Honda continues to build a family of CTX models with the introduction of the 1261 cc v-4 CTX1400. This is a big bike (curb weight of 724 pounds), but the center of gravity is very low (we sat on the bike last week).
Honda expects this to be a big, comfortable, mile muncher with loads of torque and spacious accommodations for both passenger and luggage. A color-matched rear trunk will be an option.
When we saw it last week in the flesh, the bike looked much better than it has in photos. The broad, low seat felt very inviting.
Honda chose to put some unusual tire sizes on the big CTX, including a 200/50R-17 in the rear and a 130/70R-18 in the front. We will see how the bike handles when we test it, but Honda claims “remarkably nimble manners”.
The bags are not easily removed, but we understand they can be removed with a few bolts.
A Deluxe model gets an extensive audio package with Bluetooth connectivity, self-cancelling turn signals, ABS and blacked-out styling elements. Here are the details from Honda on the new CTX1300 and 1300 Deluxe:
CTX1300/CTX1300 Deluxe
The all-new CTX1300 expands the innovative concept first introduced with the CTX series—the idea of combining higher levels of comfort and technology to create a riding experience unique to Honda. These bikes place a premium on ease of use and a spacious rider environment with comfortable ergonomics. But now, by extending Honda’s longstanding and successful heritage of V-4 technology, the CTX1300 adds a full load of 1300-class muscle with exhilarating right-now thrust accompanied by a distinctive V-4 engine pulse and exhaust note. That helps make the CTX1300 an advanced motorcycle in multiple ways—one that incorporates class-leading comfort, unusually broad-shouldered versatility and new technology to deliver an unmatched riding experience. Its moderate weight, low center of gravity (CG) and nimble handling make the CTX1300 a joy to ride wherever the day may lead, while its styling gives it a unique look that makes it stand out in a crowd. There’s also a Deluxe model that adds technology such as an audio package including Bluetooth® connectivity, self-cancelling turn signals, Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) and Traction Control, plus blacked-out styling elements that all add to the CTX1300’s distinctive equation.
Features & Benefits
Key Features
- Liquid-cooled 1261cc longitudinally mounted V-4 engine tuned specifically for exhilarating off-the-line thrust and easy-to-access linear power delivery.
- CTX1300 powerplant furthers Honda’s longstanding and successful heritage of V-4 engine technology.
- Blend of sporty performance with spacious and comfortable rider accommodations, including fairing, short windscreen and integrated hard saddlebags.
- Low seat height of 29.1 inches, curb weight of 724.2 pounds and low CG combine to give the CTX1300 remarkably nimble manners.
- Underseat fuel tank helps lower overall CG.
- Fat 200-series rear tire for an especially brawny profile.
- Long and low look for a unique styling package.
- Speedometer/tachometer cluster with LCD information screen.
- LED headlight with halo accent lighting.
- LED taillight and turn signals.
CTX1300 Deluxe
Includes all of the above plus:
- Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) for added stopping confidence in varying road and weather conditions.
- Traction Control limits rear-wheel slippage during hard acceleration or during acceleration on low-traction road surfaces.
- Self-canceling turn signals.
- Audio Package including Bluetooth connectivity for a new level of rider convenience.
- Blacked-out styling elements for a distinctive look.
Honda Genuine Accessories†
Tall Windscreen, Audio Package (for standard model), Heated Grips, Heated Grip Attachment, 12-Volt Accessory Socket, Rear Carrier, Centerstand, Chrome Handlebar Ends, Chrome Windscreen Garnish, Chrome Engine Shrouds, Chrome Back Mirror Covers, Chrome Valve Covers, Chrome Master Cylinder Cap, Chrome Clutch Lever, Chrome Brake Lever, Color-Matched 45L Rear Trunk, LED Fog Lights
Accessories subject to change.
2014 SPECIFICATIONS
Model: CTX1300 / CTX1300 Deluxe
Engine Type: 1261cc liquid-cooled longitudinally mounted 90° V-4
Bore and Stroke: 78mm x 66mm
Compression ratio: 10.0:1
Valve Train: DOHC; four valves per cylinder
Induction: PGM-FI with electronic control IACV, four 36mm throttle bodies, eight holes per injector
Ignition: Computer-controlled digital with 3-D mapping and electronic advance
Transmission: Five-speed
Final Drive: Shaft
Suspension –
Front: Inverted 45mm fork; TBD inches travel
Rear: Twin rear shocks with spring preload; TBD inches travel
Brakes –
Front: Dual 310mm front discs
Rear: Single 315mm rear disc with CBS
ABS (Deluxe model)
Tires –
Front: 130/70R-18
Rear: 200/50R-17
Wheelbase: 64.5 inches
Rake (Caster angle): 28° 5’
Trail: 114.3mm (4.5 inches)
Seat Height: 29.1 inches
Fuel Capacity: 5.1 gallons
Estimated Fuel Economy**: TBD
Colors: Metallic Black, Gray Blue Metallic, Candy Red
Curb Weight*: 724.2 pounds (CTX1300) / 731.4 pounds (CTX1300 Deluxe)
*Includes all standard equipment, required fluids and full tank of fuel—ready to ride.
**Miles per gallon values are calculated estimates of fuel consumed during laboratory exhaust emissions tests specified by the EPA, not during on-road riding. Use for comparison purposes only. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you ride and maintain your vehicle, weather, road conditions, tire pressure, cargo and accessories, rider and passenger weight, and other factors.
Meets current CARB and EPA standards.
©2013 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. • All Rights Reserved • Specifications subject to change
Bluetooth® is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
Well, I for one have been looking for Honda to make a scaled-down version of the Goldwing for years, and with the taller windshield and trunk – both of which, from what I have read, will be available with this bike, this looks to be it. At 5’6″, I am a bit shorter of stature, but have rented and ridden an 1800 Goldwing for a week’s traveling vacation, and while I didn’t have that much of a problem with its size, it was a BIG bike. A 1300 V-4 with touring amenities that’s 200 pounds lighter than a Goldwing and has Honda’s reliability puts it on my list when (and if) I am in the market for a new bike. One thing though, only the Deluxe model has ABS, traction control, bluetooth, et al, but I like the look of the chrome wheels and stainless steel looking body panels too – so you can’t get the Deluxe model without the blacked-out look? Why not?
Wow another bike from Honda that draws its heritage back to the 80’s , the pc800 heck it was a huge seller . If Honda wants to redo a bike please just solve the oiling issue and slap a decent fairing and hard bags a better seat and re release my 1984 v65 sabre . 121 hp a 11 sec 1/4 mile and enough leg room and an uprite seating position and narrow enough to reach hiway pegs with ease would love to buy a new one. Please some one other than Harley build a touring bike that has room to move you feet and legs around looks decent and has some bloody performance. just because I am old and broken does not mean i can not ride.
So, I am still waiting with baited breath for the arrival of the ST1300 replacement. Why oh why did it not show up in Milan? Does anyone know when it will be announced with it’s bumper and tip-over winglets? I had thought the bike would appear in 2010 when the first of the patent sketches leaked onto the internet. I am ready to upgrade my 1995 ST1100 and have been looking around at others, but they either do not match my expectations or do things $25k machines shouldn’t do (Read clunky tranny). I am going with Honda is really going over the new model with a fine technological comb to have great gadgets and sublime handling. Ride well everyone.
And yet another bike I owe an apology to. After seeing it in person, I have to say it is an attractive bike, though still not my thing. Comfy ergos, big bike feel without too much fluff.
One other thought: the engine is rotated by 90 degrees, but other than that, this bike is actually very similar to the V65 Magna from back in 1983. It doesn’t seem possible that it has been thirty years since Honda brought us the V65 Magna. Many motorcyclists now riding do not even remember that bike, and many of them are even old enough to have already lost their hair, or have kids in junior high. It would be interesting for one of the popular motorcycle magazines with adequate financial resources to do a side-by-side teardown of the two bikes and discuss where and how technology has changed in the past thirty years. Off the top of my head, the frame construction is completely different; carburetor vs. injection, catalytic convertors (I assume the ST13 and CTX use CC), and very different approach to suspension. I would need to go look up the specs for the V65 Magna, but I think that the bore/stroke ratio of the V65 was more stroke and less bore, which favored a torque peak considerably lower in the rpm range, and thus stronger acceleration when starting from a full stop, and much less frequent shifting. And, the V65 Magna weighed a lot less than this bike, the difference being easily more than 100 lbs, and the V65 was a heavy bike. The seat of the V65 Magna was not set nearly so far to the rear as with the CTX, and the pegs were not so far forward. And the V65 Magna was a looker, and still is. There have been numerous improvements, but in many respects, the V65 Magna was better. Except, of course, that the frame was notorious for flexing, and it didn’t stop all that well, and the suspension was not so great at either end, and the shaft effect was pronounced, owing to the very short shaft and the poor placement of the fore pivot. I think that if Honda had not gone so hog wild with the extreme placement of the seat and pegs, and if they could have found some way to make it 100 lbs lighter, the CTX would be a better bike than the old V65 Magna, hands down. It probably is anyway, but I still would take the ST1300 over the CTX.
Honda did the same with the ST13, to produce this bike, that they previously did with the ‘Wing, to produce the F6B. As such, the obvious question is how is this bike more desirable that the ST13? For an undetermined number of people, the unusual styling will be the appeal. But the biggest criticism of the ST13 has always been weight, and this bike weighs only about five pounds less than the ST13. If the center of gravity is any lower at all, the difference will likely be no more than one-eigth of an inch. But, the seat has obviously been moved aft, and the footpegs have been moved the other direction. Personnaly, I find this riding position occasionally relaxing when I am riding a bike that allows me to move around into several different positions, when on a ride so long that no single riding position is really comfortable. But as a primary riding position, I just do not like this riding position, with your feet so far out to the front, so far from being directly underneath you. It is an interesting bike, and I do like the looks of it quite a lot, but were I to spend the money on either this or the ST13, my money would go for the ST. But, it is definitely a looker. It’s too bad that there is such a strong tradeoff between looks and functionality. It is also too bad that Honda USA still has not decided to offer the Crosstourer to the USA. But we have to blame that on us, because we have to assume that Honda has studied the question carefully and has concluded based on research that it just would not sell. And that is too bad, because if it were sold in the USA, it would probably be one of the very best motorcycles ever sold in this country. But I don’t blame Honda, because even on this forum, where the reactions were representative of the North American market, the reaction was very negative overal, with the bike mostly criticised for lacking true off-road capability. So, for anyone who does not like the CTX13, just realize that the reason that this is the kind of bike that Honda brings to North America is that this is a type of bike that will sell in North America.
Near perfect record for Honda……..another new bike that is years too late to an already established market segment.
Take your pick on the years (5, 10, 15)
Nope, the CTX has perfect timing. Harley is the Titanic and it’s Indian made bikes are its iceberg. Alot of people who would have never done otherwise will be jumping off ship and looking around for another alternative. It’s a perfect time for Honda to attempt to redefine what a big cruiser is.
Notice how Indian was also released around the same time Harley shot itself in its foot. Uncanny timing, huh. Anyway, both Honda, Indian, and any other big cruiser maker will benefit from all those faithful jumping ship from Harley’s self-inflicted image problems.
Why no reverse gear? I have ridden a Valkyrie Interstate for
12 years and love the bike, but now in my 60’s lugging it out of
parking spots is getting old (like me). The Goldwing just isn’t
my cup of tea, so I guess I will just pray some one add a reverse
to a new model. Nice looking bike though, would buy one today if
I didn’t have to drag it out of parking spots. Be safe guys!
Did honda employ ex-bell designers?
Seriously, it is nice to see bikes destined for niche markets. A sign of prosperity which can only be good for the industry and it’s clients.
It looks to me like a scaled down Goldwing, which may be good thing. Many riders find the size of a Goldwing and other touring bikes to be intimidating, either due to getting older or being height challenged. Up till now the alternative was to either Trike out their wing or go to a Cruiser style bike. In either case giving up both handling and performance. Maybe this bike will give those riders another option for a touring bike they feel able to handle without sacrificing modern technology and performance? We’ll see.
Nice looking bike…great looking motor.
Great new bike. Hope the price is reasonable.
I do not want to pour gas on a fire but a LOT of these regular commenters ALWAYS have a lot of criticism. Maybe the old saying of “…if you haven’t anything nice to say, then say nothing…” should be mentioned to them.
Good job to Honda and the others coming out with new and different bikes.
Try to ignore all these negative commenters. Life is too short to be so angry and unhappy. Make it a great day!
Price will be reasonable cause Honda knows Americans are getting poorer and can no longer afford bikes which are not priced reasonable.
Criticism? There are hardly any negative criticisms of this bike on these posts so far, aside from your negativity about critics and criticism which don’t exist as of yet.
“Try to ignore all these negative commenters. Life is too short to be so angry and unhappy. Make it a great day!”
Who are you? Joel Osteen. Life is also too short to be munching on grass like a cow and saying “Moo” to everything that passes by. Criticism is warranted cause these manufacturers could do a whole lot better, but simply don’t cause they do not wish to spoil us with excellence. Cause then we will be expecting excellence from them all the time and they simply don’t want that type of pressure or want to expend such efforts on worthless plebeians like us.
So we commoners at least should have the right to criticize, b*tch, and be negative in response.
judge dredd. stallone’s law master.
So… No auto trans on this one? No DCT?
Honda says, “No.”
So… No auto trans no this one? No DCT?
Great looking engine. But why another looking goldwing? How about an adventure themed bike?
How is this different from the Goldwing FB? Slightly scaled down behemoth. Plus 700 lbs? You gotta be kidding.
exactly!
Not for the open road where this one is heading. If it’s not your type/style of bike then move on.
My guess is where it is headed…….. is the same place many other new Honda designs end up.
None sell …..and a decade or so later there is a small cult following wanting to buy them
like I pointed out previously with the crossrunner, it seems Honda is simply reimagining some of their existing tech. was kind of a shame to have this v4 hidden under plastic. plus that engine certainly wasn’t cheap to produce. gotta leverage something.
OR………..Honda management and investors are totally car based……so Honda will simply keep leveraging old designs for the rest of this century!
Actually, take one long good look at this bike. Hope you enjoy it cause this is probably how the next generation Goldwing will look like.
All that technology and they couldn’t throw in a cruise control?
Good point.
I guess, for a cruiser/style oriented bike, weight is light to moderate. I’d like to test ride one. Looks like serious motor and possibly world class balance of comfort, performance, style and feel (unique motor) for this genre. Connectivity wise possibly state of the art, though I don’t care much about that.
Looks like a throwback to a bygone age (did I see CX mentioned in another comment..?) and not particularly flattering one at that. Seems like a waste of good Honda engineering to me.
Ian Danby
Nice looking machine, but what is with this recent trend of “touring” bikes with no (or nearly no) windscreen?
Short windscreens look cooler. Tall windscreens are more functional, but they look dorkier. The middle aged guys with receding hairlines buying these bikes still hold out hopes that they might look cool, so they are willing to sacrifice function for looks.
By the time these guys become so old as to lose all their hair, that’s when they will have finally given up on their hopes of looking cool, and then maybe the toothless old farts can enjoy the tranquility of a full screen without any sense of inner turmoil or angst.
Please, O Lord, please let me live long enough to see Jake grow old, bald, and toothless; and allow me to offer him a ride in the sidcar of my unfaired cycle; and pray give him the strength to avoid sharting all over the seat when we wheelie that beeyotch across the intersection, proving for all time that we are indeed the coolest….
Sometimes taller screens create turbulence and buffeting whereas short screens leave your head in clean air while keeping pressure off your chest.
I run a 5 1/2 inch shorter screen on my ST 1300 in the summer.
Any bike, any forum, first change, different shield to avoid buffeting. Second change better seat. 2 things no mfg has been able to figure out.
+ 1
Lower screens are almost invariably better, and not just for their cooler looks. Larger windshields either induce buffeting and/or back pressure or they have the rider looking through the shield rather than over it, which is the very antithesis of motorcycling.
That being said, I don’t think the abbreviated shield on this or the FB6 look particularly cool at all. On the contrary, I think they lack proportional balance sitting atop such huge fairings. They look overly blunt, almost stunted.
Aren’t there other ways to solve the buffeting issue aside from chopping the shield down altogether?
Who popularized the short windshield look? Harley baggers, and they did it mainly for looks not function, which is why they bought a Harley to begin with.
Look at the people with short shields, they are also the same people riding without helmets. It’s about the looks. Some function maybe involved, but it’s still mainly about the looks.
Fairings / screens definitely have their place, we took a ride from the Wild Onion to Misery one summer, my companion had a bolt-on fairing and I had nothing, and I got machine-gunned by those big hard-shelled June bugs for the first 100 miles (we left at dusk and camped the first night). Ouch!
On the other hand, Gold-Wingish bikes insulate you from the ride so much, you may as well buy a Miata and have the ability to bring the dog. Same thing with helmets – the appeal for me to go lidless has nothing to do with “looks”, it’s the openness to the elements (as long as one of the elements in question isn’t concrete). Think of it as the difference between riding in a 727 vs. a WWI open-cockpit biplane or an ultralight – in the former, you don’t even realize you’re flying, and in the latter, the sensation is impossible to ignore. Not advocating that others do the same, mind you, just my opinion. Are you more attracted to safety or experience?
re: “what is with this recent trend of “touring” bikes with no (or nearly no) windscreen?”
we’re in the austerity era remember. observe all the bikes being released. the majority are both naked and decontented. less material =’s less cost , less features =’s less cost, less performance =’s less cost.
ps: I should clarify. less cost to THEM, not to necessarily to you.
We’re also in the built in Thailand era, soon to be built in China era. It seems as if we are getting more bang for the buck. Even the European manufacturers are dropping their prices.
Sorry, can’t believe short windshield is due to an attempt to save dough. If it looks good it will sell. Buyers right now just think short looks cool.
It is Hondas pathetic answer keep intact for another 35 years that no Goldwing variant will never ever have an electic adjustable windscreen
Bug muncher special. I guess I’m getting old. The lack of a windshield just looks stoooopid to me.
“the bike looked much better than it has in photos”
They say this about Hondas so much, Honda should make it their advertising slogan. With that said, this bike looks much better in its mild manner ways than it did in its spy photos. Honda – the “Clark Kent” of motorcycles.
Being a CTX bike, mpg will be important. Wonder how much of an improvement in mpg Honda will be able to squeeze out of that motor?
I’d be taking a long test drive on a hot day before I’d plunk any money down on that one! When the ST1300 first came out, I test drove it on a warm day and was surprised at how much heat that engine threw onto my calf’s, as compared to the lack of it from my ST1100. I still have the 1100 – ’nuff said. The heat from this unfaired engine, right in front of one’s legs has got to be roasting hot!
When the ST1300 came out in ’03, I got the first one in our area. (I was a Honda dealer.)
The heat on my legs was so bad, I immediately sold it.
So make it your WINTER motorcycle.
Oh, but then you will need a real windscreen.
zing!
I admit to being wrong. When the first photos of this bike were posted here I asserted that they must be a photoshopped design because the design looked weird. Apparently it is a for-real motorcycle.
It looks like a smaller F6B. I think it will sell, but it needs a taller windshield, at least. It’s introduction probably harkens the end of the ST1300. Kudos to Honda for at least keeping the ST’s engine in the line-up. But wow, that thing is not attractive.
re: “but it needs a taller windshield, at least.”
(see entry for “ala-carte”)
we’ve got a nice one in the accessories catalog for $159.99 plus 1hr labor to install ($89). would you like to pay for that cash…? or just roll this in with your financing…? (most pleasant salesman voice)
Is ABS only available in the Deluxe version ?
Yes! 724 with a full tank and all fluids is light. Better engine arrangement than the Goldwing FB-6. I like it. It’s very good looking.
I hope it’s powerful. I hope it’s affordable.
Lots of hoping there.
My hope is that it becomes one of the few new Hondas that actually sells!
Curiously, I see no mention of DCT – is it not going to be available after all?
It is nice to see a tall windscreen on the options list. I’m curious as to what it looks like.
It’ll be taller and clear, I’d bet.
today’s winner
Well played.
nice
The naked sides, visible exhaust and valve covers, and shape of the luggage makes me want to say “Poor man’s Motus MST”.
Or, Smart Man’s Motus MST.
Yes!
Aye, this ^
other than the tranverse motor and # of cylinders – There is No Styling that is evocative of the Motus.
Show some respect people.
i thought i could hear Honda whispering, “Die Motus, die!”
Modern cruisers.
the guys who write the copy apparently don’t ride. you don’t call it a “mile muncher” and then put a five gallon tank on it. that said, i bought my ’04 ST new and never thought i’d find a replacement. its got 70K adult miles, never laid down, and i’ll make you a deal today! tall shield, heated grips and the postman will need to hold my mail.
If this is indeed an ST13 replacement, it certainly has P-O-L-I-C-E bike written all over it.
If I was one of those Iron Butt guys I could see adding a taller shield and going for a ride,but I’m not.Does this take the place of the ST?
Not in my book. No weather protection for the legs and feet, but keeping those legs WARM shouldn’t be a problem. Who are these designer’s at Honda these days? Did they all grow up riding cruisers? Soichiro must be rolling in his grave over the cruiser crap that seems to be Honda’s focus now!
I love the look of the v-4 motor, how about a Super CX in a standard/naked with this engine?
Normally not my kind of bike but something about it strikes a cord with me. Maybe its the twin pipes? Got to wonder what it looks like with out the fairing/bags….