Motorcycle specifications Honda800 CROSSRUNNER 2011 Crossroads

but what is this thing? A trail bike? Not really... A roadster? Well, neither. In the car world, we'd call it an S.U.V. In the tarmac, we don't really have a category to define the Crossrunner. Maybe there's a guy at Honda who went nuts and assembled bits and pieces of bikes he had in his lab - remember the Peugeot commercial* where cars telescope and then explode, creating new cars? The Crossrunner is a bit like that: a mix of 800 VFR, Transalp and CB.

So, who's this trail-ster for? For those who like the trail riding position and want the feel of a roadster. It's not easy to achieve, so it's a bit of a challenge, and Honda is going to open up a niche with this machine, whose duckling-like face will leave more than a few doubters. But it's in detailing it that we're going to ask ourselves the most questions and begin to see the horizons that the Crossunner wants to explore.

Let's see what you've got under all that plastic. An aluminum double-spar interrupted frame, the same technique used on the VFR 800 and CBR 929 / 954 Fireblade. Oh, nice, a swingarm like the VFR 's (again?). And, ah, a beautiful V4 to power it all, with the same displacement and power output as the VFR (really?). Who would have thought that the RC 45 's block would one day power a trail bike? This mill has made many a happy visitor over the years, and now it's got a new setting for plying the roads and trails.
Narrower, livelier and much nicer sounding than an in-line 4, the 782 cm3 V4 has been adapted to its new use. It benefits from an evolution of the VTEC system (from 2 to 4 valves per cylinder above a certain engine speed) with variable valve timing. A first in the world of motorcycles, this system allows you to vary valve opening and closing times. The 100 horsepower available can therefore take you at high speed in a relaxed riding position, without overindulging on fuel. Honda claims 350 km on a full tank, or a fuel consumption of just over 6 liters per 100 km - a limited thirst, and not necessarily easy to achieve, given the X-runner's imposing profile. Except that the X-runner has been through 120 wind tunnel sessions to optimize aerodynamic flow, stability at any speed and protection.

and anywhere? Don't exaggerate. This is no enduro or all-purpose machine, like the Yamaha XT-R or KTM Adventure. What's more, with road tires on 17-inch rims, you won't be traversing the crevassed paths of the Atlas mountains, but rather the acarfanized roads of the Lônes. With its improved ground clearance, the machine can continue where sports bikes and roadsters leave off. What's more, the raised handlebars allow you to find a raised riding position that's not tiring, and to swing the bike effortlessly from one angle to another thanks to the large lever arm offered by the handlebar width. What's more, the Crossrunner has no intention of leaving the rider alone. The saddle has really been designed to take a passenger along: a nice flat seat, barely above the rider's, low footrests, large passenger grips - it's a change from the ejector seat of a CBR 1000.

But is your Crossrunner rigid? Because a trail bike with a steel cradle is going to bend with my riding and the potato of a V4... Hey, I just said it wasn't a trail bike but a "trail-ster". The VFR-derived perimeter frame offers first-rate rigidity, far superior to that of an off-roader and a good proportion of roadsters. Active safety is included as standard, with Combined ABS acting on 3-piston calipers trapping 296 mm discs.

With its Crossrunner, Honda is exploring a new direction, as it likes to do with its landmark machines(DN-01, Pacific Coast, Goldwing, etc.). It's an experiment worth trying, because this genetic mix is surprising at first, then the combination of factors and philosophy arouses curiosity.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos

Below, a video from Honda France

* The Peugeot video I mentioned earlier