Faults:

Nothing, headlights were a little high, dealer re-adjusted at no cost.

General Comments:

Over the moon with this motorcycle, one up touring its ace, one up about town ace. I find it a little heavy when two up, especially with all the Honda panniers. Power when two up at 70mph is ample but not impressive.

The max load of the bike is not enough in my opinion. I don't know what other bikes are, but two sensible sized adults, and all the panniers puts the weight over the top. I would have liked another 30 kg.

I think this bike would make an amazing one up tourer. With two up, stretch to the Blackbird (or maybe me and my missus need to lose weight!!!).

The linked brakes and ABS are fine, and have not compromised my riding at all.

My bum started to ache after 100 miles; 10 minutes breaks after 100 miles sorts it out, or buy an aftermarket seat.

Even with two up, got 170 miles to a tank.

Faults:

Charging issues traced back to the aftermarket rectifier installed by the previous owner.

General Comments:

Pretty darn comfortable; with the right modifications it can be a great touring bike.

Engine is glass smooth at highway speeds. Great passing power above 6500rpm, and decent torque above 4500.

Linked brakes work well and aren't grabby, yet give you confidence the bike won't lock up as easily if the front is grabbed too hard.

Gas mileage is great at 50mpg, especially for 100hp. 40mpg around town.

Fairly comfortable pillion seating position with lower footpegs than usual. Same for the driver, more relaxed pegs.

Stock bars put too much weight on the wrists. HeliBars are recommended for longer rides. Ditto for the stock seat.

Rear tire a snap to take off with the single swingarm.

Stock centerstand.

For a heavier 'sport' bike, it handles very well and takes low speed maneuvers with ease.

Rectifiers are a known problem on this bike. Honda has an updated part that works much better. Do NOT get the aftermarket version. Also wiring extra ground and hot wires to the battery nets a solid 14v. Previous owner spent $1500 trying to nail down the charging issue; I did it with less than $200.

Faults:

Voltage regulator failed, replaced under warranty.

Filler cap lock would sometimes stick, but may have been due to contaminated fuel.

General Comments:

Can be ridden in a relaxed and gentle manner or like a sports bike. Suspension and handling are fine for road use, although maybe not as sharp as a pure sports bike when pushed hard.

It's comfortable, providing you're travelling at illegal speeds, when the wind pressure takes some of the weight off your arms and back.

Only sold it because as I get older, the pain in my back, knees and wrists when riding it became too much. Replaced by a more comfortable Honda XL1000 Varadero (Europe only model)

Faults:

The voltage regulator quit unexpectedly at 10,000 miles.

The battery boiled all the fluid out at the same time.

The high beam switch would intermittently shut off the headlight.

General Comments:

Once I fixed the electrical problem, this turned out to be a good motorcycle.

The V4 has a great sound and feel to it, and it is just as fast in a half-mile as a 1998 ZX6R in repeated tests.

While the weight looks high on the spec sheet, the balance of the engine makes this bike feel very light and the handling is confidence inspiring.

Even when the regulator quit, I was still able to pop start the bike and ride it. The engine seems like it will last forever.