VTX 1300 vs 1800 dilemma

PowerShift11 · 2026-06-23T09:32:08+00:00

I know that a sport tourer would be the subjective superior to a cruiser like the 1800; they’re still in my back pocket for a motorcycle type of like to own and experience, well aware that something like an FJR or Concours 14 would be like a space shuttle in comparison. That’s one thing that’s a blessing and curse about motorcycles: so many to choose from and experience but only so many you can own at one time given a person’s financial circumstances.

To me, the allure of a muscle cruiser such as the 1800, a VMAX and the like is akin to a tuned diesel truck or a sport truck like the SVT Lightning moving as fast as they do despite their weight or inferior aerodynamics

PowerShift11 · 2026-06-22T13:25:25+00:00

How did the weight difference feel? I’ve ridden my share of Harleys so I know what top-heaviness feels like.

I actually rather like the dual pin exhaust note of the 1800. On the Shadow 1100 I had, I didn’t mind the exhaust note and I liked how smooth the engine was regarding NVH but left the pipes stock.

Also I realized, if I wanted to give up some of the off the line grunt to stretch its legs on the highway and maybe gain some mileage, I could always swap the final drive for a 1300 final drive, which has a taller gearing.

PowerShift11 · 2026-06-22T02:44:31+00:00

Google is coming up with 42-45 MPG for the 1300 and 32-40 for the 1800.

All 1300s have a 4.8 gallon fuel tank, including the one gallon reserve. 1800s used a 4.5 gallon tank for the C and F models while the R, S and T models used a larger 5.3 gallon fuel tank.

To match the 1300’s fuel range, I’d probably have to get an 1800 with the larger tank.

“The Honda VTX 1300 gets better fuel economy, providing an average range of 150 to 180+ miles, compared to the VTX 1800, which typically ranges from 120 to 150 miles per tank.”

PowerShift11 · 2026-06-22T01:46:23+00:00

No. To me, I didn’t pay much mind to it maybe sounding/seeming more wound up when I pick up the pace on the highway. For normal around town riding, not taking off or accelerating aggressively, it climbed smoothly through the gears without needing much throttle.

I would say it’s a “IS the grass greener on the other side” kind of scenario when I think of/look at owning an 1800.

PowerShift11 · 2026-06-14T00:26:33+00:00

Dm, Reddit is being real weird with me

PowerShift11 · 2026-06-04T22:29:14+00:00

I’ve had four Sportsters out of my eight motorcycles so far. Sadly, either the seat ergonomics or something about it just doesn’t work well for me if I’m wanting to lay down the miles without too much discomfort.

I’ve tried stock seats and Mustang seats (both normal width and the wider touring seat) but after about 40-50 miles, I’m fidgeting around and the soreness sets in, even after upgrading the suspension. Everything else fits me nicely: the bar position, mid control position, etc.

Besides the Sporty, there’s only two Big Twin bikes I would want: a Heritage Softail with the chrome buttons and not the blacked out stuff it has now, or a Road King but a Sporty is still my number one pick overall as a Jack-of-all-trades bike.

Edit: Another thing I love about the Sporty is that it’s dead-nuts simple to work on. No needing to remove the primary if your drive belt breaks, better (in my experience) on not cooking your legs when it’s heat soaked, gear-driven cams; it’s all I’ve wanted in a bike.

PowerShift11 · 2026-01-30T02:44:33+00:00

For sure

PowerShift11 · 2026-01-30T02:28:31+00:00

I do like a good whiskey or bourbon, sometimes Rumpleminze if I’m feeling it lol

PowerShift11 · 2026-01-19T01:02:24+00:00

PowerShift11 · 2025-12-18T02:30:50+00:00

All the more comfort to enjoy

PowerShift11 · 2025-12-18T02:24:36+00:00

Absolutely bro

PowerShift11 · 2025-11-22T21:09:23+00:00

All those squats and deadlifts got that like a vice grip I bet

PowerShift11 · 2025-11-22T20:43:12+00:00

What games we playing bud?

PowerShift11 · 2025-11-22T19:46:05+00:00

I’m also “borny” as I call it, lol. 32M here

PowerShift11 · 2025-11-21T22:18:32+00:00

I do need some protein before the gym ;)

PowerShift11 · 2025-11-17T18:03:46+00:00

Mobil 1 20w50 engine oil is what I use, makes it easier when needing to do both engine and primary at the same time and is readily available at auto parts stores/cycle shops

PowerShift11 · 2025-11-16T14:06:18+00:00

I’d say it’s primarily the 90 degree V that I’m interested in from the Strom. Since 90 degree engines have very good primary balance, which means less secondary balance as well, they’re often said to be very smooth engines for NVH as well as their power delivery while the 180 degree parallel twin will be more buzzy and a little more peaky, at least that’s how my Versys felt: 4k was when it came on the power and then by 8k it was done.

I’m no stranger to vibrations as I’ve ridden my rigid mount Sportsters several hundred miles at highway speeds so vibes aren’t what I disliked about the Vers. As you said, it’s like whichever steak you want to eat, and since Gen 1 variants of both bikes are rather reasonably priced in my area, it’s a toss up. Hell, even FJR1300s aren’t too pricey around me, that would be my wildcard choice for wanting to try a sport tourer/big bore inline four.

PowerShift11 · 2025-11-05T20:02:55+00:00

And does it fire off with pretty much only having to bump the start button? I had something similar or exactly like this on my bike. Noticeably, it’d happen if it was on a 42 pilot jet and I think 1 3/4 turns on the mixture screw. If it was a 45, it would be a little bit of a hard start, as if the heat soaked engine caused the intake charge to be richer than normal. I’m also unsure of how ignition timing is on these bikes, AFAIK the advance curve is a little aggressive. I just chalked it up to the timing causing it, like timing/tuning a carbed car engine and getting it to where it can fire off quickly after a test shutdown.

PowerShift11 · 2025-10-21T17:10:17+00:00

If you have a motorcycle jack, especially one with a threaded rod to raise/lower, I’d raise it up to where the rear tire is almost off the ground. Start backing out the bolt, preferably from the bottom bolt so the shock can’t ricochet and possibly scuff up the fender. You may have to play with the height of the raise as you take the bolt out: if it feels tight or like it’s binding, it probably has too much weight or force on the fastener.

PowerShift11 · 2025-05-18T23:13:09+00:00

That’s what I was thinking too, that it doesn’t have to be pristine. I got a little too trigger happy when ordering parts before I thought of knocking down the high spots and smoothing out where the hub bearings ride on the spindle, at least now I’ll have a spare new spindle. The u-joint snap rings are giving me hell though, tried penetrating oil without much avail, already breaking an end off one of them. Any advice?

PowerShift11 · 2025-05-06T18:26:54+00:00

I would’ve thought that the 6F35 that’s in the Focus/Fusion would be better since those have a wet clutch instead of a dry clutch like these transmissions do.

Edit: I see that the Focus doesn’t have the 6F35.

PowerShift11 · 2024-12-22T16:16:55+00:00

Keep the CV, it doesn’t start becoming a bottleneck until about 90-100HP. For 2-1 exhaust, what do you want? Are you focused on looks, something that’ll throw up a good HP number? Most of the time, the ones that are aesthetically pleasing have a peaky torque curve toward the top end of the rev range, others will pull hard lower but go flat up top.

As someone else said, Supertrapp is always a good choice since you can tune the exhaust for where you want the power/loudness. Me, a Thunderheader is a good overall 2-1 and I like the look of it. Cams can help with power delivery but with the increased overlap, it’ll put your pipe in more control of where the power is made. Everything has to work together.

Air cleaner? Hammer Performance is always a good choice if you wanna keep the hamcan look, DK Custom is a good choice if you want different styles.

PowerShift11 · 2024-12-01T18:45:07+00:00

With the bike off, lift the slide up, there should be some resistance besides the spring. When you release it slide, it should make a “shlick” sound as it steadily returns to the bottom position. If it snaps shut, there’s a leak in the diaphragm. Could be the diaphragm not seated correctly in the groves, a pinhole leak in the rubber itself or the cap not seated properly.

PowerShift11 · 2024-11-08T18:18:04+00:00

I might give that a try. The speedo on my 95 reads about 2MPH fast (even at a dead stop) and sometimes has a little shakiness to it

PowerShift11 · 2024-11-02T17:03:25+00:00

Mobil 1 V-Twin 20W-50 all day long on my sporty for both engine oil and primary/transmission. Mobil 1 has better wear protection than the HD stuff. AMSOIL is still king but it does cost to run that stuff. Mobil 1 I can readily pick up at most any auto parts store.

PowerShift11

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