Today I went and checked out the Honda Talon at Lifestyles Honda in Mount Vernon, WA.
I was impressed by how easily accessible some engine components and filters were to reach. Starter motor replacement would probably take a half hour!
I had way more leg room than in my XP 1000, and had to reach a little for the dashboard controls with the seat all the way back.
I took both the X and the R out for a spin in their back yard. It’s a big grassy field with a big mound at one end and a huge deep drainage ditch in the middle.
The biggest thing I noticed was the direct instant power. Throttle control is going to take some getting used to. There’s no CVT lag. You get all the power right away.
I think there will need to be some work on the shocks for a plusher ride. In stock form, the suspension is a little rough. I set them both to the softest setting, and they weren’t that much different in a bumpy grassy field with some curbs to run over and some mounds of dirt to climb around on. The R was softer, but still not as plush as my XP1K with stock shocks on it.
The shifts felt a little hard to me, but I’m told that gets better with break-in. I guess that’s your trade-off for not having a CVT belt system. Maybe some 30″ 8-ply tires will tame that throttle and shifting some.
While planning off-road adventures, I found that there was always a considerable amount of effort and doubt involved in learning about new riding areas. Information is out there, but one must dig and interpret. Often the best way to learn about a new area was to find a guide. UTV Adventures LLC was created to provide consistent, easily understood information to help you plan your off-road adventure. This book endeavors to be your virtual guide. It may not be quite the same as a warm body leading the way down the trail, but it will provide the same basic information that such a guide would – and it will always be ready to go riding with you.
Our products contain directions to designated OHV/ORV trail systems, parking info, trail maps, turn-by-turn guides to trail loops, full color photos, GPS waypoints, GPS tracks, hazards, and stuff to do when you are not off-roading.
Don’t worry about taking your printed UTV Guide into the wilderness with you and having it get damaged. You’re already pretty good at making sure your phone or tablet stays clean and dry, right?
Use the printed book to research and plan your trip, and then leave it somewhere safe. Take the PDF file with you into the wild, so you can still check it out while out riding.
With the purchase of either the printed book or the eBook, you are entitled to a full set of GPS tracks. You can import these into your GPS, your Ride Command, or into a navigation app on your phone or tablet.
It’s pretty handy to have an arrow saying YOU ARE HERE on the tracks, so you don’t have to worry whether you missed that turn or not.
It took several years to get to all of the riding areas in this book and cover them thoroughly enough to make this book. Of course, part of the problem is that for about half of the year, about half of the state is usually either covered with snow or on fire.
But hey, don’t let that stop you from attempting an epic marathon run. See if you can beat my record of riding everything in this book in less than two years. I dare you!
