Has anyone critiqued the Honda Veradero yet? Seems like it is similar to the V-Storm. Just curious, saw one the other day and wanted to know iof someone had a review on it.
Gary

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Gary
CANADA
www.myspace.com/intrepid_cdn

the USA but perhaps Canada is getting it now?

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

New to Canada for 2008. You would want to be a better rider than I to take this one into the sand.

Actually, the Varadero has been around since 1999. The first years it was carburetted with a 5 speed gearbox, making it somewhat thirsty. From 2001 onwards the Varadero got a fuel injected 6 speed unit that considerably bettered the fuel milage. Used to have one. A great roadbike. Good for pillion passengers. 12000 km service intervals is nice too.

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HansP
All you wanted to know
about riding in Norway

I think it depends on the reason you're asking, ie. your intention for buying one. And compared to what?

I've just completed nearly 12,000 miles on one, 2 up around Europe. Bike was flawless for reliability. Would I take one again, probably. Could I have done it on another bike, probably. It's a great bike, because it's cheap, but again it depends on what you want one for..

++'s - cheap (relatively), reliable, incredibly comfortable for the passenger, relatively fuel efficient for a litre bike, loads of torque so pulls like a mad man even 2 up with 300lbs of luggage
--'s - Heavy, with most of that weight being high up, Buzzy compared with a 4 or a 3 cyl

Feel free to ask Q's.

Chris

Im sorta looking for a do it all bike for the next purchase and in Canada the bike is new. list price at the moment in the showroom is 13,999$cdn and thats fairly pricey since my 07 CBR600RR was only 10,500.

Im wondering if the bike has much rough dirt road/ single track capabilities, and Im guessing its very limited for any off road. Just wondering what people think of them is all really.

Looking for basics on Range on standard tank, and if there are many upgrades for them like fuel tanks, seats, etc etc....

Hows the ride, maintanence, etc.... My current honda I find great for maintenence, so Im guess it would be as well, but I would rather not guess.

Anyways, not loking seriously to buy a new bike till next spring, so just gathering data now to h elp decide. This is the hardest choice selection of all bike styles for me. a Road or Sport bike or even a cruiser are fairly easy, but I find the Dual purpose, adventure sport types are pretty tough. Especially considering you could be in someplace like new Guinnea or brazil when issues arise.

Thanks
Gary

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Gary
CANADA
www.myspace.com/intrepid_cdn

If you are looking for a world tourer for a solo person a 650 single is the way to go.

You want something light in weight. That is first.

After that you want something comfortable, good luggage capablity, simple, cheap and reliable.

You don't want a hevy bike in the New Guinnea high lands !!!! It will kill you .. think mud...

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Regards Frank Warner
motorcycles BMW R80 G/S 1981, BMW K11LT 1993, BMW K75 G/S

I fully agree with HansP that the Varadero is a road bike only. Don’t let the DP or DS ‘classification’ fool you. There’s nothing dual sport about bikes like the Varadero, V-Strom, GS, Tiger, Quota, CapoNord, Multistrada, etc. The manufacturers of these bikes only responded to the demand in the market for ‘adventure style’ touring bikes as obviously demonstrated by the success of the best-selling GS series, which started the trend. The word to pay attention to here is ‘style’, because the design brief for the engineers was dictated by the marketing departments. The marketing guys know all too well that 99.99% of buyers of these bikes will never venture off the tarmac, but nevertheless like the I-might-just-head-off-to-Africa-on-my-next-trip image these bikes portray. Basically, the marketing of these bikes is based on selling dreams, a bit of a variant on the ‘What wins on Sunday, sells on Monday’ theme. And selling the dream of riding-around-the-world or perhaps winning the Dakar has determined the styling of these bikes. It never ceases to amaze me that people think that these DP/DS/Dakar-look-alikes are even remotely capable of following in the tracks of a real Dakar rally bike. These bikes are heavy behemoths that were never intended by their designers to be ridden offroad, apart from the odd short detour onto a nicely graded gravel road in order to gather some dust or mud specks necessary to earn street cred for their latte-sipping owners.
(Did I just say that?)

Please don’t take offence, Gary, but the fact that you even wonder if a Varadero “has much rough dirt road/single track capabilities” not only had me laughing out loud, but convinced me that you have no experience riding ‘rough dirt and single track’. Because if you had, you would never even have contemplated the idea. But you’re not alone in adopting this mistaken belief in the (even limited) offroad capabilities of these big DP/DS bikes, as most RTW-trip candidates have a road-riding background and no idea what dirt bike/single track riding entails.

Returning to the bike in question, not only the bulk and weight and the linked brakes determine the Varadero’s real habitat, but also the cast wheels are a definite ‘no-no’ for offroad riding. This said, the Varadero makes an excellent long-distance touring bike. It’s extremely comfortable, very reliable (it's a Honda!) and low on maintenance, and is easy to handle (on the road). The engine is more than powerful enough and very smooth. It’s IMO one of the best all-round touring bikes on the market, more comfortable (because of better wind protection) than the V-Strom, albeit less powerful. And certainly a lot more fun to ride than any big GS.

I can't imagine anyone wanting to improve on the Varadero's saddle, as it's extremely comfortable, never heard anyone complaining about it. The capacity of the large standard tank is also more than adequate. Besides, if you see the bulk of the stock tank, who in his right mind would want to make it even bulkier? Yes, I know... the Touratech guys...
(Did I just say that... again?)

I have ridden a Varadero (the FI version) on trips in EU in various conditions, ranging from T.W.O.-blasts-down-the-German-Autobahn, to narrow slippery mountain roads (rain, ice, snow), to gravel and dirt roads in the German Eiffel and French Jura mountain ranges, and to even embarrassing sportsbike riders during a track day in northern France (grinding up the foot pegs to half their length, which admittedly is not hard to do on the softly-sprung Varadero). IMO, the Varadero is a fantastic bike in its class, and it would certainly be happy to do a RTW trip if you stick to riding the black stuff. But if your RTW trip involves dirt roads you better start looking elsewhere…