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Review of the 2011 Honda VT400S:Looks nice; if only looks were everything |
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Author: Kenneth Howells, 2011-05-15 | ||||||
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Sitting on the bike in the showroom felt good, and as a new rider I fell in love with the sleekness of the bike. There are good points about the bike, especially for a beginner rider, but when bikes your same size leave you in the dust, well... | ||||||
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The VT400S gets a lot of thumbs up from people who do not know bikes all that well. The bike looks nice...Hey, it´s new. However, the only compliment that I ever got from anyone who knows bikes was, ´Hmmm, tires are new.´ Good points (from perspective of a new rider): Low fuel indicator. My riding partner has a Yamaha that just runs out and then he has to switch to the reserve tank. Clock. There is a clock on the display. Lightweight. Easy to control. Really bright headlight. Quiet. My wife likes that I do not announce my departure and arrival all that much. Bad points: No guts. Lots of vibrations when trying to get up to any decent speeds. My riding partner´s Yamaha 400 blows me away. On the expressway, hard to get above 100 KM/HR (60MPH) no matter how I try to set up the gears or what the owner´s manual says. Foot pegs too close to hips. The foot pegs´ position do not allow the rider to stretch out his/her legs, unless you are very short. I get leg cramps on long rides. I have asked about adjusting the pegs, but no kit is available at this time. Narrow seat. I want to change out the seat for something a little wider, but no such seat exists for this bike. Air Filter sticks out so right leg and left leg do not balance. The right leg presses up against the air filter, while the left leg is comfortable. If the pegs were more forward, then that might not be a problem. Overall: For a beginner rider, the bike handles well and feels safe. The indicators are convenient and you will never get thrown by sudden acceleration. The foot pegs are my biggest peeve. For experienced riders, stay away. |
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