Goodbye SV. Hello Crossrunner.

It's been two amazing years with my beloved SV and I had the most wonderful time and lots of fun riding it. Being new to biking I didn't really know what I wanted but the SV seem a very good bike to start. I kept adapting it to suit my developing style and ended up with a bike which was pretty close to my requirements but not quite everything was perfect.

I could do with a bit more power, seats could be a bit more comfortable - especially the pillion one, riding position was great with comfort kit but could still be improved, brakes were pretty good but I started to wish for ABS and a few other small things.

I started to look at alternative so I tried a few BMWs which did not impress apart form the R1200GS which was over my budget and it's looks did not appeal to me.

I loved the Versys 650 but did not solve the power wish. The Kawasaki Z1000SX lacked the comfort improvement and was a bit too sporty for my style. Triumphs have great reviews and seem the perfect choice but for some odd reason, they don't appeal to me as a maker.

So ended up at Honda's. After a weird mixture of intense joy and disappointment while testing the VFR800 the dealer insisted for me to try the new
VFR800X Crossrunner

It was instant love, I felt perfectly comfortable form the moment I sat on it and it ticked all the boxes. It felt so light and manoeuvrable yet very stable and powerful. Riding it was a joy in every scenario be it busy town filtering, fast A roads, twisties or narrow country lanes. One hour later I was still smiling in my helmet trying to think of reasons not to get it ...

They had an ex-demo 11 plate in White with a generous £2000 discount and they thrown in a full set of luggage which is now being prepared for collection.

So, it's been a great adventure and I feel rather sad for letting the SV go but I look forward to even more fun with my new toy.

I have a few SV bits for sale if interested here: http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=173338

[littleoldman2]

Very nice, pushers all the right buttons for me too as they can do a fair few miles in a day, bit on the heavy side for me at 240Kg, not ridden one yet so cannot comment. Must try one out when the weather picks up a bit.

Originally Posted by littleoldman2

bit on the heavy side for me at 240Kg, not ridden one yet so cannot comment.

It is very well balanced and felt lighter than the SV to be honest so definitely worth trying one.

[STRAMASHER]

Perfect bike for you and yours to feck off somewhere for 2 weeks.

Love the integrated luggage on the new Hondas, no scaffolding is a big plus for me. Some folk say they are too small but they probably pack too much **** in the first place!

These 90deg v4's really need to be heard, so you seen any cool cans for it?

[pookie]

nice bike also the lowest seat height in the current test in fast bikes betweeen v strom, cross runner and multistrada.

The luggage is indeed on the small side. I think it's the same they used on the VFR1200. I was a bit disappointed that my Multitec XL helmet won't fit in any of the bags but only just. I presume a normal full face lid without BT gadgets on it will get in there nicely. But they are a great match to the bike and has lots of space to store stuff otherwise.

Good on you for even daring to be different! I think I'm finally realising that 99% of the time sportsbikes are wasted on me, apart from the trackbike SV of course.

Do keep us informed on how you get on with it.

I always wondered if they sold any of those things!

Originally Posted by instigator

I always wondered if they sold any of those things!

Oh yeah, of course they do... usually the demonstrators at a huge discount with luggage thrown into the deal.

As Lozzo said, they started selling now as the ex-demos became available with significant discounts. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have paid £10,500 for it with luggage and extras but with £3,200 total savings compared to new, is an incredible bike to own.

The other thread confirmed that changing a bike is incredibly personal, especially after you tried the SV which offers a lot for what is costs. But if this bike ticks your boxes on paper, it certainly won't disappoint on the road. Other than the top box size, there isn't anything really that I wish it was different.