Honda VTX (Retro 1800 Cast) reviews

After the test ride I knew this was the bike I wanted. Get one of these and you better hang on for the ride of your life. If you want a real muscle machine this is the bike for you and you can pick up a low mileage 03 for a great price. Ride it, you'll buy it! You won't go wrong. Show less

Logged over 11000 miles this last summer on this bike. Not one bit of trouble. Rode it to Sturgis, from CA, the Grand Canyon, Vegas, Death Valley, Reno Street Vibrations, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole, etc. Added a Mustang touring seat which I highly recommend. Looks great and allows you to sit for 3-4 hours without discomfort. Added tallest aftermarket windshield I could find and chrome lowers. The lowers are a must. Otherwise the wind comes under the windshield and shoots right up into your helmet. If you wear a full face helmet the nosie level is maddening w/o the lowers. Added Bubb pipes too. I love the power of this bike. I road with 7 riders to Sturgis. All of them on Harleys. The VTX blew everyone of them away. Especially on hill climbs. I'm looking for a sport tourer just to ride something different. Eyeing the new Triumph Tiger. Think I'll keep my VTX though. The resale isn't that great. I still get lots of compliments on the bike. Especially the pipes. Would recommend the bike to buy. Great value when compared to a Harley. Although the HOG club is a lot of fun. Show less

Awesome bike! I had a Yamaha 1100 Vstar and got rid of it - too small. The Honda VTX 1300 is the best bike I have ever owned. It has more power and rides better than I had hoped. I put sampson pipes and a pro hypercharger on it and had it dyno tuned. I was comming back from Sturgis last year with a passenger and fully loaded, and still got 50 mpg. My butt did not even get tired. The handling in the rain was perfect. Show less

Dang it, I love this bike. It is all of the above and more. But, I hate the seat. Now, granted, I am a bigger guy. But still the seat is awful. All I need is to save the pennies for an after market seat and I will be happy. It is my daily driver---wife has the car and this is the Florida Keys after all. I have had the bike nearly a year and drive it about 15 miles a day. I have loved every mile. I wish riders would stop comparing it to Harleys. It is not even close. It is more powerful, more reliable, better designed, liquid cooled and half the freakin price! Come on guys...If you want a Harley, buy a Harley. don't sell your Honda bike cover though....you will be back! Show less

I decided a year ago that it was time for my first bike. I convinced my wife by bringing up the rising gas prices. After looking at many different bikes, I ended up going with the VTX 1300R. I have never second guessed the decision. The only knock that I have with the bike is the seat. It can get uncomfortable on long trips, but is also easily changed by getting an aftermarket seat or a seat mod. Everything else is a change to make the bike yours and not just stock. This is a great performing bike. Easy to ride and control. If you are learning to ride, this bike is easy to control but big enough to be the only bike that you will ever need. Plenty of power for those that want to go and keep up with anything out there. You will not be disappointed. Show less

Honda needs to put fuel injection on this bike. I've owned three Shadows in the last ten years, and they all had tempermental chokes on them. It's getting old. It could use more power, too. For a 1300, I'm unimpressed by its aceleration, and I'm aware it's not built for speed. But compared to the 750 Shadow I traded in for it, the power differential is barely noticeable, more than likely because this bike weighs so much, relative to its displacement. The seat is firm, but it's a motorcycle, not a Lincoln. And the boards touch down way too easy, unless you ride like an old man, and in that case you belong in the Lincoln I mentioned above. But it's a gorgeous bike, and fits me well, and despite my complaints, I'm keeping it. For what I paid, I could have bought two of these for one Harley Softtail, and it's better built, more reliable, cheaper to insure, cheaper to maintain, and cheaper to ride - 87 octane compared to 91 that Harley's require. Show less

I bought my new 1800VTXC in September of 2005, and I got a killer deal on it. Mind you, I had never ridden a V-Twin before, man was I impressed when I rode it out of the dealership. The handling was so smooth! To my surprise, I found out what cruising at lower speeds meant. I could stay in 5th gear while all my other friends on their Harley's had to downshift going up hills. This bike is so cool! My wife loves it too. Show less

After finishing the first full year of riding this Harley Slayer, a couple of obervations. 2 roadtrips of over 1500 miles a piece was time well spent. 1. Reliability: Whether an 8000 ft Idaho mountain pass or sea level on the Oregon coast highway, the carbureted 1300 performed flawlessly. No misses, no power loss nothing. No matter the temperature, 105 degrees or 5 degrees starts and runs smoothly everytime. 2. Comfort: The factory seat is torture in the first degree. I have NEVER ridden a more uncomfortable seat in 30 years of motorcycling. For less than $300, a seat from Ultimate will make you forget the factory seat ever existed. 3. Power: Add a K&N Air filter for better power. Even 2 up on the interstate the bike pulls strong through 5k RPM with 40+ mpg on the flats. Run with the 1500 Yama's and Kawa's all day. 4. Style Points: 100/100 Black and Chrome with factory Mag wheels. Show less

I'm just a fair-weather rider that puts very little miles/summer. I wish I had more chances to ride (if I had saddle bags, I would). My bike is customized quite a bit. I wanted to share it to show what can be done with a stock VTX. I can't compare it to stock as I have never ridden a stock VTX. But, I can say this bike has tons of torque and is a blast to ride. I have always leaned towards Honda for the quality and reliability. If you are considering a big cruiser, you owe it to yourself to test ride a VTX1800. Show less

I had never owned or even ridden a Honda before I bought my 2003 VTX1800C. It's the most amazing piece of machinery I've ever had the opportunity to own! I took two road trips on it this year - once to Tennessee and once to Georgia (from New Hampshire). I didn't have a single issue with it either trip - and Georgia was down and back in 7 days (with a two day sight seeing in the middle). I'm 46 and had no problem putting 700 miles on her in a day and still getting up ready to do it again the next day! I may buy other bikes, but I will NEVER sell this one!! Show less