Honda Motorsports are releasing a series of feel-good short videos featuring, of course, their products. So far, they seem to be very well-produced and a fun watch. They're calling the series What Lies Beyond and here's the first in the series...... (click on the link)
What Lies Beyond

Known as the VFR1200X here in the States, Honda's big "adventure" bike had been available in Europe for a few years before we got it. Since dropping the 1200F model, Honda has let the "X" take over the big VFR's role. Marketed as an on-off road big-bore, shaft-driven contender, I see it more of a comfortable sport touring alternative to the previous "F" model. We don't hear much about the 1200X here since it's U.S. debut in 2016 but YouTube has lots of reviews, first looks, etc. Here's a short but helpful review from the long-running car show, Motorweek.

I know, I know, this is a site about V4 Interceptors. But a new bike is always a thrill, like the start of any new relationship, whether it turns out to be long- or short-term. And early this week I got a new baby.

After some day-long rides aboard my latest VFRs, I have to accept that in the long-term I'm going to want something a little less intense for purely pleasure rides and, I reluctantly admit, a bit more comfortable.

In an effort to return to my roots with a lighter, simpler and more comfortable bike, I began a search for a suitable mount. My search led me to the local Triumph dealer in Woodstock, IL, where I sampled the new 1200 Bonneville and Thruxton. I loved 'em both, especially the Thruxton, but all the improvements added weight, complexity and dollars, and the Thruxton was very similar ergonomics to the VFR. I was trying to avoid all that, so I found a used previous generation T-100 to test ride and knew I'd found my bike.

As for my British connection, my first restoration back in the day was a '72 Norton 750 Commando. And five years ago I rode a '79 Triumph 750 on an awesome canyon tour from Arizona to Wisconsin. It's a beautiful & reliable old Trumpet. Here's a few pics of the '79....
(click on an image to enlarge)

Completing my due diligence, I researched the various years and models and decided I would look for a mag wheel version — these have 17" wheels in place of the 19/18" on the wire wheel T-100, which allow the use of modern tubeless radial tires. Eventually I came across an eBay listing at Florida Motorsports, a dealer in Tallahassee, with an opening bid of $4950 and no reserve. Patti & I were in the middle of our Blue Ridge Parkway tour when the auction was ending and I threw my bid in the ring during a rest stop. At the hotel that evening I was surprised to find I'd won the auction ($5201). I was now the proud owner of a "new 2015" Bonneville...which was 1100 miles away. After a bit of back & forth on U-ship and other sites, I located Robert who operates Conestoga Mid-Atlantic Transport and makes regular runs between IL and FL. Four days later he was rolling it off the trailer.

Well, she's black on black and brand new. I half expected some showroom rash from two years on the floor, but the bike is in perfect condition, showing all of ten miles. What's the plan? Because she's a previous-gen bike and my investment is so reasonable, I plan some cosmetic mods to make her mine, and definitely suspension and tuning upgrades. I already have a touring bike and a steady stream of VFRs, so this will just be a fun bike for the alphabet roads of southwest Wisconsin. First up will be a flyscreen and we'll go from there. I'm hoping for a long and meaningful relationship.

What: 1992 VFR400R (NC30)
Where: North Hollywood, California
Why: Rare, useable, good-looking
Price: No reserve auction

Here we have a not-available-in-America NC30; a 1992 with a few confusing details which should be worked out with the seller. There's some replica bodywork, including a non-perfect fuel tank and an Ohio title which apparently won't work in California. The seller has a complex work-around for obtaining a CA title but, again, due diligence is called for. Showing only 4100 miles, the seller seems to have put the bike in good riding condition and the pictures look nice, but they often do. This is not a collector piece, but rather a rider grade refurbishment. Value? Hard to say, and the no reserve auction will surely sort that out.

What: 1987 VFR700F2
Where: Tucson, Arizona
Why: Complete, low miles, rare color, reasonable
Price: $2800

My riding bud from southern Arizona, Rich, sent along the C-list link for this beautiful F2 in hard-to-find Candy Wave Blue and silver, available only in 1987 and only as a 700.

The odometer shows a bit over 16,000 miles and the photos show a very complete and original condition Interceptor. I don't see any rash on the mufflers, the seat looks great and the passenger seat cowl is included. I don't see any obvious indication of crash damage. The VIN plate indicates a very late production number and date; May of '87. I'd love to see it in person, but my gut feeling is that this is a good one.

If it were closer it'd be in my garage. Someone needs to buy this.

When Honda updated the ST series to the ST1300 back in '03 they saw an opportunity to supply the police market, and so developed the ST1300PA. Many law enforcement agencies adopted the police version due in large part to the reduced initial investment and long-term maintenance costs, especially compared to the offerings from BMW and Harley-Davidson.

Here's a pretty cool public service video from the Washington State Patrol on their transition to the Honda in 2011.

The police bikes come up for sale regularly, especially on eBay. Here's an '09 with 72,000 miles located in California with a Buy-It-Now of $3950. It features some terrible photos and is missing the front & rear crash bars. These models were equipped with ABS and electric windscreen.

My ST just turned 70K and I can attest that with basic maintenance these bikes are long-term keepers. So for a solo daily driver the ST1300P might be just what you need.