2019 Talon R 27,000 Mile Report

[hondabob]

Outside of the air filter intake location and unfortunate suspension settings Honda did a wonderful job with the Talon. I’m hoping those two problems will be fixed with the 2022 model. At least they are fairly easy to fix. I’m sure the Honda Customer Relations guys and dealers got lots of complaints. Both the accessory particle separator and suspension upgrade are expensive.

My engine is working great and its as quiet as my 2020 Talon. I will be checking the valves this summer and will replace the spark plugs. The transmission raised the bar really high. It's amazing in auto mode so I use auto mode 90% of the time plus I can override it when I see a steep hill coming or want it to upshift a bit early. I always use manual mode when in low range so it won’t shift in a tough technical section. Having two Talons lets me compare them as I make improvements. Also the axle popping on turns when cold. Both are about the same and ok after a good warmup. My 2020 Talon has 5,000 miles on it. I will be putting several thousand more in the next two or three years.

Belt Drive works good but it’s a PITA to deal with especially on a $20,000 to $40,000 UTV. Most customers will be satisfied if they only put on a couple thousand miles a year. Most belt drives run a high RPM all the time and I just hated that. I can run at 3,000 RPM in 6th gear on flat hard pack. In deep loose sand I run near 5,000 RPM and keep it under 8,000. Occasionally I do hit the rev limiter when I’m going Stupid Fast beating up on the RZR’s.

 

[Admin]

 

[TxDoc]

Wow! That's very impressive. When you get through with it and retire it... Honda R&D should pay you enough to buy a new one do they can study every component on it.

Thanks for sharing this

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

 

[SLOWPOKE693]

In the 27,000 miles of riding, how many times did you have to do the "mini bike ride of shame" because the Talon left you stranded?

Is zero times a good guess? 😎

 

[Enigma]

I am confused. How do you use a belt drive on a Honda? They have a transmission with gears, right????

 

[Enigma]

Sorry HondaBob. I misunderstood the comment. I understand you are talking about CV(Belt Drives) in general. I agree with your comments plus the cost of an additional tool to remove/install the new belt drive. Try changing a VCV(belt) on the trail without the tool. Honda transmission save you $$$$ in the long run.

 

[hondabob]

I had to ride my Honda XR70 a few times when my Yamaha's broke down and my Suzuki 70 a few times when my Polaris side by sides broke. Never had a breakdown with any of my Hondas and put on close to 80,000 miles on them. I have had 10 Honda side by sides. A Big Red, 2 Pioneer 700's, 2 Pioneer 500's, 3 Pioneer 1000's, and now my 2 Talons. Anything can break and you can always crash. Both of my Kawasaki Teryx never broke down but the Belt drive is a PITA to replace a belt and having to shim the rear pulley was annoying too. The gas tank has to be removed and the later models don't have enough engine case clearance so both pulleys have to be removed to change the belt.

 

[fartsalot]

I will never life long enuf to put that many miles on my 19 X LOL

A vid on the valve adjustment would be a really good for all of us to witness.

 

[Diesel_lv]

I will never life long enuf to put that many miles on my 19 X LOL

A vid on the valve adjustment would be a really good for all of us to witness.

There's already a video on YouTube. Just Google Honda Talon Valve Adjustment.

 

[sHoRtBuSseR]

What are you guys doing for the suspension setups? My 2020 1000R bucks hard and the hopping when it's digging is super frustrating. Was thinking about the Shock Therapy DRS kit but I haven't been around anyone else who has a Talon.

 

[Diesel_lv]

What are you guys doing for the suspension setups? My 2020 1000R bucks hard and the hopping when it's digging is super frustrating. Was thinking about the Shock Therapy DRS kit but I haven't been around anyone else who has a Talon.

I've got the Shock Therapy Dual Rate Springs and 32's on my '21 1000x-4 Live Valve. I live in very rocky desert trails and mountains. Between the 2 it is pretty comfortable. But not sure what you are referring to as far as wheel hop. I may not be riding as aggressive.

 

[PaulF]

What are you guys doing for the suspension setups? My 2020 1000R bucks hard and the hopping when it's digging is super frustrating. Was thinking about the Shock Therapy DRS kit but I haven't been around anyone else who has a Talon.

Don't waste your money on springs only on an R. Your R already had DRS and ST rear springs are barely any different than stock. Stock is 250/250 (125 combined) and ST is 200/275 (116 combined and actually stiffer on the main spring). Best thing you can do to a stock R is add a little weight as far back as you can and back off the crossovers.

If that is not enough, send the shocks off to any of the reputable tuners and have them redone.

And before you say ST customizes the springs to your machine, they DON'T. Every ST set of springs I have seen are all the same.

 

[hondabob]

Paul is right on with the weight way back. My buddy has the Horizon bed extender. Dirt Road Fab has their bed extender a little further back. You could always add a small motorcycle in the back. If you get your shocks done get the high and low speed adjustors.

Honda Talon R/X Swing Out Bed Extender w/Spare Tire Carrier

2019-2021 Talon Bed Extender

Finally a product that addresses two issues related to the Honda Talon. First, the factory rear suspension. The added weight helps to smooth out the "bucking" that Talon owners know all too well. Second, the Talon is a tall machine and getting coolers and other items over a fixed gate is...

www.dirtroadfabrication.com

 

[hondabob]

I have the Eibach springs on my 2020 Talon and with the weight way back it works pretty good. Not sure if I have the stage 2 or stage 3 springs. I have 14 to 15 inches of ground clearance from the skid plate.

Lift Kits, Lowering Springs, Race Springs, Shocks & Sway Bars

Front Main Spring 1200.300.0250S Front Secondary Spring 1000.300.0150S
Rear Main Spring 1600.300.0250S Rear Secondary Spring 1200.300.0150S

For up to 200 pounds in the back the rear main spring is a 300
Front Main Spring 1200.300.0250S Front Secondary Spring 1000.300.0150S
Rear Main Spring 1600.300.0300S Rear Secondary Spring 1200.300.0150S

 

[Killer223]

Don't waste your money on springs only on an R. Your R already had DRS and ST rear springs are barely any different than stock. Stock is 250/250 (125 combined) and ST is 200/275 (116 combined and actually stiffer on the main spring). Best thing you can do to a stock R is add a little weight as far back as you can and back off the crossovers.

If that is not enough, send the shocks off to any of the reputable tuners and have them redone.

And before you say ST customizes the springs to your machine, they DON'T. Every ST set of springs I have seen are all the same.

that not correct at all with the ST springs. i ride with a lot of talons, and only 2 cars have the same springs. the rest are all different. it depends what you tell them how much weight you'll be carrying. and riding style.
I've been in the test bed car for weller racing's setup, and St and for higher speeds the ST is hands down better ride. slow under 15 the weller was better. I got my car to go zoom zoom fast and St is a win for me. yes their customer service sucks. but the product they sell does not.
The other good one is Schmidty racing. they have a sweet setup. the one from MTS isn't to bad either.

No matter who you go with you need valving to control the spring rate.

 

[PaulF]

that not correct at all with the ST springs. i ride with a lot of talons, and only 2 cars have the same springs. the rest are all different. it depends what you tell them how much weight you'll be carrying. and riding style.
I've been in the test bed car for weller racing's setup, and St and for higher speeds the ST is hands down better ride. slow under 15 the weller was better. I got my car to go zoom zoom fast and St is a win for me. yes their customer service sucks. but the product they sell does not.
The other good one is Schmidty racing. they have a sweet setup. the one from MTS isn't to bad either.

No matter who you go with you need valving to control the spring rate.

Not sure if you are referring to full revalve or just springs only from ST. I was referring to springs only and every one of them (regardless of weight or riding style asked for) they all had the same springs. This was over a year ago so maybe they wised up.

My problem with ST is they claim s*** that isn't true like their spring kit will "Greatly reduce rear end bucking". You cannot do that on a Talon R by simply changing springs. You would have to completely reconfigure the suspension geometry and that is not coming from me, that is directly from the owners own mouth. He says it isn't fixable in videos then sells stuff that claims it is.

 

[hondabob]

Winning the Baja 1000 the last two years in the N/A class tell me the Talon suspension can be pretty good. Two years ago the N/A Talon beat the Turbo's but a 10 minute penalty put them one minute out of 1st. Honda has a winner and I expect they will be making it even better. Its hard to create an all new product but easy to make improvements. Try putting 30,000 miles on any of the belt drive UTV's and I expect it will cost a lot in maintenance and repairs. My big expense is oil changes and $550 a month for gas.