We ride go-anywhere Honda Crossrunner

In the three decades since the advent of the adventure tourer there has been a fundamental shift in how motorcycles are used. There is now an entire industry built around the needs of riders for whom the less beaten the track, the better.

Enter a whole new generation of lighter, nimbler touring machines with rugged styling and enough ground clearance to deal with the ruts and middelmannetjies of the road less travelled, including this one, the Honda VFR800X Crossrunner.

Yes, it's Honda's venerable V4 all-rounder in hiking boots, but it's also a whole lot more than that. It's a superb styling exercise that draws inspiration from what people do for fun, it's as friendly as a puppy and, if anything, it's even more rideable around town than its fully-faired sibling.

And, of course, it takes bumpy back roads in its stride.

The time-proven 782cc V4 engine has been re-tuned from 80kW at 10 500rpm and 80Nm at 8750rpm to 79.4kW at 10 000rpm and 72.8Nm at 8750rpm - but in the process the VTEC mechanism has been recalibrated and the older bike's distinct (and sometimes scary) “kick in the butt” at 7000rpm is gone.

You can still hear a definite sharper edge in the induction noise as the revs pass the tipping point but you can't feel it. What you can feel, however, is that the urge becomes more urgent as the power curve gets steeper after 7000rpm; this bike is no pussycat.

The rest of the drivetrain is the mixture as before; a smooth-acting, if somewhat remote, hydraulic clutch, a crisp-as-breaking-glass six-speed 'box and lash-free chain final drive on a single-sided swing-arm.

Put together, it's more than the sum of its parts; it's the most rideable V4 from Honda since the RC45.

The long-travel suspension package is also focused on user-friendliness, with 43mm forks adjustable for preload and a Pro-Link rear monoshock tuneable for preload and rebound; seat height is a very reasonable 816mm.

The brakes are Honda's (I have to admit) well-proven if fiendishly complex Combined-ABS set-up.

The ergonomics and styling, however, are all new, from the pointy headlight to the broad, flat seat, and the curves are smooth, almost yacht-like. The handlebars are high and wide, the bike's 'waistline' is low, so that you sit on it rather than in it, and it’s intended to be as pillion-friendly as possible so there's only the suggestion of a step between front and rear accommodation.

Designer Teofilo Plaza says he wanted the bike to look dynamic without being aggressive, and he drew a lot inspiration from personal watercraft such as Honda's Aquatrax, “because their riders always look like they're having so much fun!'.

High above the headlight on an extended 'pillar' arrangement (and behind a tiny flyscreen) is what Honda calls a floating instrument pod, a small, all liquid-crystal panel showing speed, revs, time, fuel, distance travelled and - once you go on to reserve - remaining fuel level.

Thanks to clean, crisp layout and fonts, it's all easily legible except for the narrow bar-graph rev-counter across the top, which is difficult to read quickly at the best of times and almost impossible in direct sunlight. Never mind, the bike's V4 sound track is one of its more attractive features and you soon learn to ride the Crossrunner mostly by ear!

Sitting on the bike for the first time, it feels quite rangy, but when you pull away you discover that the footpegs are unexpectedly high and to the rear; your spine may be more upright than on a superbike but the riding position is quite sporty and ground clearance practically unlimited.

The basic bike sells for R109 999, but Honda is offering a long list of accessories including a taller screen (R1627), 29-litre panniers (R13 508), 31-litre top box (R5343), and a centre stand for R2988.

Honda SA, however, has created a South Africa-only Touring model by fitting the last three as a package for R114 999; that's almost R22 000 worth of kit for an extra R5000. You'd be silly not to opt for the Touring; the luggage comes off quickly, without tools, for round-town hooning.

Half the bikes on the South African launch ride were thus equipped, which created an unexpected problem as we howled in convoy down the twistiest backroads Honda SA could find between their headquarters in Midrand and the wilds of darkest Limpopo.

Most of the time we maintained a brutally illegal rate of progress and found that the luggage, firmly mounted though it was, induced a disconcerting weave at very high speeds; the naked bikes always arrived first at every regrouping point, no matter who was riding them.

Sustained fast riding also made the bikes thirsty. Honda maintains that, ridden sensibly, the Crossrunner should be good for 400km on a 21.5-litre tankful; none of the media guests got more than 330 before the warning lights started flashing like the Fourth of July and all the bikes needed a splash-and-dash from the support vehicle to finish the first day's 350km route.

Nevertheless, at a steady 140km/h my red Tourer was as stable as the Rock of Gibraltar and thrummed along smoothly, with the wide, high 'bars giving me all the leverage I could ask for, to throw it round on the almost-deserted back roads and come out of just about every corner appreciably faster than I went in.

We'd been warned that the last four kilometres to the overnight stop at Legends golf resort were gravel; the Crossrunners handled it well, except for one patch of very soft, deep sand that had all the bikes snaking around and brought down one very experienced off-road rider in a huge cloud of dust.

He wasn't hurt, however, and the damage to the bike was all cosmetic (in fact it finished the ride back to Midrand without problems), demonstrating that a minor spill out in the boondocks won't mean the end of your Crossrunner holiday.

The following morning the group reckoned we'd found out all we needed to know about riding the new VFR in full touring trim so we dumped all the panniers in the support vehicle, retaining the top boxes for cameras and helmet covers.

The bikes immediately became much more stable; mine went up to an indicated 205km/h, absolutely flat out, with only the faintest suggestion of a weave, and we completed the long, straight, roughly 240km ride back to Midrand with one stop and no problems, other than an over-officious plod in a SAPS Golf who took it upon himself to escort us part of the way and got dangerously close to the bikes when we tried to pass him (one of the riders said the Golf had actually bumped his foot and that was definitely too close).

VERDICT

Two small quibbles: In common with most older riders, I would have preferred an analog rev-counter, but I'll concede that this bike doesn't really need a rev-counter at all.

The panniers are a little wider than the mirrors, so they're likely to pick up some nasty scratches before you learn to make extra allowance for them.

But, after nearly 550km in two hard rides I can confirm that the Crossrunner does all it says on the can, and then some. It was so comfortable that we were sorry to reach the Honda SA offices, no problem in traffic or, at sane speeds, fully loaded - and an absolute blast to ride fast without luggage.

Whether you're running across town or across the country, Honda's V4 in hiking boots is up for it if you are.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 782cc liquid-cooled four.

Bore x stroke: 72 x 48mm.

Compression ratio: 11.6:1.

Valvegear: DOHC with four overhead valves per cylinder and VTEC variable valve timing.

Power: 79.4kW at 10 000rpm.

Torque: 72.8Nm at 9500rpm.

Induction: PGM-FI electronic fuel-injection with four 36mm throttle bodies.

Ignition: Computer-controlled digital transistorised with electronic advance.

Starting: Electric.

Clutch: Hydraulically actuated multiplate wet clutch.