Honda Vlx 600
HONDA VLX 600
CRUISER COMPARISON
Surprise. It’s not what you think.
WOW," SAID THE GAS STATION attendant as he reset the gas pump, "that's one smooth Har..., Ha..., er, Honda." A quick glance at the logo on the bike's gas tank had saved him from major embarrassment and greatly diminished pump-jockey credibility. "I like that look," he continued as we pumped some gas. "I almost thought it was a Harley."
Right. The VLX’s looks set it apart from the rest of the small-bore cruiser bunch. Honda seems to have the
American cruiser idiom figured out. And its stylists prove that with the VLX, which is, thanks to its paint scheme, V-Twin engine and hidden rear suspension, decidedly Ameri-custom in feel. Call it Softail Lite.
Though it is powered by an engine displacing just 600cc, this is not a small motorcycle. It has lots of length and substance, and it weighs about 30 pounds more than its next-smallest rival, the Vulcan 500. It comes as a surprise, then, that the VLX’s riding accommodations feel somewhat cramped. The peg-to-seat-to-handlebar relationship is a good match for smaller people. So is the low, 28-inch seat height.
Because the fork is mounted at a generous rake, the VLX’s steering is heavy and slow, and can make the bike feel ponderous at low speeds. No complaints about the brakes, though. They provide good feel and have all the power required for the sort of riding the VLX calls for. Ditto the engine, which is nicely powerful and nicely smooth, and which makes just the right V-Twin sound.
Comfort levels for the VLX’s pilot are high. The seat is very comfortable, and front and rear spring and damping rates are well enough thought out to allow the suspension to handle just about anything the pavement lays in its path.
There will be those ready to dismiss the VLX, in spite of its considerable excellence, as just another Harley clone. Don’t you be one of them. The VLX has all the right cruiser building blocks, right down to its very clever styling. It looks so right, in fact, that the Professionally Unaware will look at the VLX and just assume that you’re riding a You-Know-Whatison.
$4899
