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Saturday, October 9, 2010

2011 Honda Crossrunner

Someone at Honda must be a fan of the dual sport Yamaha TDM900, because its new Crossrunner is similarly aimed at those who want the benefits of an adventure bike but are never going to go off-road.





It’s a concept that has proved successful in mainland Europe, but not so much so in other markets. UK riders might be surprised to learn that Yamaha still offers the TDM900 here, while it simply doesn’t bother in North America. An odd situation, especially given the very healthy sales figures of ‘proper’ adventure bikes such as the BMW R 1200 GS.



Whether the looks of the Crossrunner will help increase the popularity of this class of bike is debateable. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the Crossrunner’s styling seems to pull off the trick of appearing bulky yet overly fussy at the same time. Photogenic it is not.





But the Crossrunner won’t be short on power. Its engine is a V4 unit, previously seen in the VFR800 sports tourer. Producing 100 bhp (75 kW / 101 PS) and 72 Nm of torque, it features the VTEC valve timing system, which wasn’t always too popular with VFR riders. However, in this application, Honda engineers have tweaked it to ensure that power delivery is smooth and linear.



A claimed side effect of the engine retune is improved fuel consumption. It’s reckoned that the Crossrunner will have a range of 216 miles (348 km) from its 4.7 gallon (21.5 litre) fuel tank, which is equivalent to around 45 mpg (6.2 l/100km).





The Crossrunner has an aluminium twin-spar frame. Connected to it are 43 mm cartridge forks with adjustable dampers at the front, while at the rear there’s a Honda Pro-link rising-rate linkage system with a gas filled damper and coil-over spring, both of which are adjustable.



Braking performance should be one of the bike’s strong points. There are twin 296 mm floating discs with three-piston calipers at the front, while the rear wheel gets a 256 mm single disc with a twin-piston caliper. An anti-lock system comes as standard.





Prices for the Honda Crossrunner have yet to be announced, but European buyers will have a choice of three colour schemes: Graphite Black / Matt Moonstone Silver Metallic, Pearl Fadeless White / Matt Bullet Silver Metallic or Candy Blazing Red / Matt Moonstone Silver Metallic.



There will be plenty of optional extras available, too. These include a higher windscreen, fairing deflectors, heated grips, centre stand (pretty much an essential on a chain-driven bike like the Crossrunner?), 12V DC socket, alarm, 29-litre capacity panniers and 31-litre capacity top box.



























































2011 Honda Crossrunner Technical Specification
ENGINE
Type Liquid-cooled 4-stroke 16-valve DOHC 90° V-4
Displacement 782 cc
Bore × Stroke 72 × 48 mm
Compression Ratio 11.6:1
Max. Power Output 100 bhp / 74.9 kW / 101PS at 10,000 min-1 (95/1/EC)
Max. Torque 72.8 Nm at 9,500 min-1 (95/1/EC)
Idling Speed 1,200 min-1
Oil Capacity 3.8 litres
FUEL SYSTEM
Carburetion PGM-FI electronic fuel injection
Throttle Bore 36 mm
Air Cleaner Oil-permeated, cartridge-type paper filter
Fuel Tank Capacity 21.5 litres
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Ignition System Computer-controlled digital transistorised with electronic advance
Ignition Timing 8° BTDC (idle) ~ 50° BTDC (1,200 min-1)
Sparkplug Type IMR9D-9H (NGK); VNH27Z (DENSO)
Starter Electric
Battery Capacity 12 V / 11 AH (YTZ-12S)
ACG Output 386 W
Headlights 12 V; 55 W × 1 (low) / 55 W × 1 (high)
DRIVETRAIN
Clutch Wet, multi-plate with coil springs
Clutch Operation Hydraulic
Transmission Type Constant mesh 6-speed
Primary Reduction 1.934 (64/33)
Gear Ratios 1: 2.846 (37/13) / 2: 2.062 (33/16) / 3: 1.578 (30/19) / 4: 1.291 (31/24) / 5: 1.111 (30/27) / 6: 0.965 (28/29)
Final Reduction 2.687 (43/16)
Final Drive O-ring sealed chain
FRAME
Type Diamond; aluminium twin-spar; pivotless
CHASSIS
Dimensions (L×W×H) 2,130 × 799 × 1,243 mm
Wheelbase 1,464 mm
Caster Angle 25° 45'
Trail 96 mm
Turning Radius 2.8 m
Seat Height 816 mm
Ground Clearance 140 mm
Kerb Weight 240.4 kg (F: 115.2 kg; R: 125.2 kg)
SUSPENSION
Type Front 43 mm cartridge-type telescopic fork with stepless preload adjustment, 108 mm axle travel
Type Rear Pro-Link with gas-charged HMAS damper, 7-step preload and stepless rebound damping adjustment, 119 mm axle travel
WHEELS
Type Front 6-spoke cast aluminium
Type Rear 5-spoke cast aluminium
Rim Size Front 17M/C × MT3.50
Rim Size Rear 17M/C × MT5.50
Tyre Size Front 120/70 R17
Tyre Size Rear 180/55 R17
BRAKES
Type Front 296 mm dual floating hydraulic disc with 3-piston calipers, C-ABS and sintered metal pads
Type Rear 256 mm hydraulic disc with 2-piston caliper, C-ABS and sintered metal pads