Honda's biggest adventure bike was born in 1998 and production was stopped in 2013.
His engine was derived from the VTR, a big V2 engine.
The Varadero has 94hp @ 8000RPM & 99nm @ 6000rpm.
His biggest disadvantage? It weighs 277KG when equipped with ABS.
If you add some luggage racks / crash bars you easily go to 285 or even 290kgs.
Knowing that it takes some great set of skills (and balls) to take this allroad anywhere but on the road.
As I'm a big fan of taking any bike outside of it's comfort zone, so I took it with me for my first trackday ever.
And actually? I wasn't disappointed at all!
Honda must have done something special to the bike, as the cornering abilities are really good.
Off course you miss out on top speed, and even a smaller cc trackbike will pass you on the straight lines.
But when going through the corners, the bike is that big that nobody is able to pass you ;-)
For me the varadero was my first experience to an All Road and my first experience with a V-twin.
The engine was/is really good, but at the end of the day the bike is just to heavy.
With my limited all road skills I took it to some 'where is the road' kind of roads, but that is not where there Varadero feels at home.
The bike is excellent for all day driving, sitting up straight and being able to overlook the horizon.
It gives you a great adventurous feeling, and the engine feels power full.
But don't let the looks mislead you, the Varadero is a Touring bike with great capabilities for travelling 2-up but is far from an All Road.