Test: Honda VFR 800 X ABS Crossrunner

The base is a sporty (slightly touring) Honda VFR 800. The handlebars are taller and wider, the wheels and tires on them still point to traffic, and the rear end, unlike the inflated front end, is ridiculously small and set very low.

We scratch our ears. Is it an enduro? Apart from the driving position, and even more conditionally, this has nothing to do with the great adventurers. Naked? Nack, too much plastic armor and too high a handlebar. Supermoto? Possibly, but place it next to an Aprilia Dorsoduro, KTM Supermoto 990 or Ducati Hypermotard and again the Crossrunner will stand out a lot. What then?

Since the Auto store is first of all an AUTO and only then a MOTO store, we roughly know how the automotive world rotates. Manufacturers no longer pay attention to the limitations of the classic classes and create cars such as the Opel Meriva, Mercedes-Benz CLS, BMW X6, Volkswagen Tiguan and a few more. In short, these are cars that are hard to put into a 15-year-old class table. If you highlight the X6: this is not an SUV, not a coupe, not a minivan or a sedan.

This Honda also does not apply to road bikes, enduro bikes or supermoto bikes. It's like mixing the ingredients for ajmot in a multi-pronged process and baking it into a cake—only the visuals are delicious, and for several reasons.

We leave the evaluation of the work of the designers to you, we can only trust that the opinions were mixed both in the editorial office and among casual viewers. For me personally, this is funny, to say the least, but it has other exciting trump cards that put a contented motorcyclist in a state where he forgets about the turns. Pleasantly impressive is that the rear of the bike is extremely comfortable when it comes to getting into the seat and when a passenger gets on it. Great thing - you can check it out at a car dealership! It is worth noting that despite the seat at a height of 816 millimeters, it does not feel cramped. The driving position, both enduro and supermoto, is very comfortable for me as it gives the rider very good control over what is happening.

Some mental practice requires getting used to the high-mounted fully digital dashboard and the lock hidden in a hole somewhere, while I couldn't get used to the inconspicuous white connector (in a black environment) under the dash. Hey Soichiro Honda? The fact that the body is a rather high handlebar (because of the low frame head!), wrapped in plastic, does not bother me. The switches, like last year's 1.200 cubic foot VFR, are bigger, prettier, and better quality.

Good thing good - the four-cylinder V-twin engine with variable valve operation is also excellent. Compared to the sporty VFR, it's been honed by aiming for a smoother transition between a rev range where the cylinders exhale through eight and one that breathes through all 16 valves, but VTEC is still palpable. At around 6.500 rpm, the engine becomes more powerful, while the more rumbling "melody" changes. Is that good considering we usually praise the most evenly rising power curve? Yes and no. In this way, the motorcyclist feels like the engine lacks distortion at low revs, while at the same time allowing the touring or sporting "program" to be ridden without shifting the switches. The engine is calm at the bottom, wild at the top.

Personally, I really liked the engine. There really is something about the V4 that offers extremely good control over the transmission of torque to the rear wheel. I put my hand on the fire to keep the inline-four or V-twin from giving such a direct and superior feel on the right wrist. Let a photo on a gravel road be used as evidence. Indeed, the “griffin” on the right is excellent. It might not be out of place to point out that the Crossrunner is not an SUV at all for three reasons: low exhaust pipes, short suspension travel and, of course, perfectly smooth tires. Well, the ballast goes better than the regular VFR.

There is a bigger party on the road, where these 240 kilograms are hidden somewhere behind the wheel. The Crossrunner is probably the funniest Honda (if I forget the CRF and its supermoto derivative) I've ever driven. It allows shifting between corners, which requires the engine to be turned to a greater height, as the chassis (although the front forks are not inverted) supports the driver's stiff, above-average right hand. Full throttle in first gear from a sliding corner (I'm not saying which one) became a regular practice during the week of communication. He also jumps onto the rear wheel if desired and accelerates to just over 200 kilometers per hour, when further torture with strong traction is prevented by an electronic lock.

Poor wind protection repulsed most of all. We know what the restrictions and what cruel indulgences are for sinners, but we also know that on German "highways" we can go faster, and then the motorcyclist will be more tired than he could due to the draft. I will add that it is difficult for me to imagine the Crossrunner with a raised windshield.

Since the engine runs very well, and the V4 just needs to be tightened above that 6.500 rpm, we didn’t drive economically, so we would expect a fuel consumption of 7,2 to 7,6 liters per 100 km. More worrisome was the fact that the aluminum frame was heating up due to the tightly inserted motor. Be careful if you allow someone to sit on a parked motorcycle in shorts!

Who would you recommend buying Crossrunner? Interest Ask. Perhaps those who are tired of the tense situation behind the wheel of a sports bike, nevertheless, will not want to give up the pleasures of fast loading on twisty roads. Someone who also needs a motorcycle every day. Even a girl with some experience won't get tired of this Hondica.

I like. The Crossrunner has what it lacks in motorcycles like the CBF (and other products from other Japanese manufacturers that I could list), i.e. personality.

PS: Honda cut prices in early August so you can get € 10.690 with ABS as well.

text: Matevž Gribar, photo: Saša Kapetanovič

• Basic data

  Sales: Motocentr As Domžale

  Base model price: 11490 €

• Technical information

  engine: V4, four-stroke, liquid-cooled, 90 ° between cylinders, 782 cc, 3 valves per cylinder, VTEC, electronic fuel injection.

  Power: 74,9 kW (102 km) at 10000 rpm

  Torque: 72,8 Nm at 9.500 rpm

  Energy transfer: 6-speed gearbox, chain

  Frame: aluminum

  brakes: front two drums Ø 296 mm, three-piston calipers, rear drums Ø 256 mm, two-piston calipers, C-ABS

  Suspension: front classic telescopic fork Ø 43 mm, adjustable preload, 108 mm travel, rear single swing arm, single gas damper, adjustable preload and return damping, 119 mm travel

  Tires: 120/70R17, 180/55R17

  Growth: 816 mm

  Fuel tank: 21.5

  Wheelbase: 1.464 mm

  Weight: 240,4 kg

We praise and reproach

engine

Transmission

throttle lever response

lower back

funny conduction

sound

dashboard installation

frame heating

windshield protection

weight