£6,155
The Honda VTX1800 is Honda’s beautifully engineered take on the performance cruiser concept, and this machine has some serious stomp to match its sleek and attention grabbing looks. Mating a fabulously torque-laden V-twin lump to distinctive styling with a ‘neo-classic’ twist, was a master stroke from Honda. Built between 2002 and 2008, this is quite a rare bike in the UK and this example is one of the last built.
The Honda VTX1800 is Honda’s beautifully engineered take on the performance cruiser concept, and this machine has some serious stomp to match its sleek and attention grabbing looks. Mating a fabulously torque-laden V-twin lump to distinctive styling with a ‘neo-classic’ twist, was a master stroke from Honda. Built between 2002 and 2008, this is quite a rare bike in the UK and this example is one of the last built.
This US model was built in 2005 (although unregistered in the US until 2008) is showing just 6475 miles. It has amazing deep metallic orange paintwork with subtle “1800” markings on the tank, and just a couple of small Honda badges nestling on the side cases. It has a set of Vance & Hines exhaust pipes which give a proper ‘rumble’ that these bikes are crying out for. It sounds great without being too loud. It’s in mostly original condition and has avoided being loaded with lots of after-market gear, cissy bars, chrome back rests and the like, so retains its clean and simple lines. The vendor was its first UK owner and purchased it from the importer.
The bike is dominated by the glorious V-twin motor. The bright paintwork, acres of chrome and its sheer size make it a real attention grabber. Its condition can only be described as outstanding, and it clearly hasn’t been ridden in bad weather.
It has Honda’s excellent linked brake system and a comfy saddle which happens to be good for serious distance. There are pillion pegs but you would need to be on very good terms with any passengers as the saddle is, to all intents and purposes, for one only. The pillion pad is included with the sale, however selfishly we think that would spoil its looks.
It’s shaft drive, (so no chain hassles), and has modern upside down forks up front to help with the handling, along with dual disk brakes at the front and a single disk at the rear. The twin rear shocks are 5-way adjustable for preload. It rolls on cast alloy wheels, with 180 rear and 150 front tyres, which are both good.
Although weighing in at a fairly hefty 321kg, the VTX has a seat height of only 695mm, and steers with precision that belies its size, with a low centre of gravity enabling corner swinging that would tie many a custom cruiser in knots. It has shaft drive and a five speed transmission, though given its torque, realistically you can stick it in top gear from 20mph upwards and leave it there. It has EFI and a 17 litre tank giving a pretty decent range for this type of bike, at around 140 miles. Oh, and it has serious bragging rights with 101mm (that’s 4 inch) diameter pistons.
The VTX sports a 1,795cc six valve liquid cooled V-twin producing 95bhp at a lowly 5,000rpm. It’s capable at propelling the bike the wrong side of 120mph. Even better, it makes a massive115 ft/lbs of torque at just 3000rpm, which is some serious grunt. If you snap the throttle open at 80mph, the kick in the seat that it lashes out is phenomenal. In typical Honda fashion it is supremely refined, having just enough rumble to remind you of its V-twin make up, but not intruding so much that it makes longer rides an effort. Twin counterbalances and rubber motor mounts help provide smoothness, but the bike still retains that great V-twin rumble that you just don’t get from any other configuration. These bikes were made in America and the build quality and durability is exceptional. There is plenty lot of chrome to polish but the finish is thick and long lasting, with no rust or pitting on this example.
Works carried out by the vendor included 'desmogging' the bike (it was imported from California), fitting a Vance and Hines Big Shot exhaust as well as a Dynojet Power Commander 5. All can be removed if required and all are shown in the photos below.
The vendor has had this bike in dry storage for all of his ownership. He’s had a mechanic check it over recently and a new battery was fitted plus a fuel pump issue recified. It is MoT’d until May 2022.
If you are after a motorcycle that has serious presence, this is the bike for you. Honda launched the VTX as the ultimate V-twin cruiser and we think they were pretty successful on that score. You don’t see many of these in the UK (the N was never officially imported) and it certainly stands out. It’s a practical and rewarding bike to own, whether you want to cover some distance or just stand and admire it on your driveway!
We estimate this bike will sell for between £5,000-£8,000.
Inspection is always encouraged, within government guidelines of course. The car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon. To arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Please feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
