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Honley Venturer RX-3 First Look
Blog Date - 08 January 2015
On a particularly cold and wet day the gf and I ventured out into terrible conditions to make the 40 mile trip through towns and moorland to reach Huddersfield. And why did I force my poor frozen lady friend to do this? To see a motorcycle.
Yip, this is why we're freezing our bits off.
Honley's Venturer tweaked my interest in August (Honley Venturer - Would I?). I don't want a gas-guzzling overweight 1200cc adventure bike. I actually think that 650 is still far more than required. So the notion of a 250 that looks like it might handle some luggage and the odd farm track without supping fuel like an alcoholic drinks beer on New Years Eve is right up my street. The stats suggest that a normal human being might be strong enough to lift it up too if it ever felt the need for a lie down in the mud.
Since then I've learned a lot more about the Venturer. It certainly is not a bike that is specific to Honley. There's a big fuss on twitter about this same bike being homologated for America and Canada under the name "CSC Cyclone RX-3". This is actually a good thing, the more that are sold the more companies will make aftermarket spares. There's quite a few reviews coming online too for both the UK Venturer and the American Cyclone. This allows me to read other folk's take on the bike. For the most part the reviews are favourable.
So after getting soaked, frozen, blown about and stuck in traffic we arrived at Earnshaw's Motorcycles in Huddersfield, the people behind the name Honley and the UK importers. And there is the Venturer, hidden behind a second hand Yammy.
It looks like it does in the pictures on the internet, quelle surprise! After finding a salesman to pull it out I climb on board. At 5 feet 8 inches I can reach the floor with both feet but I am oh-so-slightly on my tip toes. It's fine for me but it'll be that bit harder to reverse out of a sloped parking space. It feels fine, everything is where it should be and everything seems roomy and accessible.
So I take a closer look. First off the finish. Now bear in mind this is the demo bike with a number of miles on the clock so it's not showroom shiny and new. That said the finish has a certain matt-ness to the paint, the plastics and the engine cases. It lacks the deep lustrous shine of other motorcycles, including the gf's Chinese Keeway. I can't decide if its not been polished after a rainy test ride or if its a character of the finish. Hmmmmm.
Does it just need a polish or is it meant to be flat?
Next I look at the crash bars. These things give the impression that if you lob the bike down a dirt track the bars will take the pounding and not the plastics. They seem to be solidly mounted until I look how it's fixed to the frame near the exhaust. A "U" bolt?! I...I mean this is the sort of thing I do at home, but then I'm captain bodgeit. I don't know why, it's probably fine and strong but it just made me feel let down, disappointed. Why not go that extra inch and make a proper bracket or weld on a proper lug? I suspect the frame is utilised in other models so a random lug would look strange on another motorcycle.
As I look at the "U" bolt I also notice the Lambda sensor and it's wire. The Lambda sensor is on the exhaust just as you'd expect. But it's on the side of the exhaust where it will catch all the rain and mud off the roads. If you ever take this thing off road as it's looks imply then that sensor is going to be caked in crud. It could be better positioned or it needs some kind of small shield. A rock being flicked up by the front wheel could snap the sensor in two.
The wire from the Lambda sensor is shocking too. It too just hangs in the wind where all the rain and mud and stones from the front wheel will hit it. Hmm, there's a protective sheath. Then...then there's a goddam connector! It's just dangling there, waiting to be filled with corrosive salt, mud and water. Why oh why could the manufacturers just not have made the lead longer and placed it safely under the tank?
Fill me with mud, break me with stones and rot me away. And a "U" bolt!
Argh! These little things make me wonder. What else is poorly designed under the tank? What other hidden issues are there? Rising rate linkage, it's de-rigour on many many motorcycles but totally unnecessary at this level of price, performance and speed. It's expensive and wears out prematurely. My CBF 250 has no such linkage and is one of the best handling bikes I've ridden. Upside Down forks, yeah, whatever, but no need really. Mild steel exhaust, that's gonna rust but then at this price what do you expect. The luggage cases are far too small for any proper touring.
USD's? No need really, not at this price.
So far my feelings about the Honley Venturer are mixed. The idea is right. 250cc, economical I hope, cheap to buy, cheap to run, light enough to ride yet large enough to carry all the camping gear. Service intervals are a peculiar 3,750 miles. Not bad, about right if they made it 4,000. 2 year warranty, standard these days but actually still very honourable. And all this for a mere £3,195 at the time of writing. You could buy 2 Venturers instead of just 1 V-Strom 650 at that price, keep the other for spares!
If it was me making this bike this is what I'd change. No rising rate linkage and standard forks, there's no need for trick stuff at this end of the market and it makes no real world difference to ordinary folks like me. With the money saved on suspension fit a stainless exhaust and re-position that goddam Lambda sensor. Oh, and make sure the crash bars look like they were made for the bike.
I've not given up on the Venturer. I will wait to see what the real world fuel consumption figures are and I'll wait until some owners have put a few miles on them. Then...then I might look at getting one. Close, but not close enough yet.
Reader's Comments
capt.hollister said :-
I haven't seen an RX3 in the metal yet as it is not yet approved for sale by Transport Canada (our version of the MOT), but here are some general observations based on your comments.
U bolts are not an improper way to attach crash bars. The reason you don't solidly attach crash bars to a motorcycle's frame is that if you did, any fall would could end up bending the frame. Lugs are nice, but you have to make darn sure that they are weaker than the frame itself.
What's wrong with upside down forks ? they cost no more to manufacture than conventional ones while being more rigid.
Rising rate rear suspension is de rigueur on a bike designed to see at least some off-road use. Your CBF250 is a nice little street bike with short-travel suspension. The RX3 is an adventure bike with long-travel off-road suspension, and that means rising rate. That little street-only Honda's suspension simply isn't a valid base against which to compare an adventure bike's suspension. Is the rising rate set-up going to wear out more quickly ? it certainly has the potential to, given the additional pivots and links, but proper maintenance usually avoids premature wear. Of course, it also depends on the quality of the materials employed, and here out Chinese friends have not always demonstrated a willingness to use the best... I'll reserve judgment until I can see a Zonghhen/CSC/Hunley rx3 in person.
The location of the oxygen sensor may appear shocking, but it actually is not very different from any number of other bikes. It needs to be located far from the muffler in order to avoid any back pressure which would cause bad readings, especially if an aftermarket can is ever fitted. Is it vulnerable ? maybe, but probably less than it looks. Let's face it, with the exhaust out in the open, any sensor attached to a motorcycle's exhaust system is going to be exposed, but still they rarely give trouble.
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Hey there capt.hollister! Glad someone reads my stuff, big thanks. And thanks for your perfectly valid comments.
I know what you mean about the "U" bolt, yes to bolt it or fix it too securely to the frame would risk bending the frame (expensive) rather than bending the crash bars (less expensive). I...I dunno it just still looks like an afterthought to me.
I wonder about the upside down forks. Perhaps the cost of manufacture is approximately the same but it has to be said that upside-downies are typically what is found on higher end motorcycles so the assumption would be they're more expensive. But logically yeah, there's no real reason they should cost any more to make. Fair point.
As for rising rate at the rear. There is an acknowledged agreement that rising rate is considered a better set up for handling. But, considering how many established adventure touring machines that DON'T use a linkage (BMW GS 1200, KTM 1190 Adventure) it seems an extra cost, complication and another thing to go wrong for little gain.
And the Lambda sensor? My dinky little CBF 125 hides it's lambda sensor actually on the cylinder head. If nothing else just a little plate to protect the sensor is in order and the cable connector hanging in the breeze?
I don't hate this bike, I think it's rather sweet. I still maintain that in my opinion there's a few tweeks that would have made it even better. Cheers for you input though, it is most welcome.
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
katflap said :-
Hi Ren
check out the chinariders.net website http://www.chinariders.net/forumdisplay.php?f=101
there's loads of info about the Rx3.
The bikes they are getting from CSC have a lot of up grades including a stainless steel exhaust header with a repositioned Lambda sensor and 17inch rear wheel with a cush drive to name a few.
Also there are larger aluminium panniers available .All these upgrades can be found on the taobao Chinese website but could be a bit tricky getting the parts to the uk.
I have an Rx3 and loving it , but It is still early days
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Hi katflap. Interesting stuff! I think a stainless header and better positioned lambda sensor would be an intelligent upgrade. I didn't think there was anything wrong with the rear wheel but then I've never owned one as yet. Perhaps tyre choices are limited? Larger panniers too...coooool.
Once you've owned the RX3 for a while if you fancy putting a review together with some pictures I'd love to read it and with your permission publish it on here. Sensible, useful and still funky bikes like this RX3 need to get some airtime against the overweight super-trailies.
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
Garth said :-
Just seen one of these in town. Looks great.
23/11/2016 15:45:35 UTC
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