“I've Had this bike for 10 years now and still enjoy riding it . It was initially bought for my wife and I to go touring but she fell pregnant not long after I bought it so that never happened . The bike is used mainly for commuting and the odd ride out down the Scottish Borders when I don't have the kids. Overall a great bike with plenty power if required .”
“My Honda Varadero VAB is the only bike I want to ride for my European touring. Apart from the great looks, the imposing size and the 250 mile range in the tank, it's the reliability that is critical. I'm a member of a few adventure bike forums and some of the horror stories of bikes letting people down when they're away from home touring is horrendous. I never worry about that with my Varadero. It's almost six years old and has covered 31000 miles without a glitch and still looks like showroom new. A lot of other supposedly "superior " rival machines suffer from corrosion in the first couple of years and are aged looking before their time, not my Varadero.
No matter what you want to do on it, it's the tool for the job, motorways cruising, no sweat, twisty roads giving it the beans with the knee down, scraping your toes, piece of cake. Commuting, filtering through traffic, a walk in the park.
The Mighty 996 V- Twin engine is bullet proof as they say and with proper maintenance (very little apart from oil and filters) it is good for hundreds of thousands of miles as a lot of members of the European Forum have proved.
I can't imagine ever getting rid of it as I have a second bike for running around on and that would be the one I'd change if the notion took me. ( It's a Honda V-Twin as well).
People always talk about which cars they'd buy if they won the lottery, well I have the bike I'd buy and didn't need a Lottery win to buy it. There are other bikes out there that I'd happily own, but not in the Adventure market, I already have the best, so anything else would be a backward step for a lotta cash.
The thing I really love about my Varadero is that when I take it out, I know it'll get me home and I won't be left standing at the side of the road waiting on a breakdown truck.”
“This is the second one I've owned and my wife prefers this one due to the seat being 2inches lower.. Making it easier to get off ... one of the best bikes I've owned and love it a little more each time we go out on it ... Would definitely recommend this model..”
“superb bike. super comfort. super mile muncher. only downside is the weight and height. i'm 5' 11" and can just get my feet on the ground. bike carries its weight very high and can be a handful to push when parking up. especially when fully loaded. otherwise super bike. cheers Jock”
“Bought the bike back in November 2014 so not many miles (about 500) added due to weather etc. Initially running was a bit 'lumpy' in comparison with my son's VTR, which has virtually the same motor, and fuel consumption was disappointing. Although I was under the impression that service dates had been met, I decided to to do a 'fluid and filters' service. Guess what? The air filter was the origional (2005!), although the oil filter was after market so the oil may have been changed at some point. I gave the bike a good run (about 120 miles) in just above freezing conditions, which included A and B roads, and motorways. The fuel consumption came in at about 48 to the gallon (solo with a top-box) which I think is about par for the course, as the bike is a heavy old beast. Once rolling, the handling was solid and totally pedictable. Comfort is top notch, as an after-market gel seat has been fitted so I can't comment on the standatd unit. Braking is very good if both front (linked) and rear brakes are used at the same time. Thankfully there was no occasion to test the ABS! The Varadero is a complete change to my previous SV 650 ( I won't mention the 1959 Matchless learking in the back of the garage), and up to now I am more than pleased with the overall concept of the machine.”
“I've previously been used to older bikes with carburetors. I have to say, I miss the 'soul' and 'personality' of those bikes, but the Varadero's added reliability over those machines is a good trade! The handling, although obviously not sports bike- sharp, is very surefooted for such a tall bike. If you're looking for a better looking alternative to a GS, here it is!”
