Honda Varadero 1000

I have had mine for almost year and will only replace with another when its too old, I ride it every day, rain or shine have done 10,000 milse in the last 10 months, with no problems. Servicing is realistically priced and I am fortunate to have a great local honda dealer J2 Honda of Southampton that is always there for advice and guidance.

I have had my '99 Carb model Honda Varadero for about 18 months now and love it to bits. It sees regular commuting duties and also regularly gets runs out of 100-400 miles at weekends!

It has been camping, and even done a little gentle green laning which it coped with just fine.

It has only had two problems - the first was when the valve stem seals needed replacing, the second was when the fueling was all out of kilter after i put on aftermarket pipes!

Both are sorted and it's running just fine.

It always starts on the button even after a lay up of a week or so and despite being used throughout winter (and despite my admittedly rubbish cleaning regime) it by no means looks like a 9 year old bike!

it is very comfy for me (6' 5") and has no problems lugging my 16 stone and a pillion of the same size around with aplomb!

the fairing is great keeping the worst of the weather at bay, the seat is a sofa and aside from heated grips i cannot think of anything that would make it a better tourer!

Ignore the horror stories in the press about the fuel consumption - if you try to ride it with the throttle open full crack at all times - yes it slurps but normal riding even on a commute will bring about 200-220 miles per tank (about £20).

The engine is great and will happily go mega mileages without trouble if you keep up to the servicing and ensure that it gets oil changes.

for any assistance with Varas or for further comments check out the international varadero owners forum or www.xrv.org.uk

all in all i love it!