Motorcycle Review of the Honda VTX1300C

These days, it’s hard to imagine that just forty years ago, a bike like the Honda VTX1300C would have been considered impossibly big. In that time, a motorcycle that pushed 800cc would have been considered a monster. Nowadays, a motorcycle like the Honda VTX1300C is considered a mid-sized bike. In a field that encourages a bigger is better mindset when it comes to motorcycle engine displacement, and in which a large bike now pushes north of 2,300cc, (an engine larger and more powerful than some car engines,) the Honda VTX1300C presents itself as an anomaly. What are we, the motorcycling public supposed to make of this bike, all dripping in chrome and billet? From the factory, the Honda VTX1300C makes this statement, arrogantly, as if daring anyone to tell it that it’s a small motorcycle. The Honda VTX1300C has every right to challenge the status quo. Boasting plenty of power for touring, leisurely Sunday rides, or the occasional trip out with the boys, the Honda VTX1300C leaves the rider wanting for nothing. Indeed, this bike has all the attributes that make a muscle bike desirable, from its 1312cc V-twin to the bobbed fenders; this is one motorcycle that screams for attention without uttering a word.

The Honda VTX1300C’s 1312cc V-twin engine is the same engine powering the entire lineup of Honda VTX1300 motorcycles, from the touring version to the retro. The accents that make the VTX1300C stand out are the styling points which Honda worked very hard to get just the way they wanted them. These styling trends lean heavily toward the muscle bike category, even though the performance isn’t quite up there with the Kawasaki Mean Streak or the Yamaha Warrior. The base price of $9,899, however, will make you think twice about those high-insurance machines when you take into account how good the Honda VTX1300C looks. More than just looks, however, the Honda VTX1300C features digital ignition with two spark plugs and three valves per cylinder, single overhead camshaft layout, a five-speed transmission, and shaft final drive, making the Honda ST1300C as maintenance free as you could want in your power cruiser.

The front suspension of the Honda VTX1300C features 5.1 inches of travel on a 41mm fork to soak up all the road damage, while the rear suspension is a dual-shock setup with five-position adjustability. The back end of the Honda VTX1300C has 3.6 inches of suspension travel. Braking is by way of a single disc front and back with the front brake sporting a twin piston caliper while the rear gets a single-piston caliper. The Honda VTX1300C has a nice, low 27.5 inches of seat height, plenty for all the comfortable motoring you can handle, while its 678 pounds make the Honda VTX1300C easy to lift off the side stand and maneuver through crowded parking lots.

There are four color options available for the Honda VTX1300C, including Black, silver, blue, and maroon. The three colors aside from black will set you back an additional $100, and there is no custom color option or two tone paint scheme available, in keeping with the power cruiser persona of the Honda VTX1300C.