain.

Five hundred miles after picking the machine up I felt it was time to give to write the review that I've had a couple of emails requesting.

Spoked chrome wheels are class, they are a bastard to keep clean, but nothing says motorcycle to blokes of a certain age than spokes.

Honda has built a simple bike. It's not a cruiser, its a 'proper motorbike'. Engine, wheels, frame, tank.. that's it. It's deserves the tag retro simply because it's what some people think theey would have bought in the 1960s. So you can have the classic look, without having to check the bolts are tight every time you park up.

The tank - in Honda red, white and blue - is simple and gorgeous and even though it holds just 10.7 litres, it'll take you 120 miles before the warning light comes on and there's another two litres in reserve giving you around 25 miles to find fuel. Surprised, I was, but for 500 miles I've worked out the consumption and it's seen a maximum from a tank of 67 mpg (imperial gallons, that's 56 mpg in the USA)and a low of 58, which is spectacular.

80mph cruiser

During the first 100 miles I feared that 44hp wasn't going to be enough, but as the engine loosened up it's clear that the VT has plenty of power for normal road conditions and she'll cruise at an indicated 80mph without problem. The speedo over reads by about 2mph at an indicated 60.

I don't subscribe to all this 'I felt like a parachute' nonsense, if you are sitting at a PC now reading this, hold your hands out in front of you at just below shoulder height and that's the riding position. It is perfect and if you can't ride this bike comfortably for an hour or so at that speed, then it's time to quit bikes eh?
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Magnetic tank bag, small pack held to the rear seat with cargo net and a rucksack offered enough capacity for a couple of nights away during a jaunt along the south coast of England. Throw over panniers would ensure enough for a proper tour

The seat looks lovely, is pretty useless for a full size pillion, and gets a little uncomfortable after an hour or so for the rider but shift your arse a little and it's ok again. But over the weekend away I had two fice-hour riding days and I was still able to walk at the end and my fingers hadn't swollen at the joints as they used to on the Sportster thanks to the vibes. The VT is perfectly comfortable.

I weigh 13 stone (Americans work it out for yourself, 14lbs in a stone) and I'm 5ft 10ins. It fits me fine and I'm not getting any younger and sports bikes hurt my knees. I am considering a single seat replacement but, if I can stand the piss taking, I do intend to try a recently purchased sheepskin cover. My girlfriend is 5ft 4ins, loves it and is already on the point of selling her beloved CBR600F to buy something similar.

The bike needs riding properly, little flick of counter steer going into a bend, lean, set it up and gently accelerate through the bend, it's an easy bike to ride and immensely satisfying to chuck through a series of S bends. Slower than a sports bike but just as satisfying because you know unless you are on the track, you are nowhere near testing the ability of most post 100 bhp machines anyway (eh, lads?).

The brakes are perfectly adequate. The rear drum gets criticised by some testers for not being a disc, like most machines these days, but I like it for two reasons. Firstly it looks a whole heap better than a disc and blends beautifully with the spoked wheel (easier to clean the hub too). Secondly, you don't have to be too delicate with the pedal. I like the long travel but there's no danger of locking up the rear even in an emergency (and its lovely for controlling your turn if you go into a bend that tightens, a little too fast. Handy).

No one's going to claim the ride it plush. The front suspension is definitely slightly under-damped (but felt fine two up) and if you accelerate hard banked over and hit a bump, or cat's eye, and the steering gives a little nod though it retains balance thanks to the gyroscopic effect of the 19-inch front wheel which keeps you running in the right direction.

Interestingly with my 70lbs son on pillion the ride improve markedly without any noticeable affect on performance.,

And at the back, even which the twin shocks on their softest pre-load number one setting (two is recommended one up), you know when you've hit a bump. But it's never dangerous nor particularly upsetting for the rider and many sports bike boys will envy the fact that Britain's potholed rods hold no fear for you. (I live in Kent which has got to have the crappiest road maintenance in Britain - 4x4s are chosen down here for their on-road ability).
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Loaded enough for a couple of days away, magnetic tank bag and cargo net for the back seat... job done. who needs a GoldWing?

Ordinary folk and wannabe motorcyclists love the Honda. I've had more people speak to me in the last 10 days as I've filled up with petrol and parked that I have in the past three years with a Suzuki B-King, Yamanha V-Max and Honda Fireblade. It's exactly the sort of bike that makes non bike owners want to speak to you because it fits their idea of what an old motorbike should look like. They're wrong but that's the effect.

I have a mate who wouldn't buy a Honda if it was the only bike on earth. He's wrong too. Honda's build quality is in my experience still the best in the world, though the VT's silver switchgear looks a little bit cheap. But the company has a genuine 50-year heritage and an un-matched record of innovation and revolution in the motorcycle market (CB72, CB750, CBX1000, CX500, CBR600F, CBR900... the Goldwing). Honda has a bike heritage to match and better almost everyone.

The VT750 can trace its parentage back to the VT500 of the eighties. That bike, an 'all-rounder which sold in droves to couriers in the UK,  replaced the CX500 (which couriers loved more). The Shadow custom has been around since '83 first as a 600 and now 750 using that same motor. Some of the early incarnations suffered from the Japanese interpretation of a custom which looked, let's be honest, a luttle odd, but Hondas always looked less awkward than the efforts of its Japanese rivals: think Kawasaki EN500 or some of the eighties Yamaha Viragos.

For other uses of the V twin, check out that other couriers' favourite from the late eighties the NTV600/650 or look at  all the tourer most people will really ever need, the NT650V/NT700V Deauville and for the adventure crowd see the cheap Long Way Round machine, the Transalp 600/650/700.

Reliable

So VT owners should have I have no fears that this new bike will be reliable in the engine department. Three valves a cylinder and, unusually, twin plugs in each, in a low state of tune should equal economy (tick box) and reliability.

By comparison I reckon this motor is more torquey than the carbed 883 Sportster lump which, even with the necessary Stage 1 pipes and carb sort out, still needed more gear changes for rapid progress. I might be wrong though, American magazines last year remained convinced the Sporty still wins.

I owned a 2001 XL883 for five years, took it all over Europe and it's only problem in 13,000-odd miles was two snapped drive belts. In straight road test fights now, the VT750RS is still quicker on the road than the comparably priced (in the US) Sportster Low, with it's new un-Sportster shaped tank and alleged higher power.

As an aside, I'm not anti-Harley, I genuinely love the bikes and appreciate their place in the world. But I hate the snobbery which the vast majority of riders seem to bring to the marque, the marketing machine which really has sucked everyone in... and those belt drives, which remains one of the bike world's biggest swindles.

Yes belts have much to recommend them - shock absorption, without the complexity of a shaft and no need to oil like a chain -  but reliability isn't one of them. I've never had a broken chain, but I've spend £350 in a couple of years with H-D replacing two belts. So, unless there is absolutely no way a stone can get to the belt, I'll always be wary of belt drive, whatever fans claim for longevity.

For those of you who haven't checked yet the VT750S is chain drive though the pricier VT750C, with its lower seat, fat front tyre and 'dark' cistom theme retains the shaft.

I'd already decided I wanted another V-twin and the Sportster was the natural choice really: simple, rugged and a kind of horse for the road which you can load up with a bit of luggage and cross a couple of European countries at you own pace.

But a few weeks ago I'm was blatting past the Honda dealer in Hastings and a pretty red, white an blue tank catches my eye. Turn around to take a look and the decision is made. A £300 discount and zero per cent finance with 10 per cent down over three years ... well it was rude not to buy it.

The Tricolour VT750S is new for 2011. It's a £300 premium over the gunmetal of last year (we don't get it in white like the States) and I think it looks better than the 2010 model, which continues this year.

First surprise: the deep metallic blue coloured mudguards are made of plastic... the black side panels are made of plastic and the pretty paintwork on the tank looks lovely but the paint is not that deep - it's white with laquered blue and red stripe transfers. I know because mine was chipped on the day I went to pick it up. Honda is going to replace it at the first service this week but despite it's lack of apparent depth, the paint is actually pretty tough and my tank bag left no marks.

The exhausts dominate the right hand side of the machine in a semi shotgun style (copyright H-D) but it's an illusion because just below the passenger footrest the two pipes are linked.

And there a bloody great catalytic converter boosting the temperature in the area to something similar to the surface of the sun. My lad's boots left rubber scuff marks, I burned a hole in my bike cover and I've melted the ends of a cargo net. All new bikes have to have a cat but the VT's is very easy to touch, so beware, it gets extremely hot. The rest of the exhaust is double skinned, chromed and shows no sign of blueing after 500  miles (doubtless because it's double skinned, duh).
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Bed and breakfast in Bognor Regis a typical British seaside resort that's better than its name sounds. The VT750S saw bike for the first time as it chucked it down overnight but on the Sunday morning it soon cleared up 

Ideally I'd like to replace the pipes with something after-market and save them for MOT time in 2015 when I could bolt 'em back on. I've banged on about Honda quality, I'm still not sure about the exhausts though. I can see inside the silencer a few signs of rust, small but I guess the mild steel inside and the hidden - but only painted - plumbing linking the two pipes and the cat, may well be the first part of the bike to succumb to rust.

Between 50 and 90mph you will want for nothing on this bike... roll the throttle in any gear and she responds with a lovely rumble. If you want a Sunday afternoon machine for gentle ride outs, it wins, if you want economic head turning transport that'll do a bit of touring too if required, it wins, and if you just love the look of it, then it wins.

Fundamentally the VT750S is an economy motorcycle in many ways. It's cheap, it's functional and none of the other manufacturers offer anything exceptionally better for the cash. Incidentally, 2010 pre-registered models are still available for £4,999, which makes it a bargain.

Other retro bikes are available of course. You should take a look at the Triumph Bonneville, the Moto Guzzi V7 and the new Kawasaki W800, which out Bonnevilles the Bonneville for sixties period charm and quality.

Remember Triumphs are not really Triumphs in the same way Indian is not really Indian, so in many ways the Kawasaki, which was making a 650 vertical twin in the sixties, is more authentic than the Bonneville as a retro bike any way. Equally Honda has acres more heritage than Triumphs really which restarted production in 1991.

So, to conclude: If you want a machine which is simple, with a sensible seating position, that feels like a motorcycle (though the vibes are nothing like any sixties big twin), well made (in Japan as well, surprisingly), with a two-year warranty, that should retain a decent used value, you could do a lot worse than the VT750S.
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Almost 20 years separate these two Hondas yet the CBR600 is a genuine 145mph sports rocket that's worth a fifth of the price of a new VT750S. But for me the seating position is still too radical for my knees (though compared with my old Fireblade it's pretty conservative)

Specification Honda VT750S 2011