8 replies to this topic

[leehenty]

Went to Bishops Stortford which for me is about 65 miles each way.
Delivered parts and tool to brother had a look at the problem on his Honda quick coffee and took the scenic way back. So about 150 miles altogether. I like my TDM alot, although brother is keen on my becoming a Honda Crosstourer rider. Had a short ride it's not for me. With Alloy boxes it's very wide.

[trevini]

I take it that means you're staying in there 900 camp then Lee?

[leehenty]

Too right, it might be a V4 127bhp all singing and dancing, but it's tall and heavy and my 900 is better on fuel. Looks the business though.

[Matlock]

I love my Crosstourer, but it's like chalk & cheese when compared to the TDM. It's great for touring on, goes (and stops) like stink and is a thing of engineering beauty to my eyes. But, she's a big old barge and is a beast to maneuver in a tight space. I've yet to meet a Crosstourer owner who hasn't dropped it whilst moving it around the garage, or something similar. I dropped mine in a petrol station in Loch Carron when I pushed it out of the way to let someone else fill up and the front wheel went in a 10mm deep drainage channel. Once she went past that tipping pioint I just couldn't hold her. Someone on the Crosstourer forum said "there's three types of Crosstourer owner; those that have dropped it, those that will drop it soon and those that pretend they've never dropped it"  . Tell your brother to get some crash protection, I have stronger handguards and R&G crankcase covers.

The Crosstourer forum is a friendly place, but there isn't the depth of knowledge that there is on Carpe. I'd say 75% of owners leave it to the dealer to do everything. Surprisingly, routine maintenance is no more difficult than the TDM, but valve checking (every 16k miles) and changing plugs (every 32k miles) are major surgery, requiring a childlike hands to get in the tight spaces and, would you believe, a special tool, in the provided tool kit to change one of the rear bank's plugs!

In a more relaxed lockdown, I find it's the TDM I take out for a relaxed bimble on the local roads, much less work hustling it around the twisties  . But on something like a Scotland tour, the Crosstourer is the tool for the job. Despatches long motorway journeys in a relaxed way, but at warp speed, and loves the big, open Highland roads.

[leehenty]

He's got all the R&G stuff it's a Highlander spec.
It's very nice smooth engine, he had a Pan Euro ST1300 before which I liked. Easy engine to work on. He has had fork seals and this little niggle so far. Crosstourer is a unicam engine so only 8 shims to worry about.

Edited by leehenty, 04 June 2020 - 04:16 pm.

[drewpy]

He's got all the R&G stuff it's a Highlander spec.
It's very nice smooth engine, he had a Pan Euro ST1300 before which I liked. Easy engine to work on. He has had fork seals and this little niggle so far. Crosstourer is a unicam engine so only 8 shims to worry about.

what does unicam mean? 1 camshaft?

[leehenty]

Yes one cam over inlets with shims and fingers with adjustable height ball joint more like a vauxhall for exhaust. Came from racing apparently. So no worries about double cams going out of sync but has two cam chains two tensioners as it's a V4

Edited by leehenty, 04 June 2020 - 05:48 pm.

[Catteeclan]

I love my Crosstourer, but it's like chalk & cheese when compared to the TDM. It's great for touring on, goes (and stops) like stink and is a thing of engineering beauty to my eyes. But, she's a big old barge and is a beast to maneuver in a tight space. I've yet to meet a Crosstourer owner who hasn't dropped it whilst moving it around the garage, or something similar. I dropped mine in a petrol station in Loch Carron when I pushed it out of the way to let someone else fill up and the front wheel went in a 10mm deep drainage channel. Once she went past that tipping pioint I just couldn't hold her. Someone on the Crosstourer forum said "there's three types of Crosstourer owner; those that have dropped it, those that will drop it soon and those that pretend they've never dropped it"  .

My exact thoughts about the XT1200. Traded for the Tracer GT after 4 years but still miss it.

[leehenty]

There's quite an advantage sticking with the lighter weight tried and tested TDM. I've ridden some of these "adventure" bikes but often they are very heavy.
Even my Royal Enfield can exceed the speed limit.. just, given enough time, how much power do you really need ?